Saltwater Crocodile: So Large It Went Into the Ocean (10 photos)

Those who say the age of reptiles is over have clearly never heard of the saltwater crocodile. Not only is it huge and dangerous, but it's also the largest river predator and the apex of the food chain wherever it lives. But that's not all—the saltwater crocodile is conquering the ocean!







Yes, your eyes are right, he's eating a shark.

Despite the fact that the saltwater crocodile is quite small at birth—it weighs less than a cup of sunflower seeds—the animal grows extremely quickly throughout its life. Therefore, by age 10, the green lizard grows into a sizable crocodile weighing 200 kilograms. By age 16, it weighs almost half a ton, and the weight of older crocodile-sized specimens over 20 can reach 1,200 kilograms. Body length is also impressive, so the largest specimens of the crocodile family can reach 6 meters in length!





A large and terrifying crocodile. As thick as a branch.



The photo on the right shows Cassius, a legendary saltwater crocodile from Australia. He lived to be 110 years old and weighed a ton. He lived in a nature reserve and was a local landmark. He died just two years ago of old age.

And of course, all crocodile abilities grow and develop along with the crocodile's size. While newborn crocs feed only on mud crabs and insects, the largest of them can drag to the bottom both a tiger and a water buffalo weighing over a ton. But at the same time, due to a decrease in metabolic rate, the saltwater crocodile acquires a new ability: pretending to be a log on the river bottom. The older the animal, the longer it can go without oxygen, so particularly large reptiles can lie in wait for up to two hours at a time.



Fell asleep on the bottom, dozed for an hour, and didn't even suffocate. I'm jealous!



So, since when do crocodiles grow horns? Oh, oops...

There's only one serious drawback to their size, and that's the lack of large prey. Rivers are too small for adult crocodiles, so some of them migrate to the seashore. But the animals aren't too upset about this. They're perfectly adapted to eating anything living in both rivers and on the seashore.



Not exactly a shark, but a close relative – the sawfish.

Just like in river ecosystems, crocodiles have no enemies on the coast, but they can afford to feed on sea turtles, sharks, and giant rays – a real treat for a predator weighing a ton! However, the coastline is not endless, and crocodiles can't hunt in the open ocean; they are ambush predators, after all. But they can move around!



A large crocodile and its great journey.

When a saltwater crocodile decides it can't find food on the coast, it simply swims away. And during this time, these slow, lazy creatures demonstrate amazing endurance and persistence. Crocodiles are known to swim up to 500 kilometers in 20 days, stopping only to take a nap. The only question is: where are they going? Saltwater crocodiles swim to Indonesia to join local populations and feast on Indonesian meat. At the same time, Indonesian crocodiles are migrating to South Asia or even Northern Australia, where they also have plenty of food.



The saltwater crocodile's full range extends from eastern India to northern Australia.

And this is the saltwater crocodiles' main strength. They are not only powerful and resilient creatures, capable of devouring literally any inhabitant of rivers and coastlines. They also actively disperse over hundreds of kilometers. Therefore, even the complete extinction of one population means nothing. If the habitat is preserved, then in 5-10 years new crocodiles will settle there, once again terrorizing all living things, actively reproducing, and growing like crazy. And that's awesome!



By the way, it's called a combed one for a reason. It's a real dinosaur.