Crocodiles are among the largest predators living in various bodies of water. Currently, there are 23 species among these underwater predators.
Top 10 includes the biggest crocodiles in the world that exist or have ever taken place on Earth.
Length 3 meters
Opens the top of the largest crocodiles in the world. The largest individuals of this species can grow up to 4 meters, but most often their size does not exceed 3 meters. The narrow muzzle of the predator is adapted for catching fish and other small animals. Currently, the population is poorly understood. The species is widespread in regions of West Africa.
Length 4.5 meters
It is one of the ten largest among the representatives of its family. The maximum size of the animal is 4.5 meters with a weight of 400 kg. It is not only one of the largest crocodiles, but also the fastest predators. His diet mainly includes fish and small reptiles. There were also recorded cases of attacks on domestic dogs and other animals, which were attacked by hunters from the water. The population is widespread in the reservoirs of Central America and in the Gulf of Mexico. This species prefers to choose lakes, rivers and swamps as its habitat.
Length 4.9 meters
A large reptile of the family of true crocodiles. The maximum size that this species is capable of reaching is 4.9 meters. Among its "relatives", the representative stands out for its brighter color and long, powerful legs. He lives in the fresh, swampy waters of Juventud Island, off the coast of Cuba. Hence its name. The aquatic inhabitant mainly prefers to feed on fish, turtles, crabs and some mammals.
Length 5.5 meters
One of the largest reptiles of the family of true crocodiles. The maximum body length to which the largest males can grow is 5.5 meters. Such giants weigh about 500 kg. The record holder among the Nile individuals was an individual caught in 1905. The predator's weight was just over 1 ton, and the length exceeded 6 meters. Tall monsters prefer to live in freshwater swamps and river estuaries. Like all crocodiles, representatives of this species have strong and powerful jaws, the bite force of which exceeds 2 tons. Aquatic inhabitants feed on mammals, birds, reptiles and large fish. Recently, the population of the species has significantly decreased due to the active hunt for the animal's skin.
Length 5.5 meters
Included in the list of the largest among its relatives. The maximum length of its body most often does not reach more than 4 meters, but individuals with a length of 5.5 meters are also found. The approximate weight of the largest representatives is 500 kg. The main source of food for the predator is fish, which is clearly indicated by their narrow muzzle. Sometimes snakes, birds, turtles, snails, frogs and other not very large animals become its prey. Despite the fact that the species among its own kind is considered less aggressive, there are known cases of attacks on people. Recently, the population of sharp-nosed crocodiles has greatly decreased, which is why the species was listed in the Red Book in many countries.
Length 5.8 meters
They are included in the list of the largest reptiles from the order of crocodiles. They differ from real representatives by the widest muzzle. They can be easily spotted at night, thanks to their red glowing eyes at night. In young individuals, the eyes are highlighted in green. The largest alligators reach 4.5 meters in length, but there are sources that indicate a maximum body length of 5.8 meters. A giant alligator with this length was caught in the US state of Louisiana and weighed about 1 ton. The habitat of the animal is China and the United States.
Length 6 meters
It is considered one of the largest crocodiles in nature today. A distinctive feature of the gavial crocodile from other representatives of the order is a narrow muzzle adapted for more convenient fishing, which is the animal's diet. The largest individual of this species is capable of reaching 6 meters, but most often gavials are not more than 5 meters. Giants are practically not adapted to walking on land and spend most of their time in water. The population is distributed in the Indian subcontinent, Nepal, India, Myanmar and Pakistan.
Length 7 meters
Also referred to as a man-eating crocodile, it is one of the largest representatives of its kind. The largest individuals are capable of reaching 7 meters in length and weighing about 2 tons. One of these giants was captured in the Philippine Islands. His torso reached 6.5 meters, and he weighed over 1000 kg. Now the monster lives in the local zoo, attracting a large flow of tourists. Predators choose both fresh and salt waters as their habitat, so their range of distribution is wide enough. They feed on reptiles, large fish, artiodactyls that come to the watering hole. There are cases when people became victims of bloodthirsty reptiles. The cunning hunter goes out to catch prey in the dark, when it is almost impossible to notice him. At the same time, ridged crocodiles are able to run quite quickly, developing speeds of up to 40 km over short distances and only along a straight trajectory.
Length 15 meters
Ranks second among the largest crocodiles in the world. An extinct species of the Cretaceous period belonged to the genus of giant crocodilomorphs. The animal had a rather impressive size: its maximum body length could reach 15 meters, and its weight exceeded 14 tons. He possessed a huge skull 1.5 meters in length and a durable shell that served as defensive targets when attacked by predatory dinosaurs. The predator had powerful jaws that provided a bite force estimated at 15 tons. Large species of fish and herbivorous dinosaurs served him as food. Sarcohus lived on the territory of Africa.
Length 16 meters
Tops the list of the largest crocodiles that have ever existed on Earth. The extinct species lived approximately 80 million years ago, from the end of the Cretaceous to the Neogene. The skeleton of the found giant predator was 16 meters. According to scientists, the weight of the animal exceeded 15 tons. The studies carried out suggest that the life cycle of deinhoz was 50 years, while it had the same growth rates as ordinary crocodiles. Presumably, the predator could have dealt with a large dinosaur in order to dine with them. His victims also became large sea turtles, which he dealt with with the help of his powerful and strong jaws. Ordinary fish could have come off as a small snack.
We, who live in relatively cool countries, do not understand the irrational sacred horror that crocodiles caused among the same ancient Egyptians. They were worshiped and hated, revered as messengers of the gods and destroyed, as best they could, mummified and eaten. But people have never been indifferent to them.
This is just not surprising: it is difficult to ignore 4-5 meters of muscles armed with the sharpest teeth. More surprisingly, something else is more likely - these creatures have inhabited the Earth for more than 250 million years, having not changed significantly during this time. This can only say one thing: a crocodile is an ideal creation of nature, which simply does not need to be further improved.
But all the same, a legitimate and completely logical question arises: where does the largest crocodile live? What species does it belong to? And most importantly: how big is it? We will try to answer.
Ridged or Nile?
To begin with, it would be nice to figure out who gave the world a champion what species: a combed crocodile or a Nile? The answer to this question is not so easy. Both species are impressive, but almost the same size: males up to 5-5.5 meters, females are shorter and lighter. Some individuals can grow up to 6-7 meters, but this is rather an exception, champions and winners. The weight is a little easier: the ridged one seems to be more massive, although again not much: the average weight is 500-600, the peak weight is 1000 and more. But the Nile is practically the same.
But they have completely different habitats. The Nile crocodile, as it should be, occupied the banks of the Nile and the surrounding area, populating Africa. The cresty one settled on the shores of Australia and Asia, simultaneously occupying all the islands located between it. And all thanks to the fact that it tolerates salt water well and can swim impressive distances. Some crocodiles were found even in Japan, to the great surprise of the local population.
With the quantity, too, everything is not as simple as we would like it to be. Nile is not yet listed in the Red Book, but individual populations have already been destroyed. Saltwater feels good in Australia under the strict supervision of wildlife guards, but on many islands, for example, Seychelles, to the delight of tourists, it is completely exterminated.
Therefore, although officially the leader in the team event belongs to the combed one, the decision can be challenged. But in the individual competition, such problems should not arise.
Cassius Clay
This is not only the real name of Mohamed Ali, but also the longest crocodile living today. This favorite of tourists recently celebrated its 110th anniversary, but is not going to leave us yet. On his birthday, he cheerfully destroyed a 20-pound birthday cake made from raw meat.
And this is quite logical, because your 5.5 meters and a ton of weight need to be well fed. They say that it used to be even longer, until it lost a piece of its tail in a fight. But even the remaining carcass was enough to get into the Guinness Book of Records and even take a whole spread there instead of the usual one page.
The birthday boy did not share with anyone
He has lived in captivity since 1984, when he was caught and transferred to a crocodile park in Australia. Here he found a calm life, hearty delicious food and worldwide fame. What more could a crocodile wish for in old age?
But Cassius Clay once nearly lost his laurels. In the Philippines, an even larger specimen was caught and taken to the local zoo - 6 meters 17 centimeters from the tip of the tail to the front teeth.
Caught by the whole world
Lolong is a bad boy, suspected of being addicted to human meat and the death of several people. Therefore, the inhabitants of the town of Bunawan jointly caught the predator. Someone far-sighted advised not to kill him, but to hand him over to the local zoo in order to make him a curiosity that attracts tourists. The cunning plan worked, and every day hundreds of people came to see this monster with their own eyes - a solid addition to the local budget.
Unfortunately, life in captivity did not suit him. In protest (or foolishly), he ate a nylon cord and a few days later floated belly up. The veterinarian witnessed death, and the title returned to Clay.
Uncrowned champions
But the confrontation of these heavyweights is not the limit. And, most likely, the largest crocodiles still swim somewhere in the Nile or the waters of Australia. Perhaps one day they will at least be able to be seen.
As, for example, the Nile crocodile Gustav, who has not yet been caught by any expedition. Although many tried, what his special examples say - a few scars from bullets on his skin. But he paid for them. It is believed that more than 300 human deaths are on his conscience.
The last time they managed to put him in a cage, an enraged Gusta broke it and hid in the waters of the Nile. The result of the expedition was a film from National Geographic and the exact length of his body is 6 meters 10 centimeters. At the moment, this is an absolute record. Although it has not yet been possible to give the award to the winner. But the film "Primal Evil" was made about him.
Real primal evil
It's good that their older relatives - intermediate variants between dinosaurs and crocodiles - are already extinct. Compared to them, Gustav, Lolong, and Cassius would be dwarfs, undersized, cute and harmless lizards. See for yourself:
- Sarcosuchus. Length - up to 12 meters. Weight - up to 8 tons. Lived in modern Africa 110 million years ago.
- Deinosuchus. Length - up to 15 meters. Weight - 8-10 tons. He lived 80-73 million years ago.
- Pursusaurus. Length - up to 15 meters. Weight - up to 7 tons. Extinct about 8 million years ago.
Of course, any scientist would like to see and describe such crocodiles. But the consequences of such a meeting might not have pleased him at all.
In 2002, the largest crocodile was caught in the Republic of Burundi, which was given the nickname Gustav. At that time, the combed reptile was over a hundred years old, the crocodile's body length was 6.1 meters, and it weighed more than a ton. After his capture, he was immediately entered into the Guinness Book of Records. In 2011, another giant appeared in the Book of Records, which currently lives in captivity in northern Australia - a huge crocodile named Classius Clay. His exact age is unknown, but it is assumed that he is about 110 years old. It is 5.48 meters long and weighs a whole ton.
Now let's look at the giants who live in our time, because many of them are also worthy of inclusion in the famous book.
The first on the list is the combed crocodile. This is the most gigantic crocodile in the world, which has two ridged ridges on its face. Adult males are 6-7 meters long, but sometimes there are individuals up to 10 meters long. By weight, such a crocodile can be from 400 to 1000 kilograms. The female usually lays up to 90 eggs. The temperature in the nest is very important, because the sex of the future crocodiles depends on this parameter.
In terms of its size, this crocodile is in second place after the combed one - it weighs up to 500 kg, and grows in length up to 5 meters. It lives in Africa - along the shores of lakes, rivers and in freshwater swamps. Females of this crocodile are 30% smaller than males. Its main food is fish or small invertebrates, but it can pose a considerable danger to humans. For example, in Uganda there lived such a crocodile who kept the whole district in fear and claimed 83 human lives.
It is found in South America. The length is 5-6 meters. The basis of his food is, as a rule, fish, but he also does not disdain livestock. Can attack a person, but only in case of a threat to his own life or offspring. Today, there are about 1,500 such crocodiles around the world, as they were heavily exterminated by humans.
This rather big reptile living in South America is 5-6 meters long. The crocodile is able to adapt to life in salt water, so it is not afraid to swim far into the sea. A person is attacked quite rarely - again, if he only sees some kind of threat to his offspring.
Despite the colorful name and attractive "bumpiness", this crocodile is capable of causing horror and fear. In length, it reaches up to 5 meters.
Lives in South America. Usually it grows up to 4.7 meters, but with good nutrition it can grow up to 6 meters.
Another representative of the green and toothy, which can reach 4-4.5 meters in length. The females of this reptile are somewhat smaller - their length is usually 3 meters.
Lives on the Indian subcontinent. Its length is usually 4-5 meters. Its broad muzzle and the ability to open its mouth wide is capable of sending even the most courageous to flight. This crocodile rarely attacks humans, and it can itself become food for a combed crocodile or tiger.
In length it grows only up to 3.5 meters, but this does not at all make it cute and fluffy. He can become dangerous for those who only dare to doubt his abilities.
Although it is not the largest, its size can make you tremble with fear - it is 3 meters long. Inhabits the countries of Southeast Asia.
The largest crocodile in the world today is the combed crocodile. Males can grow up to seven meters in length and weigh one ton. Unlike males, females of the largest crocodile species are not so big.
They weigh only up to half a ton and grow to a maximum of three meters. And, interestingly, these giants can now be found quite often while walking in Indonesia, Australia and the islands of New Guinea.
Saltwater crocodiles live in freshwater reservoirs, and here they prefer to breed. However, the reptile is quite comfortable in salt water. Therefore, sometimes the largest crocodile in the world can even push sharks out of coastal waters. It is worth noting that, as a rule, young individuals live in brackish water, which, in turn, were forced out of their usual place by adults. Males of the combed crocodile periodically start fights for territory.
The name of the crocodile "combed" is quite simply explained. The reptile has two ridges that are located in the area of the eyes. Well, the color of the animal changes with age. For example, in a young individual, it is light yellow, and there are spots and dark hairs on the surface. Older relatives have a darker color. And the belly is distinguished by a light shade, more often white or yellow.
Strong and ruthless
The largest crocodile in the world eats prefers small fish, reptiles, birds, as well as large reptiles. But these are young individuals. Adults consume completely different foods. Their menu includes large crabs, turtles, monitor lizards and snakes. Often seasoned crocodiles hunt large livestock, in particular, antelopes, buffaloes, wild pigs. And the reptiles are guarding their victims at dusk, when the crocodile is not visible. Food lies in wait at the watering hole, when she does not even suspect anything. The victim instantly falls into a vice, the strength of the crocodile's jaws is so great that the bones of cattle are immediately crushed. After being captured, the beast is immediately under water and has no opportunity to resist.The largest crocodile in the world ate 50 people
Reptiles also attack people. Quite a few cases are recorded every year. And the blame for everything is the negligence of a person. The crocodile attacks in shallow water, where, as a rule, a relaxed vacationer swims. However, there are also attacks on land, although they are quite rare. And, according to experts, attacks are usually provoked by human aggression.
Maternal instinct
Males become sexually mature at the age of 16, females - much earlier, at the age of 12. Crested crocodiles breed exclusively in autumn and winter. The female lays about 50 eggs in the hole and buries it. Inside such a nest, the cubs are together with mud and leaves, which maintain a comfortable temperature in the pit. After three months, crocodiles are born. The female, usually, is not far from the cubs and closely monitor their development, as soon as the mother hears the voices of the babies, she begins to break the hole and help the offspring to hatch. However, females are sometimes not too vigilant and eggs become prey for predatory animals. One way or another, only one percent of the offspring usually survive to puberty, because young individuals are also eaten by other predators.Most valuable
The leather of the combed crocodiles is incredibly prized in the market. Therefore, over the past 70 years, their numbers have declined significantly. In some countries, the reptile is completely destroyed. A large number of crocodiles can be found in Australia. There are at least one hundred thousand individuals living there.Filipino record holder
Some time ago, a huge crocodile was caught in the Philippines. Its length was 6.4 meters, and its weight was more than a ton. According to local residents, before the find, they began to notice the constant loss of livestock. Further, people began to disappear. After some time, it turned out that the crocodile, who lived in the local area, was to blame for everything. They managed to catch the animal, however, people did not tell anyone in detail about the process of capturing. However, there it was not possible to find out whether the caught crocodile is a cannibal. Since there are many predators in the Philippines, they do not mind eating human meat. By the way, it was decided not to kill the captured record holder. He was sent to the local zoo to attract tourists.Sarcosuchus
And at the beginning of the Cretaceous period, the crocodile sarcosuchus lived on the planet. He lived in Africa, and ate fish and herbivorous dinosaurs. For a long time nothing was known about sarcosuchus, but in the middle of the 20th century, a paleontologist from France Albert-Felix de Lapparent discovered the teeth and armor shields of this animal in the Sahara, later another researcher found six skeletons of the ancient sarcosuchus at once. Therefore, we managed to find out that this crocodile was, most likely, the largest of all crocodiles that lived on Earth. The body length of sarcosuchus was 12 meters with a mass of more than 8 tons. Now the body parts of the predator are kept in one of the Parisian museums.The largest alligator
But the largest alligator that was caught has grown to 5.8 meters in length. Its weight was more than one ton. Found it on Marsh Island in Louisiana in America. It is noteworthy that next to the record holder there were still quite a few large individuals, but, nevertheless, of smaller sizes.It should be noted right away that it is not difficult to distinguish a crocodile from an alligator. The crocodile's muzzle is more elongated, in addition, a large tooth is visible on the upper jaw. There are only two species in the alligator family. American and Chinese. They live, respectively, only in the USA or China. And the latter is now on the verge of extinction. American alligators can be found in a number of areas of the country, with over a million individuals in Florida alone. By the way, alligators are bred specifically for the sake of obtaining meat and valuable skin.
At first glance, alligators may seem slow. But this is far from the case. Over short distances, the reptile can reach astonishing speeds of up to 45 kilometers per hour. So that a person, with all his desire, cannot escape from a predator. Young individuals feed on insects, snails, small fish, crustaceans. Adult alligators eat birds, turtles, large fish and sometimes carrion. They can attack adult animals. But predators are afraid to attack humans. However, for the sake of protection, they step over fears.
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Crocodiles are large reptile predators that can inhabit both water and 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 stand out in larger sizes.
1st place
Saltwater crocodiles are the largest species of reptiles, also known as the man-eating crocodile, an underwater crocodile. Differs in aggression, considerable size and high speed with which they attack the victim. 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 wetlands and river deltas. Another feature of the combed crocodile is that its range of residence is extremely wide: Southeast Asia, the shores of Australia and Japan, India. In ancient times, crested crocodiles were an object of worship.
2nd place
The Nile crocodile is a representative of African reptiles, as well as the combed one, it is known as the man-eating crocodile. For the ancient population of Africa, it was an object of fear and worship. The population of the species is large enough. 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 much 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 light green or green 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 Orinox species are smaller than males. Diet - birds, small mammals, reptiles, fish.
4th place
The Pointed American Crocodile is native to 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. They are 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 color 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 is native to North America in the southeastern United States. The coloring is green, dark green, part of the body is black, there may be stripes on the tail. There is a marked difference in the size of females and males. The size of an adult male is 3.7 - 4 meters with a weight of about 230 kg, of a female - 2.5 - 2.8 meters, weight is about 90-100 kg.
7th place
The Ganges gavial is a unique reptile that has ancient roots and has no analogues. Today they live on the banks of large rivers in the territory of Hindustan, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, they are found in Myanmar, Bhutan, India, Pakistan. They can reach more than 5.5 meters in length, but the average length is up to 4.5 meters, females are up to 3.5 meters.
8th place
Swamp crocodile is a species of reptile also known as Persian or Indian. Habitat - Hindustan. This is a representative of the average parameters among crocodiles. The maximum length is 4 - 4.5 meters. The average size of males is up to 3.5 meters with a weight of 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 combed crocodiles - they can reach lengths up to 4.5 - 5 meters. The length of an ordinary Siamese crocodile is 3-4 meters in males, up to 2.5 meters in females.
10th place
The New Guinea crocodile is a species of reptiles 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.
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