alligators

a large reptile with a hard skin that lives in and near rivers and lakes in the hot, wet parts of America and China. It has a long nose that is slightly wider and shorter than that of a crocodile.

a large, hard-skinned reptile (= type of animal) with a long nose that is shorter and slightly wider than that of a crocodile and which lives in and near rivers and lakes in the parts of the US and China