Difference Between Crocodile And Alligator And Caiman. Crocodiles are often mistaken for alligators and caimans. The easiest way to distinguish the three species apart is by observing their snout however i don t recommend getting too close.
Caimans live in central and south america whereas alligators are only found in the southeast united states and eastern china caiman has a composite osteoderms. Also the skin is drier and not as soft to the touch as alligator or crocodile. Alligators and caimans have a wide u shaped rounded snout like a shovel whereas crocodiles tend to have longer and more pointed v shaped noses.
In contrast an alligator or a caiman would have a u shaped mouth.
Alligators and caimans belong to the same family alligatoridae whereas crocodiles belong to a different family crocodylidae. The major difference between caiman and alligator is in their habitats. Alligators and caimans have a wide u shaped rounded snout like a shovel whereas crocodiles tend to have longer and more pointed v shaped noses. The skin is characterized by pock marks on the tiles and the tiles tend to be concave in shape.
