I, for one, welcome our new alligator overlords.
Though alligators and crocodiles share very similar appearances, these terms represent different classes of organisms. While crocodiles and alligators both belong to the same order of reptiles, Crocodilia, they belong to different families within that order (Alligatoridae and Crocodylidae).
Alligators are found only in North America and China, whereas Crocodiles are found in large stretches of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and parts of Central and South America. Alligators inhabit freshwater niches, whereas Crocodiles inhabit both fresh and saltwater niches.