The alligators always want to eat the most they can. They always eat the bigger number.

Explanation

Think of the < and > signs as a hungry alligator's open mouth. An alligator always wants to eat as much as it can, so its mouth always opens toward the bigger number, never the smaller one.

• 3 < 4: the "mouth" opens toward the 4, because 4 is the bigger number. That's why 3 is less than 4.
• 4 > 3: the "mouth" still opens toward the 4 (it's just facing the other way now), because 4 is still the bigger number.

Simple trick: whichever number the alligator's mouth is pointing at is the bigger one, the one it's "eating."