Cassius, the 5.48m giant holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest croc currently in captivity. Housed on Green Island in Far North Queensland, he weighs more than one tonne and is believed to be more than 110 years old. The world record was previously held by Lolong in the Philippines.
Take a selfie with Krys, a life-size statue of the largest saltwater crocodile ever caught. Back in July 1957, Australia's largest known crocodile, 8.64 metres long, was killed with a single shot on the banks of the Norman River by a Polish immigrant Krystina Pawlowski.
Based on fossil evidence, the longest crocodile ever to live was a Sarcosuchus imperator, who measured 40 feet long and weighed 17,600 pounds. The largest one ever officially measured was Lolong, who was a saltwater crocodile who measured 20 feet three inches long and weighed 2,370 pounds.
The Australian saltwater crocodile is the largest and most fearsome of today's species. Specimens can live for more than 100 years, can grow to 7 m (23 ft) and weigh more than 1 tonne (1.1 ton)!
The Australian saltwater crocodile is one of the most aggressive and dangerous crocodiles. It is also the largest living reptile, exceeding the Komodo dragon in size. Sexual dimorphism (difference) is present in this species, with the females normally growing to more than 3 metres and males normally up to 6 metres.
There are thought to be around 200,000 Saltwater Crocodiles in Australia, with the most found in the areas surrounding Darwin and the Mary River. Over the years, they have been hunted for their skins and have almost been brought to extinction on a number of occasions.
"Around the world, there are about 23 species … of crocodylians," Groh told Live Science. "Of these, the salties in Australia are the largest that exist in the world — only the Nile crocodile in Africa and the American alligator come close."
The Nile crocodile is the largest crocodilian in Africa, and is generally considered the second-largest crocodilian after the saltwater crocodile.
In 2009, Gustave appeared in the Ruzizi River near Lake Tanganyika. In a 2019 article about travel in Burundi, a writer for Travel Africa Magazine reported learning that Gustave had been killed.
Crocodiles have been known to be as far south as the Mary River in Gympie. This is only about 167km from Brisbane and only 52km from the Great Sandy National Park. More astonishingly, this is a whopping 449km away from the northern points of Queensland where they are typically found.
Saltwater crocodiles are the largest crocodile species in the world, and the largest living reptile in the world. 2. Male saltwater crocodiles have been recorded at lengths of 23 feet (7 m) and weights of 2,205 pounds (1,000 kg).
Cassius. Cassius is the world's largest captive estuarine crocodile. The title of the largest living saltwater crocodile on Earth belongs to a croc named Cassius. Cassius currently lives in a private marine park called Marineland Melanesia, off the coast of Australia.
With lengths of 40–50 feet and jaws studded with 6-inch teeth, these powerful predators were extraordinarily equipped to feed upon a variety of dinosaurs.
Permits for crocodile management
Saltwater and freshwater crocodiles are protected by law in the Northern Territory. You must apply for a permit to interfere with or kill a crocodile. Permits to trap or shoot problem crocodiles, where there is no alternative, may be granted to ranger groups, shires or land managers.
"Today what we see is crocodiles restricted to northern Australia and the coast because the inland of Australia doesn't have much or any permanent water, so crocs that used to inhabit parts of the Murray-Darling Basin or the Lake Eyre basin couldn't persist there anymore because the water is so intermittent," Dr ...
Saltwater crocodiles live in rivers and freshwater swamps across the north of Australia — northern Western Australia and Queensland and all of the Northern Territory. They like to travel and can be found up to 100km inland and sometimes visit beaches in these areas.
Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
The species easily claims the title of the most-dangerous crocodilian, since it is widely thought to be responsible for more than 300 attacks on people per year.
Species involved in attacks
The two species with the most well-known and documented reputation for preying on humans are the Nile crocodile and saltwater crocodile, and these are the perpetrators of the vast majority of both fatal and non-fatal crocodilian attacks.
The oldest crocodile on record was Mr. Freshie, a saltwater crocodile that lived to 140 years old.
"Because these crocodiles are poor swimmers, it is unlikely that they swim across vast tracts of ocean. But they can survive for long periods in salt-water without eating or drinking, so by only traveling when surface currents are favorable, they would be able to move long distances by sea.
Erickson and colleagues put all 23 living crocodilian species through an unprecedented bite test. The "winners"—saltwater crocodiles—slammed their jaws shut with 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi), or 16,460 newtons, of bite force.
A great white shark would win a fight against a saltwater crocodile. These deadly creatures are incredibly powerful, but the great white shark has an amazing advantage in the water. Not only would this animal probably notice the crocodile first, but it also has the speed to land a devastating attack.
Central Africa has the largest population of Nile crocodiles. The southeast Asian island of Borneo also has a large population of estuarine crocodiles.
Australia's saltwater crocodile has beaten contenders from the US and South America to be named the world's most aggressive crocodile, as new guidelines are released on how to avoid altercations with the formidable predators.
Although adult crocodiles have no natural predators other than humans, hatchlings have a high mortality rate and are preyed upon by other wildlife including raccoons, birds, and crabs.