Alligators and Caimans (Alligatoridae family)
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Alligators and Caimans bottom jaw teeth fit into pits in the upper jaw and cannot be seen when the jaws are closed. Alligators have broader heads than other crocodilians and are able to survive at lower temperatures than other crocodilia families.
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ALLIGATOR
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|  | Alligator mississippiensis
| American Alligators are found in protected freshwater bodies in North America. Alligators can tolerate some salinity but lack the buccal glands that allow Crocodiles to live in salt water. Adult males can grow to an impressive 5 meters (16 feet) in length, making it the largest reptile in the United States. The Alligator may live as long as 80 years, generally less in the wild. Although well represented in zoos around the world and surviving in reasonable numbers in the wild, the species remains threatened and some catagorisations are endangered.
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Image: David Warwick (Taronga Zoo Exhibit - Feb 2004)
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