By far the greatest threat to both alligators and crocodiles is habitat loss. Crocodilians need healthy productive wetlands in which to live, feed, and nest. Drainage and development have resulted in the loss of millions of acres of wetlands. Crocodiles are more sensitive to cold than are alligators as evidenced by their strictly tropical distribution. As with alligators, feeding and growth rates vary with temperature because digestion is most efficient within a certain range of body temperatures.
Crocodilians often bask following feeding to warm the body and aid digestion.
The American Crocodile can be identified by its pointed snout, and by the fourth tooth of the lower jaw which is visible while the mouth is closed. All rights reserved.