Out in the Ten Thousand Islands, where the freshwater of the Glades slides into the salt of the Gulf, you get used to sharing the water with all kinds of neighbors. Most folks around here can spot a gator from a good distance. What surprises a lot of people, locals and visitors alike, is that the gator might not be the only big reptile watching back.

Florida is the only place in the world where American alligators and American crocodiles live side by side in the wild, and the southern tip of the state, our corner included, is right where that overlap happens. So if you spend time on the water down here, it’s worth knowing how to tell the two apart.

Look at the Snout and the Smile

The easiest tell is the shape of the snout. An alligator has a broad, rounded snout shaped like a “U.” A crocodile’s is narrower and more pointed, closer to a “V.”

The teeth give it away too. When a gator closes its mouth, you usually only see the top teeth. A croc shows both top and bottom teeth, which leaves it with a toothy, grinning look even with its jaws shut.

Color helps round out the picture. Adult alligators are mostly dark gray with a paler underside, and younger gators wear light stripes down their sides for camouflage. American crocodiles run a lighter brownish-gray.

Where You’ll Find Each One

Around here, habitat is half the answer. Alligators turn up just about everywhere. They favor freshwater lakes, slow rivers, and the marshes that go with them. You’ll find them in the interior, along the canals, and out in places like the Fakahatchee Strand.

American crocodiles keep close to the coast. Their range barely reaches us, since southern Florida is the very northern edge of where they live anywhere, and they stick mostly to the brackish and saltwater ponds, coves, and creeks near the shoreline. Once in a while one wanders inland through the canal system. So the salty backcountry creeks closer to the Gulf are where a croc is most likely to show up.

Both animals will cross land now and then to get from one body of water to another. If you see one moving along a road or a bank, it isn’t hunting. It’s just on its way somewhere. And like all their kind, they warm themselves in the sun, sometimes lying with their mouths wide open, a habit called “gaping.”

Sharing the Water Safely

Knowing which one you’re looking at is the fun part. Knowing how to share the water with both is what actually matters, especially in the warm months when they’re most active.

Keep your distance from any gator or crocodile, and NEVER feed one. Feeding them is illegal, and it’s dangerous. Once an animal learns to connect people with food, it loses its natural caution and usually ends up having to be removed from the wild. That’s the same reason alligators are not pets.

A few simple habits keep everyone safe. Keep pets leashed and back from the water’s edge, since a dog at the bank can look like prey. Swim during daylight, because gators are most active between dusk and dawn. And if an animal ever has you worried, you can call FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

For most of us, an alligator basking on a bank, or the rare crocodile slipping through a coastal creek, is just part of what makes this place what it is. Give them room, keep your wits about you, and the Everglades stays one of the best seats in the world for watching wild things go about their day.

You may also be interested in Fakahatchee Hilton and Gators or Alligator Alley