Crocodiles and alligators look alike, but there are easy ways to tell them apart, starting with the shape of the snout and which teeth show when the mouth is closed. These riddles cover both reptiles, their relatives and the places they live.
Each riddle has a different answer, so you will learn about scutes, caimans, gharials, the Everglades, the god Sobek and the real story behind crocodile tears.
Easy Crocodile and Alligator Riddles
- I have a long, pointed V-shaped snout and lots of teeth, and I lurk in rivers. What am I? 👉 A crocodile
- I have a wide, rounded U-shaped snout, and I am the state reptile of Florida. What am I? 👉 An alligator
- I am a baby crocodile that just hatched from my egg. What am I? 👉 A hatchling
- I am the hard, bumpy plates along a crocodile’s back. What am I? 👉 Scutes
- I am muddy, wet land full of plants, and alligators love to live in me. What am I? 👉 A swamp
- I am a huge wetland in Florida, famous for alligators. What am I? 👉 The Everglades
- I am the long, strong part of a crocodile that pushes it through the water. What am I? 👉 Its tail
- I am a famous African river, home to some of the biggest crocodiles. What am I? 👉 The Nile
- Mother alligators build their nests from mud and piles of me. What am I? 👉 Rotting plants
- I am a smaller relative of the alligator from Central and South America. What am I? 👉 A caiman
- I am a relative of crocodiles from India and Nepal, with a very long, thin snout for catching fish. What am I? 👉 A gharial
- Old stories say I am a little bird that picks food from between a crocodile’s teeth. What am I? 👉 The Egyptian plover (scientists have never confirmed this happens)
Crocodile and Alligator Fact Riddles
These riddles are based on real reptile science. The note after each answer explains it.
- When a crocodile closes its mouth, you can still see this tooth sticking up from its lower jaw. Which one? 👉 The fourth lower tooth (on an alligator, the lower teeth are hidden)
- I am the largest living reptile on Earth. What am I? 👉 The saltwater crocodile
- People who pretend to be sad are said to cry these, after a crocodile’s watery eyes. What are they? 👉 Crocodile tears
- A crocodile’s bite is incredibly strong, but its muscles for doing this are weak. What is it? 👉 Opening its mouth
- Crocodiles swallow these on purpose to help grind food in their stomachs. What are they? 👉 Stones
- Crocodiles’ closest living relatives are not lizards or snakes. What are they? 👉 Birds
- Crocodile relatives lived at the same time as these famous prehistoric animals. What are they? 👉 The dinosaurs
- Crocodiles cool down in the sun by sitting with this wide open. What is it? 👉 Their mouth
- I am the only place in the world where wild alligators and crocodiles live side by side. Where am I? 👉 South Florida
- Crocodiles have these in their tongues to remove extra salt, which is why they can live in the sea. What are they? 👉 Salt glands
- I am an ancient Egyptian god with the head of a crocodile. Who am I? 👉 Sobek
Funny Crocodile and Alligator Riddles
- What do you call an alligator wearing a vest? 👉 An investigator
- If someone says “See you later, alligator,” what do you say back? 👉 “In a while, crocodile”
- Why do crocodiles never eat fast food? 👉 They cannot catch it
Crocodile and Alligator Brain Teasers
- An alligator has 80 teeth and loses 1 out of every 10. How many teeth does it have left? 👉 72
- A crocodile can hold its breath for 60 minutes. How many 15-minute dives is that? 👉 4
- A swamp has 6 alligators and 4 crocodiles. What fraction of them are crocodiles? 👉 Two-fifths
Want more riddles? Browse our blog for more collections, and if you spot a mistake in any answer, let us know on our Contact page.