Curious About Alligators and Crocodiles

PODCAST 212: CURIOUS ABOUT ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23RD, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WE GOT CURIOUS ABOUT DINOSAURS ALL THE WAY BACK IN EPISODE 16.  IN THAT EPISODE, WE LEARNED WHICH ANIMAL IS THE CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVE OF THE DINOSAUR.  IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD THAT EPISODE YET, GIVE IT A LISTEN, BECAUSE YOU WILL PROBABLY BE SURPRISED WHICH ANIMAL IT IS.  IF YOU HAD TO GUESS WHICH ANIMALS ARE THE CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVES OF THE DINOSAURS, MANY OF YOU WOULD PROBABLY GUESS THE TWO ANIMALS WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT TODAY.

O:  QUADRUPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  QUADRUPLE-MAILBAG!

“DEAR CURIOUS KID, HI, MY NAME IS SAMMY.  I AM 5 YEARS OLD.  I LIVE IN GATINEAU, QUEBEC, IN CANADA.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT CROCODILES.  I AM INTERESTED IN CROCODILES BECAUSE OF THEIR LONG MOUTHS, SHARP TEETH, THE SPIKES ON THEIR BACK AND TAIL AND THEIR SHORT LEGS AND SMALL FEET.  I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR A PODCAST FROM YOU ABOUT THIS ANIMAL.  

THANK YOU,

SAMMY”

“HELLO JACOB AND OLIVIA, LET ME START BY SAYING THAT THIS IS THE BEST PODCAST.  I AM VIVAAN FROM MUMBAI, INDIA.  I HAVE ONLY JUST HEARD YOUR PODCAST AND I LOVE IT.  I ALSO LOVE CROCODILES.  I WAS HOPING YOU COULD DO A PODCAST ON IT, OR SHARKS.

SINCERELY,

VIVAAN”

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA, MY NAME IS FAYE AND I AM 5 YEARS OLD.  I LIVE IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.  I LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST, ESPECIALLY THE EPISODES ON DANGEROUS CREATURES.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT CROCODILES AND ALLIGATORS.  I WOULD LOVE TO LISTEN TO A PODCAST ABOUT THESE CREATURES.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK,

FAYE”

“HELLO!  MY NAME IS SOPHIE.  I AM 5 YEARS OLD.  I AM FROM ONTARIO, CANADA.  I LIKE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST!  I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR AN EPISODE ABOUT ALLIGATORS!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!”

O:  THOSE ARE AMAZING EMAILS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES FOR SAMMY, VIVAAN, FAYE, AND SOPHIE.  THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN ABOUT THE FASCINATING CREATURES, SO LET’S LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM, ONE BITE AT A TIME.

D:  GREAT IDEA.  HOW ABOUT WE START WITH THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES ARE BOTH REPTILES.  ONE OF THEM IS THE LARGEST LIVING REPTILE.  WHICH ANIMAL IS BIGGER, THE ALLIGATOR OR CROCODILE?

D:  THAT’S A GREAT QUESTION, NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT’S INTERESTING, BUT ALSO BECAUSE YOU HAVE A 50% CHANCE OF GETTING THE RIGHT ANSWER IF YOU ARE JUST GUESSING.  ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES ARE SIMILAR ANIMALS, WHICH IS WHY THEY ARE SHARING THIS EPISODE, BUT THERE ARE ALSO SOME BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO.  LET’S LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM BY HIGHLIGHTING THEIR DIFFERENCES.  

O:  ALLIGATORS ARE USUALLY DARKER IN COLOR THAN CROCODILES.  ALLIGATORS ARE TYPICALLY DARK GREEN, WHEREAS CROCODILES CAN BE A LIGHT SHADE OF GREEN, GREY, OR BROWN.  

THEIR SNOUTS ARE ALSO DIFFERENT.  ALLIGATORS HAVE SHORTER AND WIDER SNOUTS THAT ARE U-SHAPED.  CROCODILES HAVE LONGER SNOUTS THAT ARE V-SHAPED AND POINTED.  

D:  BOTH ANIMALS HAVE A REALLY STRONG BITE, BUT THE CROCODILE BITE IS A LOT STRONGER.  CROCODILE TEETH ARE SHARP AND DESIGNED TO TEAR THEIR PREY.  ALLIGATOR TEETH ARE CONE SHAPED AND DESIGNED TO CRUSH THEIR PREY.  

O:  ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES WILL ALSO BE FOUND IN DIFFERENT AREAS.  FOR EXAMPLE, CROCODILES LIKE TO HANG OUT IN MARSHES NEXT TO LAKES AND RIVERS.  YOU MAY ALSO FIND CROCS IN FAST MOVING RIVERS AND STREAMS.  THEY ARE ABLE TO SURVIVE IN SALTWATER.

D:  ALLIGATORS, ON THE OTHER HAND, LIKE TO SPEND TIME IN CALM LAKES AND SWAMPS.  THEY CAN’T SURVIVE IN SALTWATER.  ALLIGATORS ARE ALSO ABLE TO LIVE IN COOLER ENVIRONMENTS.  THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU MAY FIND ALLIGATORS IN MORE STATES THAN CROCODILES.  

O:  ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES ARE BOTH COLD BLOODED, BUT CROCODILES PREFER TEMPERATURES OF 85 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OR WARMER.  ALLIGATORS CAN SURVIVE IN SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES.

D:  FOR THAT REASON, YOU CAN FIND ALLIGATORS AS FAR NORTH AS NORTH CAROLINA, WHEREAS CROCODILES ARE USUALLY ONLY FOUND IN THE WILD ON THE SOUTHERN TIP OF FLORIDA.  

O:  SO, IF YOU ARE IN THE UNITED STATES, AND YOU SEE EITHER AN ALLIGATOR OR CROCODILE IN THE WILD, AND YOU ARE NOT IN SOUTH FLORIDA, IT’S PROBABLY A GATOR.  

D:  NOW THAT WE LEARNED SOME OF THE KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES, LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT EACH ONE OF THEM, STARTING WITH ALLIGATORS.  

O:  ALLIGATORS CAN LIVE FOR AS LONG AS TWO TO THREE YEARS WITHOUT EATING.  I HAVE TROUBLE GOING TWO OR THREE HOURS WITHOUT EATING.

D: YOU’RE NOT KIDDING.  ALLIGATORS ALSO CARE FOR THEIR OFFSPRING, WHICH IS UNUSUAL AMONG REPTILES.

O:  ALLIGATORS HAVE VERY SENSITIVE VIBRATION SENSORS THAT ARE LOCATED ON THEIR SKIN.  THEY CAN DETECT VERY SMALL VIBRATIONS, WHICH IS A SAFETY FEATURE THAT HELPS KEEP THEM FROM POTENTIAL DANGER.

D:  THEY HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR ABOUT 180 MILLION YEARS.  THAT’S INSANE.  THEIR SKIN IS COVERED IN A PROTECTIVE ARMOR.  EACH SPIKE ON A GATOR’S BACK IS MADE BY A PIECE OF BONE.  

O:  GATORS ARE SUPER FAST, AND CAN RUN AT A TOP SPEED OF ABOUT 11 MILES PER HOUR.  THAT’S FASTER THAN MOST HUMANS, INCLUDING ME AND MY DADDY.  THEY CAN ONLY RUN FAST FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, BEFORE THEY GET EXHAUSTED AND NEED TO REST.

D:  ALLIGATORS HAVE TWO SETS OF EYELIDS.  THE OUTER EYELIDS ACT LIKE HUMAN EYELIDS AND CLOSE TOP TO BOTTOM.  THE INNER EYELIDS CLOSE BACK TO FRONT, AND THEY HELP PROTECT THE GATOR’S EYES UNDERWATER.  

O:  ALLIGATORS BECOME WATER TIGHT WHEN THEY ARE SUBMERGED IN WATER, ALLOWING THEM TO STAY UNDERWATER FOR A LONG TIME.

D:  THIS IS REALLY COOL.  THEY HAVE FLAPS THAT CLOSE THEIR EARS AND NOSTRILS, THEY HAVE TWO SETS OF EYELIDS LIKE WE JUST MENTIONED, AND THEY ALSO HAVE A VALVE AT THE BACK OF THE THROAT TO HELP KEEP WATER OUT OF THE THROAT, LUNGS, AND STOMACH.  ALL OF THOSE NEAT FEATURES ALLOW GATORS TO STAY UNDERWATER FOR AS LONG AS TWO HOURS AT REST, AND EVEN AS LONG AS EIGHT HOURS IN VERY COLD WATER.  

O:  ALLIGATORS EAT BY LURKING, USUALLY IN WATER.  WHEN THEY SEE SOMETHING YUMMY THEY WOULD LIKE TO EAT, THEY SPRING INTO ACTION AND GRAB THEIR PREY IN A HURRY.  

D:  ALLIGATORS ARE GREAT AT HIDING WHILE THEY ARE WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THEIR PREY.  AT TIMES, THEY CAN REST AT THE WATER’S SURFACE, WITH JUST THE EYES AND NOSTRILS PEEKING OUT OF THE WATER.  

O:  ALLIGATORS WILL EAT JUST ABOUT ANY ANIMAL THEY CAN CATCH, LIKE BIRDS, FISH, FROGS, AND TURTLES.  THEY CRUSH THEIR PREY WITH THEIR POWERFUL JAWS, AND THEN THEY USUALLY EAT THEIR PREY WHOLE.  

D:  ALLIGATORS MAKE BABIES BY LAYING ABOUT 30 TO 50 EGGS AND BURYING THEM.  THE EGGS ARE JUST A LITTLE BIGGER THAN CHICKEN EGGS.  THE GENDER OF THE HATCHLING WILL DEPEND MOSTLY ON THE TEMPERATURE WHERE THE EGGS ARE BURIED.  LOWER TEMPERATURES WILL USUALLY RESULT IN FEMALE OFFSPRING, AND HIGHER TEMPERATURES USUALLY MEAN MALE OFFSPRING.  THE MOTHER WILL PROTECT HER EGGS FROM PREDATORS, AND THEN THE EGGS WILL HATCH AFTER ABOUT 40 DAYS.  THE MOTHER WILL THEN PROTECT THE HATCHLINGS.  

O:  ALLIGATORS CAN SURVIVE IN COLDER TEMPERATURES BUT PREFER WARM WEATHER.  WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW 70 DEGREES, THEY STOP FEEDING.  WHEN THE TEMPS DROP EVEN LOWER, THEY GO DORMANT AND JUST HANG OUT UNTIL TEMPERATURES WARM UP AGAIN.  

D:  THOSE GATOR FACTS WERE SUPER INTERESTING.  LET’S LEARN ALL ABOUT CROCODILES NOW.

O:  CROCS CRUSH THEIR PREY WITH THEIR JAWS AND EAT THEIR PREY WHOLE, BUT THEY ALSO SWALLOW STONES THAT HELP THEM DIGEST THEIR FOOD.

D:  WHAT THEY DO IS THEY SWALLOW SMALL STONES.  THOSE STONES WILL HELP GRIND UP THEIR FOOD IN THEIR BELLIES.  LIKE GATORS, THEY HAVE A SLOW METABOLISM, WHICH ALLOWS THEM TO SURVIVE FOR A FEW MONTHS WITHOUT ANY FOOD.  

O:  DURING COLDER MONTHS, CROCODILES HIBERNATE.  WHEN THEY DO, THEY USUALLY DIG OUT A PLACE TO REST IN THE SIDE OF A RIVERBANK.  

D:  CROCODILES LOSE THEIR TEETH, BUT THOSE LOST TEETH ARE REPLACED BY NEW TEETH.

O:  CHECK THIS OUT.  CROCODILES CAN GO THROUGH ABOUT 8,000 TEETH IN THEIR LIFETIMES.  

D:  CROCODILES DON’T SWEAT.  WHAT THEY DO TO KEEP COOL IS OPEN THEIR MOUTHS.  I SWEAT A LOT, AND FOR SOME REASON, OPENING MY MOUTH DOES NOTHING TO HELP.  

O:  CROCODILES HAVE EXCELLENT HEARING.  THEIR HEARING IS SO GOOD, THEY ARE ABLE TO HEAR THEIR BABIES CRY FROM INSIDE THEIR EGGS.  

D:  CROCODILES ARE ALSO VERY FAST SWIMMERS.  IN FACT, THEY MOVE FASTER IN WATER THAN THEY DO ON LAND.  THEY ARE ABLE TO SWIM AT UP TO 18 MILES PER HOUR.  

O:  CROCODILE TEETH ARE VISIBLE, EVEN WHEN THEIR MOUTHS ARE CLOSED.  THAT’S ANOTHER WAY TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GATOR AND A CROC.  IF YOU ARE ABLE TO SEE TEETH WITH THE MOUTH CLOSED, IT’S A CROCODILE.

D:  I WOULDN’T RECOMMEND GETTING CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE WHETHER TEETH ARE VISIBLE WITH THE MOUTH CLOSED.  THERE ARE EASIER WAYS TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ALLIGATOR AND A CROCODILE FROM A SAFE DISTANCE.  

O:  CROCODILES ALSO HAVE SOME REALLY AMAZING PHYSICAL FEATURES THAT MAKE THEM UNIQUE COMPARED TO OTHER ANIMALS.

D:  FIRST, THEY HAVE AN AMAZING HEART.  THE CROCODILE HEART HAS TWO ATRIA AND TWO VENTRICLES, LIKE THE HUMAN HEART.  THE HUMAN HEART HAS AN AORTA, WHICH IS A LARGE BLOOD VESSEL THAT SUPPLIES BLOOD TO THE BODY.  THE CROCODILE HAS TWO AORTAS.  ALSO, THE CROCODILE STOMACH IS THE MOST ACIDIC STOMACH OF ANY VERTEBRATE.  THAT ALLOWS THEM TO DIGEST BONES, HORNS, AND SHELLS FROM THEIR PREY.  

O:  WOW!  ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES ARE FASCINATING CREATURES.  THEY ARE ALSO CLOSELY RELATED TO DINOSAURS, WHICH IS SUPER NEAT.  

D:  AND THERE IS ONE MORE FACT TO GET TO REGARDING THE SIZE OF THESE MASSIVE REPTILES.  WHICH ONE IS THE LARGEST REPTILE IN THE WORLD?

O:  THE CROCODILE IS THE LARGEST REPTILE.  THE SALTWATER CROCODILE IS THE LARGEST OF ALL CROCS, AND THEY CAN BE AS LONG AS 23 FEET LONG.  THE AVERAGE AMERICAN CROCODILE IS BETWEEN 15 AND 17 FEET LONG, AND WEIGHS 800 POUNDS OR MORE.  

D:  IN CONTRAST, THE AVERAGE MALE ALLIGATOR IS BETWEEN 12 AND 13 FEET LONG AND THE AVERAGE FEMALE IS BETWEEN 8 AND 10 FEET LONG.  ADULT FEMALE GATORS ARE 500 POUNDS OR MORE, AND MALE GATORS CAN WEIGH CLOSE TO 1,000 POUNDS.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  212 - ALLIGATORS AND CROCODILES.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB SAMMY, VIVAAN, FAYE, AND SOPHIE FOR THE DINO-LIKE EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF AMAZING LISTENERS TO THANK.

O:  THANKS TO OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, LIAM G. AND LEAH M.

D:  A BIG THANKS TO LIAM AND LEAH FOR THE SUPPORT.  WE COULDN’T DO THIS WITHOUT THE LOVE AND SUPPORT.  NEXT WEEK, WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT SATELLITES FOR LISTENERS IN MICHIGAN AND CALIFORNIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.  SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATORS.

O:  IN A WHILE, CROCODILES.