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Animal profile

American Crocodile

Crocodylus acutus

ReptiliaCoastal mangroves, brackish lagoons, estuaries and river mouthsVulnerable

Field profile

The American crocodile is a slender-snouted, salt-tolerant crocodilian of tropical American coasts. It is generally retiring compared with other large crocodiles and favours brackish mangrove systems. Its northernmost population, in southern Florida, overlaps the range of the American alligator.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-05-26

American Crocodile

Only in Florida do crocodiles and alligators overlap

South Florida is the single place on Earth where a naturally occurring crocodile and a naturally occurring alligator share the same wetlands. They separate largely by salinity, with the crocodile in brackish mangroves and the alligator in fresh water.

Read with evidence →

American Crocodile | Daily Animal Facts