How long is the largest crocodile in the world. The saltwater crocodile is the largest crocodile in the world: size and bite force, habitat of the predator
Crocodiles live long enough to reach the weight that will allow them to become the top of the food web in their ecosystems. A ton or a little more - isn't that enough to fight a buffalo, elephant or man? A deadly rotational jerk - and the crocodile not only grabbed the victim, but also tore off its head.
Big crocodiles
Among these animals there are amazing species, they not only reach huge sizes and weights by the standards of predators, but also live for a very long time - more than a hundred years. Today it is believed that the combed - giant crocodile, the Nile - a little less, and the Orinoco crocodile and false gharial- take third place. Although the sizes of captured males are Lately almost identical.
All these types of large crocodiles are cannibals. They feed on everything they can grab, watch for, or drag under water.Nile and swamp fish can themselves become prey for combed (sea) fish, so they prefer live b where there is no need to share territory with the combed fish.
Description of the giant crocodile - combed
Various sources call this monster differently: Indo-Pacific crocodile, saltwater crocodile, estuarine crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, saltwater crocodile. It is the world's largest reptile, occupying a place at the top the food chain. Males can be up to seven meters in length, but specimens found today rarely reach a size of 5 meters. Females are much smaller maximum length reaches only three meters. The weight, respectively, of males is maximum from a ton to two, females - up to 150 kg.
D For comparison: weight Nile crocodile and its dimensions are slightly smaller than those of the combed one and in males are 4 meters with a weight of more than 400 kg.
G The head of the saltwater crocodile is very long and wide: the maximum known ratio of length to base width is 76 cm to 48 cm.
In the center of the muzzle, two ridges descend from the eyes down to the snout, hence the name - combed.
This species of crocodiles begins its journey into life with only 28 centimeters in length and 71 grams in weight. A year later, he already weighs two and a half kilograms and is one meter long.
In Crocodylus porosus pronounced sexual dimorphism. Males are considered sexually mature at 16 years old with a length of 3 meters, females a little earlier - at 12-14 years old, with a length of 2.0-2.1 meters.
The weight of a giant crocodile, however, like all other species, increases not linearly, but exponentially: a 6-meter-long male will weigh twice as much as a five-meter-long one. With age, crocodiles gain less and less length, although their weight may increase. It depends on the habitat (availability of food). Dominant males weigh more than normal males because they have the opportunity to feed over a larger area.
Habitat
The combed crocodile, perhaps the only one among all the others, when choosing a habitat, travels for a long time to sea water. Crocodiles tagged with radio beacons swam up to 400-500 km in a few weeks. Moreover, they use the power of the current, simply drifting along it, while conserving energy. According to observations, saltwater crocodiles can interrupt their swimming, waiting for a favorable current for up to several days.
According to the descriptions given in the sources, the saltwater crocodile is less social than other species, is more intolerant of its male relatives, protecting females from them, and shows much more aggression.
During the daytime, the reptile takes more sunbathing and bathes in water. At night, a giant crocodile hunts.
Although the crocodile is monstrously huge, it cannot be called clumsy: it is furiously active and fast, literally flying out of the water while attacking its prey. When swimming, it can reach speeds of up to 29 km per hour, although not for very long distances. The usual speed when traveling between islands, shores, and along rivers is up to five kilometers per hour. If the crocodile is in shallow water, where it can both swim and run, it will not leave the victim a chance to escape, no matter how fast it may be.
The development of the brain of a giant crocodile, despite its relatively small size (only 0.05% of its mass), can be judged by the way it literally studies the places of entry into the water and migration routes, depending on the season of its future victims.
How do saltwater crocodiles hunt?
Techniques used Crocodylus porosus for hunting is similar to the methods of all other species. Usually they circle silently around the intended victim, then attack it with a sharp jerk, either immediately swallowing it or or dragging under water to drown or crush. On land, unlike the Nile crocodile, combed crocodiles have not been recorded hunting, although their technique of knocking macaques off land with their tail and “cutting off” reptiles, lizards, birds, and mammals sitting on them from low-lying branches is known.
A peculiarity of the hunting of saltwater crocodiles (as well as others) is that their teeth are only capable of grasping and squeezing the victim, but not of chewing it. Small animals are simply swallowed, but large ones are dealt with differently - literally “unscrewing” pieces from it, rotating around its axis or with huge jerks.
Features of the structure of crocodile jaws
When grabbed, the jaws are compressed as tightly as any known animal can. Typically, a crocodile's grip force is compared to the recorded bite of a spotted hyena - 16 kilonewtons versus 4.5.
This has been proven to be the result anatomical structure crocodile jaws. As a result of evolution, the muscles for closing the jaw in crocodiles have developed unusually, they take up a lot of space and are hard as stone. But the opening muscles are weak and small, so after being captured by live crocodiles, the muzzles are tied together with just a few layers of adhesive tape.
Life of crocodiles in captivity
Today, many zoos exhibit crocodiles, especially in Australia, where the population of combed species has traditionally been large.
A saltwater crocodile was captured in the Philippines in 2011. huge size.
The capture was initiated by local residents; they suspected this male of the death of the fisherman and the girl; in addition, he constantly hunted buffalo.
As soon as he was noticed (after three weeks of observation), a hundred people went out to fish local residents together with hunters. This happened on September 3, 2011. Him with with great difficulty They pulled him onto land, he struggled three times until the reptile was securely tied up.
He was measured at the zoo and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records (as a crocodile living in captivity). Lolong is a giant saltwater crocodile, its dimensions are 6.17 meters, 1075 kilograms. At the time of measurements he was about fifty years old.
In captivity, the crocodile, named after one of the hunters, lived until February 10, 2013. Died of pneumonia and cardiac arrest.
Local authorities could not decide what to do with the dead crocodile, so it lay in a deep-freezing chamber for a long time.
Today it is housed in the Manila National Museum of Natural History.
The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) named Cassius is considered the largest living representative of the order.
Cassius was recognized largest crocodile in captivity in 2013 (5.48 m). The record holder weighs about a ton (998 kg). He was caught in 2011 in Australia. IN currently the animal is about 100 years old. His full name- Cassius Clay. It was named after the famous boxer Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay).
Cassius received the title of the largest crocodile after the death of the previous record holder - the Lolong crocodile, which reached a length of 6.17 meters. Lolong was also a member of the Crocodylus porosus species. Its representatives can live more than 100 years, grow up to 7 meters and weigh more than a ton.
The species Sarcosuchus imperator is considered the largest crocodiles to ever live. Individuals of this species lived in Africa 110 million years ago. The last fossilized remains were found in the Sahara Desert. Scientists suggest that over 50–60 years, crocodiles managed to grow to 11–12 meters in length and gain up to 8 tons of weight.
Crocodiles are among the most large predators, living in various bodies of water. Currently, there are 23 species among these underwater predators.
The top 10 included the most big crocodiles in the world that exist or have ever existed on Earth.
Length 3 meters
Opens the top of the largest crocodiles in the world. The most large individuals 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 studied. The species is widespread in areas of West Africa.
Length 4.5 meters
It is one of the ten largest among representatives of its family. Maximum dimensions animal - 4.5 meters with a weight of 400 kg. This is not only one of the largest crocodiles, but also the most fast predators. Its diet mainly includes fish and small reptiles. There have also been cases of attacks on domestic dogs and other animals that hunters attacked from the water. The population is widespread in water bodies Central America and in the Gulf of Mexico. Habitat this type prefers to choose lakes, rivers and swamps.
Length 4.9 meters
A large reptile of the family of true crocodiles. The maximum size that this species can reach is 4.9 meters. Among its “relatives”, the representative stands out for its brighter coloring and long, powerful legs. It lives in the fresh, swampy waters of Isla Juventud, off the coast of Cuba. Hence its name. Water Dweller Mainly prefers to eat fish, turtles, crabs and some mammals.
Length 5.5 meters
One of the largest reptiles of the family of true crocodiles. The maximum length of the body to which the most can grow large males- 5.5 meters. Such giants weigh about 500 kg. The record holder among Nile specimens was a specimen caught in 1905. The weight of the predator was just over 1 ton, and its length exceeded 6 meters. Tall monsters prefer to choose freshwater swamps and river mouths as their habitat. Like all crocodiles, representatives of this species have strong and powerful jaws, the bite force of which exceeds 2 tons. Eating aquatic life mammals, birds, reptiles and big fish. Recently, the population of the species has decreased significantly due to active hunting for the animal’s skin.
Length 5.5 meters
It is 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 there are individuals with a length of 5.5 meters. Approximate weight of most large representatives is 500 kg. The main source of food for the predator is fish, which is clearly evidenced by their narrow snout. Sometimes snakes, birds, turtles, snails, frogs and other not very large living creatures become its prey. Despite the fact that the species is considered less aggressive among its own kind, there are known cases of attacks on people. Recently, the population of sharp-snouted crocodiles has decreased greatly, 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 their widest muzzle. They can be easily found in dark time days, thanks to the red glowing eyes at night time. Juveniles' eyes are illuminated green. The largest alligators reach 4.5 meters in length, but there are sources that say the maximum length of the body is 5.8 meters. A giant alligator this long was caught in American state Louisiana and weighed about 1 ton. The animal's habitat is China and the USA.
Length 6 meters
It is considered one of the largest crocodiles existing in nature today. Distinctive feature The gharial crocodile differs from other representatives of the order - a narrow muzzle, adapted for more convenient catching of fish, which constitutes the animal’s diet. The largest individual of this species can reach 6 meters, but most often gharials are found no more than 5 meters. Giants are practically not adapted to walking on the ground and most spend time in the water. The population is distributed on the Hindustan Peninsula, Nepal, India, Myanmar and Pakistan.
Length 7 meters
Also called a man-eating crocodile, it is one of the largest representatives of its genus. The largest individuals can reach 7 meters in length and weigh about 2 tons. One of these giants was caught on Philippine Islands. His body reached 6.5 meters, and he weighed more than 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 distribution area is quite wide. They feed on reptiles, large fish, and artiodactyls that come to drink. 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, saltwater crocodiles are capable of running quite quickly, reaching speeds of up to 40 km over short distances and only along a straight path.
Length 15 meters
It ranks second among the largest crocodiles in the world. Extinct species Cretaceous period belonged to the genus of giant crocodylomorphs. The animal had quite impressive dimensions: the maximum length of its body could reach 15 meters, and its weight exceeded 14 tons. He had a huge skull 1.5 meters long and a durable shell that served protective purposes during attacks. predatory dinosaurs. The predator had powerful jaws that provided a bite force estimated at 15 tons. They served him as food large species fish and herbivorous dinosaurs. The Sarcohuzes lived in 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. Skeleton found giant predator was 16 meters. According to scientists, the weight of the animal exceeded 15 tons. The conducted studies suggest that life cycle Deinochus was 50 years old and had the same growth rate as ordinary crocodiles. Presumably the predator could deal with big dinosaur to give them lunch. Its victims also included large sea turtles, which he dealt with with the help of his powerful and strong jaws. Ordinary fish could do as a small snack.
Owners of the skin so beloved by fashion fans of both sexes, equipped with impressive teeth, claws and a combed tail, modern crocodiles are terrifying. They don’t even have to growl - they lie somewhere near a river, lake or in a zoo enclosure without moving and look scary on their own. But imagine a crocodile whose head alone exceeds human height! It's about about the largest crocodile in the history of the Earth, called in 1966 by paleontologist de Bruijn “a ruler among his own kind.”
French paleontologist Albert-Felix de Laparrente devoted several years of his life (from 1946 to 1959) to searching for fossils in the Sahara Desert, leading a scientific expedition. While excavating Cretaceous sediments, he discovered fragmentary fossils that may have belonged to the same reptile - pieces of a skull, individual vertebrae, teeth and lamellar scutes (osteoderms). Laparrente suggested that these fossils belonged to a previously unknown species of crocodile. His guess was confirmed in 1964, when another expedition of French paleontologists discovered an almost complete skull of a reptile in Niger, but scientists received a full idea of the size and structure of the body of a giant crocodile only in 2000. During two expeditions carried out in the Tenere Desert (Niger) in 1997 and 2000, American paleontologist Paul Sereno managed to find and extract fossils belonging to six individuals of the species Sarcosuchus imperator, and the skeleton of one of these huge crocodiles was 50% complete.
The body length of an adult Sarcosuchus was about 12 meters - the head was 1.5-1.8 m, the body was 5-5.5 m and the tail was 4-4.5 m. Weight Limit“Emperor among crocodiles” was equal to approximately 6.5-7 tons. The eyes were located on the sides of the head, much further apart than in modern crocodiles. The protruding upper jaw contained 35 teeth on the left and right sides, on the lower jaw on the left and right there were 31 teeth ranging from 12 to 17 cm in length.
At the end of the upper jaw in the skull of Sarcosuchus there is a large hole oval shape, the purpose of which scientists do not know exactly. There are two assumptions - there is a particularly sensitive organ of smell there, or the giant crocodile used it to make a loud roar, causing the victim to become numb. Unlike modern crocodiles, the osteodermal scutes on the head and back of the largest crocodile in the history of our planet formed a single shield - there was no area of normal skin between the sets of scutes on the head and back. This means that Sarcosuchus could not raise its head in order to grab its prey from an ambush (from an underwater position); it had to attack with a sharp throw forward with a powerful closure of its jaws at the object of the hunt.
In the last century, paleontologists believed that a species of giant crocodiles, Sarcosuchus imperator, inhabited exclusively freshwater bodies of Africa 110 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous period. But after the discovery of Paul Sereno's finds in Africa and close analysis of the fossilized fragment of a jaw, two teeth and a dorsal shield found in late XIX century by the American explorer Charles Hart in Brazil, paleontologists came to the conclusion that these finds also belong to a crocodile of the Sarcosuchus species.
Having studied " tree rings» – bone on the dorsal scutes of crocodiles grows gradually and in a ring-like manner, similar to the rings on tree cuts - on osteoderms, paleontologists have come to the conclusion that gigantic growth Sarcosuchus reached gradually as he grew older. Those. the largest crocodiles from the Cretaceous period were not accelerators, like modern elephants– their body reached a length of more than 11 meters by the age of 50-60, and they lived for over 100 years.
Sarcosuchus' hunting objects included river and lake fish, freshwater fish (for example, diplodocus) and land dinosaurs(eg Iguanodon). Having reached their maximum height, the giant crocodiles were not afraid to engage in a fight for prey with themselves. major representatives family of carnivorous dinosaurs. Even in a confrontation against the greatest predator of the Cretaceous period - Spinosaurus - an adult Sarchosuchus could well emerge victorious, using a lightning-fast throw to the belly and exposing its armored back to the teeth of the predator. By the way, tests of a full mechanical copy of the “Crocodile Emperor” showed that he was not able to grab onto a victim and then spin like a top, tearing it into pieces (killer rotation) - only a direct attack and a powerful closing of his jaws with a force of 80071.3 newtons!
Representatives of the species Sarcosuchus imperator completely died out around the middle of the Cretaceous period, along with many families and species of terrestrial fauna that reigned on Earth many millions of years before.
We, living in relatively cool countries, cannot 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 never treated them indifferently.
This is not surprising: it is difficult to ignore 4-5 meters of muscles armed with sharp teeth. What’s more surprising is that these creatures have inhabited the Earth for more than 250 million years, without changing significantly during this time. This can only mean one thing: the crocodile is an ideal creation of nature that simply does not need to be further improved.
But a legitimate and completely logical question still arises: where does the largest crocodile live? What species does he belong to? And most importantly: how big is it? We'll try to answer.
Combed or Nile?
To begin with, it would be nice to figure out who gave what species to the world champion: the saltwater crocodile or the Nile? The answer to this question is not so simple. Both species have impressive, but almost identical sizes: males are up to 5-5.5 meters, females are shorter and lighter. Some individuals can grow up to 6-7 meters, but these are rather the exception, champions and winners. With weight it’s a little easier: the comb one seems to be more massive, although again not by much: average weight 500-600, peak – 1000 and more. But it’s almost the same among the Nile people.
But their habitats are completely different. The Nile crocodile, as it should be, occupied the banks of the Nile and the surrounding area, populating Africa. The crested one settled on the shores of Australia and Asia, simultaneously occupying all the islands located between it. And all thanks to the fact that he tolerates it well salt water and can swim impressive distances. Individual crocodiles were found even in Japan, to great surprise local population.
With quantity, too, everything is not as simple as we would like. Nile is not yet listed in the Red Book, but some populations have already been destroyed. The crested fish feels good in Australia under the strict supervision of guards wildlife, but on many islands, for example, the Seychelles, to the delight of tourists, it is completely exterminated.
Therefore, although officially the palm in the team competition belongs to the rower, the decision can be challenged. But in the individual competition such problems should not arise.
Cassius Clay
Not only is this the real name of Mohamed Ali, but it is also the longest crocodile alive 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 festive 20-kilogram cake from raw meat.
And this is quite logical, because you need to feed your 5.5 meters and a ton of weight well. 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 occupy an entire spread there instead of the usual one page.
The birthday boy did not share with anyone
He has been living in captivity since 1984, when he was caught and transferred to a crocodile park in Australia. Here he found quiet life, hearty Tasty food and worldwide fame. What more could a crocodile wish for in his old age?
But Cassius Clay once almost 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 and is suspected of being addicted to human flesh and causing the deaths of several people. Therefore, residents of the town of Bunawan worked together to catch the predator. Someone far-sighted advised not to kill him, but to hand him over to the local zoo in order to turn him into a curiosity that would attract tourists. The cunning plan worked, and every day hundreds of people came to see this monster with their own eyes - a significant increase in the local budget.
Unfortunately, life in captivity was not to his taste. As a sign of protest (or stupidity), he ate a nylon cord and a few days later floated up, belly up. The veterinarian certified the death, and the title returned to Clay.
Uncrowned Champions
But the confrontation between these heavyweights is not the end. And, most likely, the largest crocodiles are still swimming somewhere in the Nile or the waters of Australia. Perhaps someday we will at least be able to see them.
Like, for example, the Nile crocodile Gustav, which no expedition has yet managed to catch. Although many have tried, what they say special examples- several bullet scars on the skin. But he paid for them. It is believed that he is responsible for more than 300 human deaths.
IN last time They managed to put him in a cage, but the enraged Gusta broke it and disappeared into 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. On this 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.
True Primal Evil
It’s good that their older relatives, intermediate variants between dinosaurs and crocodiles, have already become extinct. Compared to them, Gustav, Lolong, and Cassius would be dwarfs, runts, 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. 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 he might not like the consequences of such a meeting at all.