Science

Why Do American Alligators Attack People, but American Crocodiles Don’t?

A strange Florida case, explained.

The Orlando Sentinel reported last month that a 300-pound crocodile died while being captured in Florida, after it apparently bit a swimming couple in a canal. Officials suspect the croc now holds an unlikely distinction: He’s believed to be the first to have bitten humans in the state Florida.

There are about six American alligator attacks on humans every year in Florida. Why don’t American crocodiles attack there, too? In the video above, the answer involves a couple crucial differences between the two crocodilians.