Differences between Lizard and Crocodile
Basically, lizards and crocodiles are two types of reptiles that belong to 21 species that exist in the world. Generally, these tend to be differentiated by their anatomical structure, but many people get confused when looking at any of them. That is why, in this article, we will present the differences between the lizard and the crocodile, so that readers know in detail the anatomical characteristics of each of them.
Lizard
Firstly, lizard is understood as a group of reptiles of the suborder known as -Saurio-, which includes species such as lizards, iguanas, chameleons, monitors and all other reptiles similar to these. These usually have four legs but not all have external legs. Thus, those without limbs closely resemble snakes.
Among the main functional characteristics of lizards, which distinguish them from the order of snakes, is the presence of externally opening ears and mobile eyelids. Additionally, all lizards can change color in response to their surroundings and in times of danger have dry skin, preferring to avoid water.
The size of the lizards varies depending on the species, so their lengths range from a few centimeters that some Caribbean geckos have to almost 3 meters of the Komodo dragon. Finally, these usually feed on small rodents and insects, although a minority of species are omnivores.
Alligator
It can be said that crocodiles are large reptiles that have four legs, very similar to lizards. These are distinguished by their usual large size and by their anatomical structure, which highlights the fact that on their back and from the neck to the tail, they have rows of bony plates that can give the impression of spines or teeth. Likewise, crocodiles have scales on their abdomens and are considered reptiles with wide, flattened, triangular-shaped heads.
Among other characteristics, crocodiles have strong jaws with very sharp teeth that open with the jaws, the ear openings are on both sides of the head and the nostrils together with the eyes are prominences that protrude from it. These reptiles spend much of the time in the water, being able to live in fresh and salt water. Its size can be one meter long and a few kilos, up to eight meters and a ton in weight.
Additionally, these animals are very aggressive and feed on all kinds of animals, although the smallest crocodiles feed on insects, crustaceans, molluscs, amphibians and small fish. In this sense, young and pre-adult crocodiles prefer larger animals such as fish, birds, snakes, basilisks, frogs and small mammals and when they reach adulthood, they feed on different kinds of animals regardless of size .
In view of the above, the following differences are summarized:
- Lizards belong to the Reptilia class and the Saurian suborder while crocodiles belong to the Reptilia class and the Cocodrylia suborder.
- Lizards generally have four legs, but not all have external legs, while crocodiles have four functional legs.
- Lizards can change color in response to their environment or in times of danger while crocodiles cannot change color.
- The size of the lizards varies depending on the species, therefore, their lengths range from a few centimeters to almost 3 meters while the size of the crocodiles can be from one meter to eight meters in length.