Are alligators as bad as crocs?

[RavVid]

** Sigh ** It is only half way into spring and we have already lost a couple of visitors. Crocodiles are the prime suspects because of where the visitors went missing.

In the US do you lose visitors to alligators? I think alligators are freshwater versions of the same thing. In Australia we have freshies - fresh water crocodiles who prefer fish (but I am not convinced they are exclusively pescatarian). Are alligators the same?

A friend has a story on traveling Northern Australia. They had set up camp and were having a few cooling beers when his friend turns and says "MATE! MAAATE! Those logs are a lot closer than what they were!!!".

Tell me about your alligators please.

Updates

6 mo

Thanks all for the helpful answers. Seems like all Crocs and Alligators and variations on the theme are bad. I've got an image in my mind now of an alligator climbing a tree and trying to chat birds into it's maw.

It has worked for my tabby cat so I guess it could work for an alligator. Don't tell it doesn't because my mental image is really funny.

[Lliam]

"Alligators, while definitely dangerous, are relatively timid compared to crocodiles. An alligator will generally try to escape if approached by humans, usually heading for the nearest water. The only time that wild alligators will attack is if they are unexpectedly disturbed, provoked, or defending their young. Alligators are instinctively afraid of humans but can lose some of that fear with regular contact. Except in controlled conditions, feeding them is almost always a bad idea as they will lose some of their fear and see humans as a source of food. They can also mistake small children and pet dogs for prey. Crocodiles, on the other hand, are much more bad-tempered and far more likely to attack humans, even unprovoked. Australian saltwater crocodiles are generally considered the most dangerous in the world, followed by Nile crocodiles. American crocodiles, on the other hand, are one of the more timid types that you will find and rarely attack humans. In the US, you are more likely to be attacked by an alligator than a crocodile, although attacks by either are very rare. The average annual fatality rate for death by alligator in the US is actually only 0.3. That means on average, one person dies every three years. That’s a very small figure when you consider how many people and alligators there are in southeastern US. The truth is that you are more likely to be killed by a dog, a bee or wasp sting, spider bite, rattlesnake, mountain lion, or shark."

[RavVid]

Interesting. Wasn't aware Australian crocodiles were more aggressive than others. Never heard that said.

I did get to feed crocodiles in Vietnam with a pole and a bit of string. It was disappointing as they could scarcely be bothered. Too many people feeding them I guess

[NamerOfStars]

We do- and here in Florida (well, much farther south than where I am, but still- same state), we lose them to crocs, as well. This is the only place on Earth where both animals live side by side (in the wild, at least), interestingly- and MORE interestingly, while crocodiles are more dangerous to humans, they're MUCH less aggressive to gators than gators are to them.

Gators are FAR from pescatarian, though; they're pretty opportunistic, and will eat just about anything they can catch: fish, mammals, other reptiles, even the odd bird. They can also climb trees, because apparently they're not scary enough otherwise.

If you take a look at gators, crocs, and caimans, the design is pretty much the same; they're not interchangeable, but it's easy to mistake one for the other, especially if you do so at a safe distance. And they've changed very little in the hundreds of millions of years they've been around, though there WAS one version 240 million years ago that walked on its hind legs. There was even one eighty million years ago that was forty feet long and ate T-rexes.

[RavVid]

Well that is very interesting and thank you for a detailed answer. Much appreciated. Gators in trees sound like the ultimate drop bear (it is an Australian joke that koala bears will drop down on top of you and eat you - in reality they are too high on eucalyptus to do more than sleep).

I guess just like sharks, and cats evolution doesn't see a need to change a perfect design.

Very interesting a version walked on it's hind legs and another was 40 ft with T-rex diet. There were huge wombats, goannas and kangas before our Mega fauna died out so you have got me interested. The biggest at the mo is an 18 foot freshie but he is still growing.

Hey while I have a Floridians attention what is Melbourne Florida like? I am curious as I am in Melbourne Australia. I should have street viewed by now :)

Thanks and Cheers

[NamerOfStars]

I don't know; I'm afraid I've never been there. But it's safe to say it's hot and beachy; pretty much all of coastal Florida is.

And sharks and cats have actually changed a fair bit over the years; it's just been variations on the same idea (deer, too). Evolution's perfect design is the hermit crab. They haven't changed (like, at all) for 3/4 of the time there have been ANIMALS. They predate TREES. People talk about how cockroaches predate dinosaurs, but even roaches are newcomers next to hermit crabs. They've seen all five Great Extinctions come and go, and they just laugh.

[RavVid]

Now that is impressive predating trees. Hermit crabs have earn't the bragging rights.

Re sharks & cats. I was mindlessly regurgitating stuff I've read. I guess you could be right on a general variation on a theme sense and wrong in a detailed sense.

[Drewtate]

We have crocodiles & alligators here in the US. As far as I know crocodiles are more aggressive than crocodiles though of similar size here. Crocodiles can swim in the ocean while alligators can not but alligators can survive cold weather.

There's been a few examples of Nile crocodiles found in the florida everglades, someone obviously released them. As you know nile crocodiles are the same size or bigger than the salt water crocodile.

[zagor]

They do occasionally take someone; they are smaller than your salties, probably similar to your freshwater crocs. But it is rare to hear of an attack. Have to watch the dogs and cats though.

[RavVid]

They all seem to do the death roll :)

[Dargil]

Alligators are less apt to attack adults, but pets and small kids are at risk.

[RavVid]

Makes sense - don't pick a bigger fight than you need to.

[Blueeyes81]

As long as you aren't stupid alligators pose little threat.

[RavVid]

I think people are getting stupider every day with animals. They don't have a healthy respect for wild animals

[Akam93]

I feel like there the same. Lol

[RavVid]

Thanks. Do they take careless people though and improve the human gene pool?

[Akam93]

How should I know.

[Wise4myage]

Pretty much the same in my opinion.