The largest crocodile in the world. Where does the largest crocodile in the world live? The largest crocodile in history
Where do the largest crocodiles in the world live? Since these terrible reptiles are excellent swimmers in the open sea and love to travel, they can be found on the coasts of Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, eastern India, Australia, the central regions of Vietnam and Japan.
The world's largest crocodile - (Crocodylus porosus). It is also called lumpy, spongy or sea, because of its external features - it has two ridges on its muzzle or is covered with tubercles. The length of males is from 6 to 7 meters. The maximum length of the saltwater crocodile was recorded more than 100 years ago in India. The killed crocodile reached 9.9 meters! The weight of adult individuals is from 400 to 1000 kg. Habitat: Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Solomon Islands.
Saltwater crocodiles feed on fish, mollusks, and crustaceans, but large individuals are not so harmless and attack buffalos, wild pigs, antelopes, and monkeys. They often lie in wait for prey at a watering hole, grab the muzzle with their jaws and knock them down with a blow from their tail. The jaws are clenched with such force that they can crush the skull of a large buffalo. The victim is dragged into the water, where he can no longer actively resist. They attack people very often.
A female saltwater crocodile lays up to 90 eggs. She builds a nest out of leaves and dirt. Rotting foliage creates a humid, warm atmosphere, the temperature in the nest reaches 32 degrees. The sex of future crocodiles depends on temperature. If the temperature is up to 31.6 degrees, then males will be born, if higher - females. This species of crocodiles has great commercial value, so it was mercilessly exterminated.
(Crocodylus niloticus) is the second largest after the saltwater crocodile. It lives along the banks of lakes, rivers, and in freshwater swamps in sub-Saharan Africa. Adult males reach 5 m in length, weighing up to 500 kg, females are 30% smaller in size.
Crocodiles reach sexual maturity at 10 years of age. During the mating season, males slap their muzzles on the water, snort, roar, and try to attract the attention of females. The life expectancy of the Nile crocodile is 45 years. And although the crocodile’s main food is fish and small vertebrates, it can hunt any large animal and is also dangerous for humans. A crocodile was caught in Uganda, which kept local residents in fear for 20 years and claimed 83 human lives.
The largest crocodile is considered to be Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius), living in South America. Its length can reach 6 m. It feeds mainly on fish. There have been cases of attacks on humans. In the hot season, when the water level in reservoirs drops, crocodiles dig holes on the banks of rivers. Today this very rare species can be found in lakes and rivers of Colombia and Venezuela. The population has been severely exterminated by humans; there are about 1,500 individuals in nature.
Among the largest reptiles are also sharp-snouted American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), 5-6 meters long. Habitat: South America. It feeds on fish, small mammals, and can attack livestock. It rarely attacks a person, only if it poses a threat to the crocodile or offspring. Adults adapt well to salt water and swim far out to sea.
Another representative of the largest crocodiles in the world, 4-5 meters long - marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris, Indian)- the habitat of Hindustan. It settles in small bodies of water with standing water, most often in swamps, rivers and lakes. This animal feels confident on land and can move long distances. It feeds mainly on fish and reptiles, and can attack large ungulates on the shore of a reservoir. It attacks people very rarely. The marsh crocodile itself can become prey for a tiger, a saltwater crocodile
Crocodiles are large reptile predators that can live both in water and on land. This is one of the most dangerous predators living on the planet. The average length of a crocodile is 2-5 meters, but there are varieties that are larger in size.
1 place
Saltwater crocodiles are the largest species of reptiles, also known as man-eating crocodile, underwater crocodile. They are distinguished by their aggression, significant size and high speed with which they attack the prey. Individuals of such crocodiles reach 7 meters in length and weigh about 2 tons. Unlike other species, it can live in salt water, but prefers marshy areas and river deltas. Another feature of the saltwater crocodile is that its habitat is extremely wide: Southeast Asia, the shores of Australia and Japan, and India. In ancient times, saltwater crocodiles were an object of worship.
2nd place
The Nile crocodile is a representative of African reptiles, as well as the saltwater crocodile, known as a man-eating crocodile. For the ancient population of Africa it was an object of fear and worship. The population of the species is quite large. They live on the banks of rivers. Dimensions of Nile crocodiles: length - 3-5.5 meters with a weight of 220-560 kg. Females are significantly smaller than males.
3rd place
Orinoco crocodile
The name of this species speaks for itself - representatives live in the Orinoco River basin in South America. Large individuals can be characterized by a light green or green color with black spots. The largest individuals can grow up to 5.2 - 5.5 meters in length. Like many other crocodile species, females of the Orinoco species are smaller than males. Diet: birds, small mammals, reptiles, fish.
4th place
The sharp-snouted American crocodile lives in South and North America. Representatives of this species can reach 6 meters. On average, the male can reach 4.9-5.7 meters, the female - about 3 meters. Historical data are known about 7-meter representatives of this species. Found in Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, USA and other countries.
5th place
Black caiman - representatives of an independent genus and family of alligators live in South America. The name is due to the color of the crocodile's skin - this coloring helps to camouflage and successfully hunt at night. The largest specimens reached a length of 5 meters, the average length was 3.9-4.7 meters.
6th place
The Mississippi alligator lives in North America in the southeastern United States. The color is green, dark green, part of the body is black, there may be stripes on the tail. There is a pronounced difference in the sizes of females and males. The dimensions of an adult male are 3.7 - 4 meters with a weight of about 230 kg, females - 2.5 - 2.8 meters, weight - about 90-100 kg.
7th place
The Gangetic gharial is a unique reptile that has ancient roots and has no analogues. Today they live on the banks of large rivers on the territory of Hindustan, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, and are found in Myanmar, Bhutan, India, and Pakistan. They can reach more than 5.5 meters in length, but the average length is up to 4.5 meters, females - up to 3.5 meters.
8th place
The marsh crocodile is a species of reptile also known as the Persian or Indian crocodile. Habitat: Hindustan. This is a representative of the average parameters among crocodiles. Maximum length – 4 – 4.5 meters. The average size of males is up to 3.5 meters and weighs up to 250 kg; females usually do not grow more than 2.5 meters and do not weigh more than 60-70 kg.
9th place
The Siamese crocodile is a species that represents the crocodile population of Southeast Asia. Basically, they are characterized by medium size, but there are hybrids with saltwater crocodiles - they can reach a length of up to 4.5 - 5 meters. The length of an ordinary Siamese crocodile is 3-4 meters for males, up to 2.5 meters for females.
10th place
The New Guinea crocodile is a species of reptile whose habitat is located on the island of New Guinea. The male grows up to 3.5 meters long, the female rarely reaches 2.8 meters.
Of all my relatives largest crocodile - saltwater. Some individuals reach seven meters in length and weigh one ton. Quite a bit inferior to this species Nile crocodile- the parameters of individual copies here are almost the same. The average size of these two “breeds” is about four to five meters. The largest seven-meter saltwater crocodile today lives in an Indian zoo along with its three six-meter brothers. According to scientists, crocodiles live up to a hundred years, and, accordingly, their dimensions depend on their age.
But the giant Nile crocodile was last caught in 1905 - its length was also more than six meters. A fairly large specimen was caught in the 2000s in the Philippines: its length was 5.48 meters in length. It was established that this reptile was about 50 years old. It had to be caught because this crocodile was attacking local residents and livestock.
A large six-meter crocodile was caught in Central Africa, Republic of Burundi, in 2002. The hunter Patrice Faye managed to do this: he lured the reptile into a cage with a kid. This individual is about a hundred years old; according to various sources, it caused the disappearance of about fifty people and an incredible amount of local livestock.
The crested one is the leader not only in size, but also in the number of attacks on people - its Nile brother is in second place. In general, crocodiles can be classified as dinosaurs due to the antiquity of their habitat on earth, unlike which they survived, but did not undergo any species changes. This was probably influenced by the fact that crocodiles live mainly in water, which means the changes that took place in environment, they had very little effect. The largest crocodiles were in ancient times: today the remains of 12-meter individuals with truly gigantic jaws have been found.
Crocodiles are freshwater animals, however, they can easily tolerate salt water. The fact is that most species spread across the earth precisely thanks to their sea voyages. In particular, the Nile crocodile arrived in Madagascar, presumably through the Mozambique Strait. The comb species lives in Australia, New Zealand, India and southeast Asia. In addition, there are many testimonies of sailors when they met crocodiles in the open ocean six hundred kilometers from the coast.
Close relatives of crocodiles are alligators, which are quite a bit smaller in size. In particular, a huge alligator was caught on Marsh Island - the American state of Louisiana. This large reptile was 5.8 meters long and weighed more than one ton. In addition to the captured individual, there are others living on this island, but slightly smaller in size. Alligators themselves include two main species - Chinese and American; They are named after their habitats. Alligators from China are now an endangered species and are found exclusively in the Yangtze River. Their American relatives, on the contrary, are very numerous and distributed throughout almost the entire country. For example, in Florida alone today there are up to a million individuals.
Many, having seen films about alligators, can say that this type of reptile is quite slow. However, this is absolutely not true: these animals are capable of reaching high speeds over short distances - up to 45 kilometers per hour. Young alligators eat small fish, snails, insects and crustaceans. As they grow, their prey becomes larger - turtles, birds, large fish and sometimes carrion are used. Fully grown reptiles attack bears and deer. As for cases of hunting people, the concept as such is not appropriate here at all, although many are sure of the opposite. The fact is that crocodiles are afraid of people and attack only in self-defense when they get too close. In general, in recent years there have been about ten “high-profile” attacks on people that ended in the death of the latter.
Alligators, like crocodiles, reproduce by eggs - one clutch consists of up to twenty pieces. Reproduction begins in the spring, at a time when the water begins to become warmer. Crocodile eggs, like those of other animals and birds, are completely defenseless. Therefore, the mother has to protect them - until small cubs that resemble lizards hatch from them. After hatching, the small offspring tend to stay close to their mother, and she protects them for a year, until they reach adulthood. The main difference between a crocodile and an alligator is the presence of a large fourth tooth on the upper jaw at the first one.
Today, the alligator breeding industry is well developed, where they are specially bred to obtain delicious meat and durable beautiful skin. The latter is used to make shoes, bags, wallets, belts, etc. At the same time, poaching of crocodiles and alligators is underway - because of this, all their species are now listed in the Red Book, and some have completely disappeared. Until the 70s of the last century, hunting crocodiles was completely legal, which led to their rapid decline. Business related to these terrible reptiles is also developing in another direction, namely tourism.
For example, Australian national park called "Kakadu" every year receives more than two hundred thousand tourists who want to look at the giant saltwater crocodiles. To do this, there are river buses running on the water, from where the curious can see these large reptiles in their natural habitat. Almost all visitors to Kakadu pass by the town of Darwin - it is located on the coast, a little north of the park. Here anyone can see how crocodiles live in the sea, because... This is where the legendary bay, called the “Bay of Crocodiles,” is located. The entire local area, two hundred meters from the water, is patrolled by these terrible animals, so no one ever swims here. However, despite all the caution of local residents, there are still brave souls, as a result of which the local sheriff often receives reports of cases of crocodiles attacking people.
Interesting species of crocodiles - gavial, or Gavialis gangeticus, - is very little inferior in size to its combed and Nile counterparts. These reptiles have a very original appearance, namely a long narrow muzzle, similar to tweezers, studded with the same long and sharp teeth. The older the gharial, the longer and narrower its muzzle - this shape is only suitable for catching fish, which is what these crocodiles actually do. For special hunting convenience, the teeth are located at an angle. The body length of adult male gharials averages six meters. These creatures live in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan and the Hindustan Peninsula.
The most natural habitat of gharials is fresh water bodies, and in the deepest areas. These creatures are very poorly adapted to land, because... they have almost no developed leg muscles - for the most part they engage in swimming. Gharials come to land only to breed and sunbathe. While medium-sized individuals hunt for fish, larger ones sometimes prefer to feast on birds and even small mammals. Quite often, local residents find jewelry and human remains in the stomachs of captured gharials. This does not at all mean that reptiles hunt people - they eat corpses that are buried in rivers by Indians according to ancient tradition.
It's not surprising that people are afraid of crocodiles. These predatory reptiles have lived on our Earth for the past 83.5 million years. In addition, crocodiles can be classified as the worst cannibals in the world. Crocodiles native to the Nile are responsible for more deaths than any other predator that attacks humans.
Due to the danger that these predators have, as well as their long history, we decided to present to your attention a rating of the largest crocodiles that live on our Earth in this moment time.
The largest crocodile in the world
African narrow-snouted crocodile
An adult African narrow-snouted crocodile is about 3.3 meters long and weighs about 200 kg. These reptiles have exceptionally sharp teeth, as well as a tendency to be aggressive towards people, which is why some African tribes try to avoid rivers. In general, the main diet of these crocodiles consists of fish, snakes and amphibians.
Gharial crocodile
The gharial crocodile grows on average up to 4 meters, and their weight is up to 210 kg. Female crocodiles are usually much smaller than males; But in 2008, in Kalimantan, a female gharial crocodile was killed and eaten and, remarkably, the length of the predator was more than 4 meters.
Swamp crocodile
On average, marsh crocodiles grow up to 3.3 meters and weigh about 225 kg. These predatory reptiles prefer to hunt from ambushes. They hide for a long time in muddy water and wait for prey, then, choosing the right moment, attack it and drag it under water. Next, the crocodile can only wait until the victim suffocates in the water. People also know of cases where swamp crocodiles hunted on the ground, near hidden forest paths.
Mississippi alligator
Mississippi alligators, on average, are about 3.4 meters long and weigh 240 kilograms. People have repeatedly managed to see giants whose length reached 5.3 m.
These reptiles have one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom, with an approximate force of 9,452 Newtons. But what makes Mississippi alligators vulnerable is their very weak jaw opening muscles.
Gangetic gharial
Ghanaian gharials average 4.5 meters in length, with some specimens reaching 6.25 meters, making them one of the longest crocodiles in the world. But with such a huge length, these reptiles weigh only up to 250 kg. They are also one of the most endangered crocodile species, with only about 235 left in the wild.
Sharp-snouted American crocodile
This is the fifth representative of our list of the largest crocodiles in the world. Sharp-snouted American crocodiles are about 4 meters long and weigh an average of 335 kg. These predatory reptiles can move at speeds of about 10 miles per hour on land and 20 miles per hour in water. This is one of the most dangerous possibilities of crocodiles when attacking a person.
Black caiman
The average length of a black caiman is about 3.9 meters and its weight is 350 kg. Black caimans often hunt dangerous prey such as piranhas and anacondas. There are not too many references in the world to the attacks of these crocodiles on people, but nevertheless they still remain one of the most dangerous.
Orinoco crocodile
The Orino crocodile is an endangered reptile species that can only be found in Colombia and Venezuela. On average, adult individuals grow up to 4.1 meters in length and weigh 380 kg, but there are individuals that weigh more and are longer. In the 20th century, they were actively hunted.
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile is the second largest species of crocodile in the world. Their length reaches about 4.2 meters, and their average weight is 410 kg. Nile crocodiles are aggressive and opportunistic predators. Every year, about 275-745 attacks on people are recorded annually, and 63% of which were fatal.
Saltwater crocodile
Saltwater or saltwater crocodile - largest crocodile in the world. Their average length is about 4.5 meters, and their weight is 450 kg. These largest reptiles in the world live in salty waters. Some people have reported seeing saltwater crocodiles that were up to 6.7 meters long and weighed around 1,000 kg. Saltwater crocodiles attack people less frequently than Nile crocodiles. But everyone remembers the story of how saltwater crocodiles killed about 400 Japanese soldiers in 1945 as they retreated from the battlefield through the swamps.
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Today's largest crocodile is saltwater crocodile(from the Greek Crocodylus Porosus), males of which can reach seven meters in length and weigh one ton. Interestingly, these reptiles can often be found on the coasts of countries such as Indonesia and Australia, as well as on the islands of New Guinea.
Today this is the largest species of crocodile found on our planet. Unlike males, females are much smaller - they weigh up to half a ton, and their body length rarely exceeds three meters. As for the name “combed,” the reptile gets it in honor of the two ridges located in the eye area. The color of animals changes depending on their age. Thus, young animals have a light yellow body, on the surface of which dark hairs and spots can be seen. The color of older individuals is slightly darker. The belly is light in color, most often yellow or white.
Most often, saltwater crocodiles can be found in freshwater bodies of water, where they prefer to breed. However, the reptile feels good in brackish water. Therefore, in some cases it even displaces sharks from coastal waters. However, brackish water is usually home to young individuals that have been displaced by older crocodiles. Males periodically engage in fights over territory among themselves.
As for food, young animals prefer to eat small fish, reptiles, birds and even large insects. Adults eat different foods. So, their diet includes large crabs, monitor lizards, snakes, and so on. They often even hunt large livestock, including wild pigs, antelope or buffalo. Hunting most often occurs at dusk, when the reptile is practically invisible. She lies in wait for the victim at a watering hole and when she comes up to drink some water, suspecting nothing, the crocodile instantly attacks the victim. The strength of his jaws is so great that he can easily crush the skull of cattle. After capturing, it tries to take the victim underwater, where it will be more difficult for him to resist.
These reptiles also attack people, and quite a few cases are recorded every year. the main problem is that the crocodile usually attacks shallow water where an unsuspecting and relaxed person is calmly bathing and swimming. Interestingly, attacks occur even on land, although such cases are extremely rare and, as experts say, they are usually caused by aggression from people.
Males usually become sexually mature at the age of 16, and females at 12. Reproduction occurs in the autumn-winter period. The female lays about 50 eggs in a hole, which she subsequently buries herself. Inside the so-called nest there is dirt mixed with leaves. The latter absorb moisture and maintain a constant temperature necessary for the eggs. Three months later, the cubs are born. It should be noted that all this time the female remains close to the nest and closely monitors her offspring, but this does not always help - often the eggs become prey to other predatory animals.
As soon as the “mother” hears the voices of her cubs, she begins to tear apart a huge pile and helps them hatch. Subsequently, he takes them closer to the water and teaches them to swim. However, no more than one percent of all offspring survive to sexual maturity, since young individuals are sent to be eaten by other predators.
The skin of this species of crocodiles is highly prized in the market, as a result of which their numbers have decreased significantly over the past 70 years. In addition, in some countries this species was completely exterminated. Most of these crocodiles can be found in Australia, where there are at least 100 thousand of them.
Philippine record holder
A few years ago, a truly huge crocodile was caught in the Philippines, its length was as much as 6.4 meters and its weight was more than a ton! According to local residents, Lately they were faced with the loss of livestock. After this, people began to disappear and then the public became seriously worried. After a while, it turned out that the animals were being devoured by a large crocodile living in these parts. Authorities have even suggested that a girl who went missing in 2009 and a local farmer who disappeared a year later were the prey of a predator.
As a result of an appeal from citizens, it was decided to catch the animal, which was done. True, the authorities refused to describe the catching procedure itself, but immediately after this the residents of local villages calmed down, although in fact it is still unknown whether this crocodile can really be called a cannibal, because in the Philippines there are quite a few other predators that are not averse to feasting on human flesh. By the way, it was subsequently decided not to kill the reptile, but to send it to one of the zoos to attract tourists.
An employee of the Ministry of Labor Protection noted that this was the largest animal she had ever encountered. She also noted that the previous record belonged to another crocodile caught in these parts, whose length was 5.84 meters. The reptile is probably over 50 years old now. Whether this is true or not is unknown for sure.
Sarcosuchus
At the beginning of the Cretaceous period, the so-called Sarcosuchus lived on Earth. According to research by historians, he ate fish, as well as herbivorous dinosaurs. Lived in Africa.
For a long time, practically nothing was known about Sarcosuchus, but in the mid-twentieth century, the French paleontologist Albert-Felix de Lapparent discovered several teeth and armor scutes of an ancient animal in the Sahara. At the end of the century, another researcher was able to discover six Sarcosuchus skeletons at once. It was thanks to them that they were able to find out that this crocodile was perhaps one of the largest ever living on our planet. Thus, the length of his body reached 12 meters, the length of the skull was about 180 centimeters, and his weight was more than 8 tons. By the way, parts of the body of this predator can be found in one of the museums in Paris.
The largest alligator in the world
We think that in this same article we can tell you the largest alligator that has ever been caught - its length was 5.8 m and its weight was more than a ton! It was discovered on Marsh Island in the US state of Louisiana. Interestingly, there were several more very large individuals on the island, but they were still slightly smaller in size.
The alligator family includes only two species: American or Chinese (accordingly, they live only in the USA and China). The latter, by the way, is under threat of complete extinction and now the animal can only be found in the Yangtze River valley. But American alligators are common in many areas of the country - in Florida alone there are more than one million individuals.
At first glance, this species of reptile is very slow, although this is not at all the case - at short distances the animal can reach speeds of up to 45 kilometers per hour! As for nutrition, young individuals eat small fish, snails, crustaceans, insects, and so on. As they grow older, they begin to feed on birds, larger fish, and sometimes carrion. But adult individuals can attack adult animals, for example, deer or even bears. They rarely attack humans because they are afraid. This, unfortunately, led to the fact that people stopped being afraid of alligators and began to approach them too close, as a result of which they, “defending” themselves, attacked. Only in five recent years There were more than 10 attacks that ended in death.
The mating season begins in the spring - as soon as the water warms up. Not far from the pond, the female builds a nest of grass, where she subsequently lays eggs - their number can vary between 20 and up. To prevent predators from eating them, the mother guards the eggs until the young hatch. If they stay close to their mother, she protects them for another year.
Meanwhile, alligators are bred for meat and skin - this market is growing every year.
It is not so difficult to distinguish an alligator from a crocodile - the latter has a more elongated muzzle and a large fourth tooth on the upper jaw is visible.