The Sheer Size of Saltwater Crocodiles
The average saltwater crocodile is around 17 feet long with a weight of around 1,000 pounds. There are also exceptional individuals that have grown to 23 feet and weighed 2,200 pounds! Their tails alone can be longer than seven feet and their teeth can be four inches long. Saltwater crocs are called ‘salties’ or estuarine crocodiles because they are able to live in salty water. Their habitat range extends from northern Australia to eastern India and Southeast Asia. Even though their usual location is coastal waters, you will also find them in freshwater habitats. However, they can also be spotted in the open sea where they can sometimes spend weeks at a time.
Saltwater Crocodile Hunting and Speed
We see the crocodile in this vid move efficiently across some very slippery mud flats. Crocs have developed a number of different locomotion styles to suit the surface they are on. For mud, they use a belly crawl but on other surfaces, they can ‘high walk’ where the body is pushed off the ground and, less often, they can be seen bounding a bit like a rabbit. On the whole, a fit human could outrun a croc on land. In the water, they can travel up to around 15mph and are helped along by their powerful tail. Their diet is made up of fish but they will also eat turtles, birds, and snakes. If they get the opportunity, they will also tackle livestock and wild boar. By using their huge and powerful jaws they are able to overcome their prey. They have one of the most powerful bites in the world – this has been recorded at 3,700 PSI in scientific experiments. But this is much less than the prehistoric crocodiles who walked the earth millions of years ago. Even so, our modern-day crocs are still responsible for thousands of attacks on humans each year so the safest place to observe them is from a distance!
Is this normal behavior?
While there may be tourist shuttles that give people the opportunity to feed saltwater crocodiles from the seeming “safety” of a boat, such as it seen in this video, that doesn’t mean it’s an advisable thing to do. It’s smart to always keep a safe distance of at least 5 meters from the water’s edge if you are in an area where saltwater crocodiles could be encountered. It’s also dangerous to feed crocodiles because they can start to associate humans with food. It’s also an illegal activity in many places. Even if it isn’t, that doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous.
Next Up:
Watch a Crocodile Catch a Cheetah With Lightning Fast StrikeWatch a Baby Hippo Bite a Crocodile’s Tail Like a Giant Chew Toy!Watch: Massive Saltwater Crocodile Catches and Swallows Whole Bull Shark
