Alligators vs Crocodiles: A Reptilian Battle

It’s time for a battle of the ancient crocodilia, who, along with birds, are the only known survivors of the archosaur group.

At the end of the competition will we being saying “see ya later, alligator”, or “after awhile crocodile?”

We’ll soon find out!

Let’s get prepped for battle by learning a little more about our semi-amphibious friends:

	Alligators	Crocodiles
Location Location Location!	Alligators are only found in the southeastern US and eastern China	crocodiles can be found across the world, including in Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, North America, South America and Central America
Schnoz	An alligator's snout is broad and shaped like a "U"	A croc has a narrower snout that is shaped more like a "V"
Pearly whites	When an alligator's mouth is closed you can only see its top row of gnashers	When it closes its mouth a croc's lower fourth tooth can be seen
Size	Alligators grow to around 14 feet long	Crocs can grow up to an impressive 19 feet long
Disposition	Alligators are instinctively fearful of humans. But you probably don't want to feed them, because they can lose their fear and start to contemplate how much more of a tasty snack YOU would be!	Crocs are alligators' bad boy cousins, and have been known to attack humans even when unprovoked. Austrailian saltwater crocodiles are thought to be the most dangerous, because of course they are.
Water preference	Alligators prefer freshwater because they have difficulty excreting excess salt from bodies of water. Their hides vary in color according to the makeup of the water they inhabit, helping them blend into their surroundings.	Crocs have special glands that help them to remove excess salt from water, allowing them to spend weeks at sea. That's also probably why they're so salty 😀
Coloring	Alligators skin will be more greenish in environments with more algae, where as environments with more tannic acid will make them darker in color.	Crocodiles tend to be a light tan, or olive color

Pick your team; the competition will begin at 11 AM EDT on 6/22 and go for 24 hours!

The usual bonuses
Earn 5,000 points – 2,500 bonus
Earn 15,000 points – 5,000 bonus
Earn 25,000 points – 10,000 bonus
For every 25,000 points above 25,000 – 5,000 bonus
Member of winning team (if you’ve scored at least 2,500 points) – 10,000 bonus
Highest scorer on each team – 5,000 bonus
Player with #1 overall score – 10,000 bonus
Player with #2 overall score – 5,000 bonus
Player with #3 overall score – 2,500 bonus

Artwork by Rabbit Giraud with typesetting by Rob Hamill.