At least I know its a reptile...

We take out all the pairs of wooden animals from the wooden Ark and then we put all the wooden animals back in the Ark; we take all the animals out... and then place all the animals back in etc. etc. etc.

This is a great description of many of our afternoons here in the Eden House.

We go through the animals names and talk about their colors, the noises they make, and how many feet they have. We talk about whether they are reptiles or mammals, whether they hop or slither, and if they have a mane or tusks. Then we get to the alligator; oh wait... the crocodile; I mean, the alligator; just kidding, the crocodile. WHICH ONE IS IT??? And why do I not know the difference?

I do now! Here's what I learned thanks to the San Diego Zoo website (top picture is the alligator):

• Both alligators and crocodiles are considered crocodilians or "crocs"; so right away I don't feel so bad that I have been lumping the two reptiles together in my mind.
• Snouts: Alligators have wider U-shaped snouts; crocodiles have longer V-shaped snouts
• Teeth: Alligators' teeth are covered up when their mouth is closed; crocodiles have one tooth that sticks out on each side (most of the pictures I found however, showed more teeth than just one)
• Home sweet (or salty) home: Alligators tend to live in freshwater; crocodiles tend to live in salt water habitats.

So in looking back at my wooden crocodilian, my best guess is a Crocodile (I think). Well, at least now I should be able to tell the reptiles apart... the real versions anyway!