An American alligator in Kenya

In Snake Park, Nairobi, an American alligator in Kenya, is kept apart from the Nile crocodile. That’s because alligators live in freshwater and crocodiles live in saltwater.

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is native to eastern regions of America, as well as in South America.

It is a large black alligator that grows up to 4.3 metres (14 feet) long and weighs up to 455 kilograms (1,000 pounds).

The female alligator lays about 35-40 eggs, which hatch in 65-70 days. Baby alligators eat insects, tadpoles, and frogs, and adult alligators eat fish, birds, and small animals.

It is a protected reptile species.

Alligators are different from crocodiles – alligators have U-shaped snouts, whereas crocodiles have long thin V-shaped snouts. Alligators do not show their teeth when their mouths are closed, whereas crocodiles have exposed teeth. Alligators are black and darker than crocodiles, which are olive brown or grey. Alligators are native only to the northern hemisphere, whereas crocodiles are native to both northern and southern hemispheres.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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