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Well, it's not that one of them is spelled correctly ...

Alligators are species in the subfamily Alligatorinae; crocodiles are in the subfamily Crocodylinae.

More specifically, the only genus of alligators that isn't extinct is Alligator, which only has two living species: the American alligator Alligator mississippiensis and the Chinese alligator Alligator siniensis.

When a crocodile's mouth is closed, it should be possible to see the fourth lower tooth protruding outside its "lips". When alligators (and the closely related caimans) close their mouths, the lower teeth cannot be seen.

You didn't ask, but alligators can be distinguished from caimans by the fact that caimans don't have a bony septum between their nostrils, and the fourth type of crocodilian (the gharials) can be recognized by their long narrow snouts.

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11y ago

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