Crocodilian Cousins: Alligators and Crocodiles

Crocodilian Cousins: Alligators and Crocodiles

Crocodilian Cousins: Alligators and Crocodiles

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Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	5.02

Vocabulary

challenging words:

eyesight, croc, eaters, alike, sneaky, pointy, tips, hearing, superb, order, possible, slender, stalk, underwater, preserve, body

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Crocodilian Cousins: Alligators and Crocodiles
By Erin Horner

¹ Alligators and crocodiles are a lot alike. That's because they are cousins! They are cousins in the crocodilian order. Both animals are reptiles with great senses. They have superb hearing and eyesight. Their eyes are on top of their heads. This makes them sneaky stalkers. These meat eaters are great hunters. They both can hunt by hiding underwater. They keep only their eyes and the tips of their snouts exposed. This way, the gators and crocs can stalk their prey without being spotted.

² Crocodiles and alligators also have many differences. They have dissimilar snouts. Gators have short, wide snouts. They are shaped like a "u." Crocodiles' snouts are more slender and pointy. They are shaped more like a "v." These cousins also have different teeth. When an alligator closes its mouth, its bottom fourth tooth is hidden. When a croc closes its mouth, this tooth can still be seen. Crocodiles and alligators also have different habitats. Crocodiles tend to live in saltwater. They have special glands in their tongues that make this possible. The glands .....
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