The largest crocodilians on Earth, saltwater crocs, or "salties," are
excellent swimmers and have often been spotted far out at sea.
Earth’s largest living crocodilian—and, some say, the animal most
likely to eat a human—is the saltwater or estuarine crocodile.
Average-size males reach 17 feet (5 meters) and 1,000 pounds (450
kilograms), but specimens 23 feet (7 meters) long and weighing 2,200
pounds (1,000 kilograms) are not uncommon.
Saltwater crocs, or
"salties," as Australians affectionately refer to them, have an enormous
range, populating the brackish and freshwater regions of eastern India,
Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. They are excellent swimmers and
have often been spotted far out at sea.
Classic opportunistic
predators, they lurk patiently beneath the surface near the water's
edge, waiting for potential prey to stop for a sip of water.
They’ll
feed on anything they can get their jaws on, including water buffalo,
monkeys, wild boar, and even sharks. Without warning, they explode from
the water with a thrash of their powerful tails, grasp their victim, and
drag it back in, holding it under until the animal drowns.
Population
estimates range from 200,000 to 300,000 worldwide, and they are
considered at low risk for extinction. But saltwater croc hides are
valued above all other crocodilians, and illegal hunting, habitat loss,
and antipathy toward the species because of its reputation as a
man-eater continue to put pressure on the population.
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Reptile
- Diet:
- Carnivore
- Average life span in the wild:
- 70 years
- Size:
- 17 ft (5 m)
- Weight:
- 1,000 lbs (450 kg)
- Group name:
- Bask (on land) or float (in water)
- Did you know?
- In April 2007, an inadequately sedated saltwater crocodile at a Taiwanese zoo bit a veterinarian's forearm off. After seven hours of surgery, the appendage was successfully reattached.
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