THE CROCODILIANS 83 



all of the crocodiles. The fourth tooth on each side 

 of the lower jaw, enlarged and having the situation 

 of a canine tooth, is hidden when the mouth is closed, 

 as it fits into a pit in the bone of the upper jaw — except 

 with some old specimens when these teeth entirely per- 

 forate the bone of the snout, the tips protruding. The 

 latter curious character is to be noted with both young 

 and old among the crocodiles, but relates always to the 

 front (incisor) teeth. The canine teeth on the lower 

 jaw of the crocodiles fit into a notch on the outside of 

 the upper jaw when the mouth is closed. 



The alligator is a more bulky, thick-set and consid- 

 erably less active, less vicious animal than its near rela- 

 tives, the crocodiles. Besides, its coloration is quite 

 different. Young specimens are black with yellowish 

 cross bars. Mature examples are coal-black when the 

 hide is wet — dark gray when perfectly dry; they lose 

 the yellow markings altogether. There is a striking 

 difference between the black of the alligator and the 

 olive hue of the American crocodile ; the difference may 

 be noted from a distance of several hundred feet. 



In its distribution the American alligator is confined 

 to the southeastern portion of the United States, from 

 the southern portion of North Carolina, southward 

 throughout Florida and westward to the lower part 

 of the Rio Grande. It inhabits the low, coastal 

 region. Unlike the crocodile, it is not partial to salt 

 water. The maximum length appears to be sixteen 

 feet. A specimen in the New York Zoological Park 

 was twelve feet, five inches long and weighed eight hun- 

 dred and twenty-five pounds. Twelve-foot alligators 

 are now almost extinct. Over vast areas where these 

 reptiles were abundant twenty years ago, the sight of 

 even a small example, nowadays, is considered a novelty. 



