Crocodiles are large, powerful, aggressive, semi-aquatic, cold-blooded reptiles that are members of the crocodilian family.
Often confused with alligators, crocodiles have v-shaped snouts, while alligators have broader, u-shaped snouts.
How Much Does a Crocodile Weigh?
The largest type of crocodile is the Saltwater crocodile. They are also the largest reptiles on the planet, measuring up to 20 feet long and weighing as much as 2,600 pounds!
Dwarf crocodiles are the smallest sub-species of crocodile, measuring 5 to 6 meters and weighing between 40 and 90 pounds.
How Much Does a Baby Crocodile Weigh?
Females lay 10 to 100 eggs, depending on the species. When baby crocodiles hatch, they measure around 8 to 11 inches and weigh approximately 2 1/2 ounces.
Found in Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, Central America, and South America, crocodiles live in and around rivers, lakes, and wetlands, as well as in saltwater.
They are effective hunters, equipped with large, powerful jaws, a large, tough, scaly body, a long tail, and webbed feet that all combine to make these reptiles the ultimate hunters.
They stay submerged and camouflaged in water, and then use the element of surprise to ambush their victims.
Despite being slow when they walk on land, crocodiles can swim at up to speeds of 20 mph and attack their prey fast and powerfully.
14 different species exist, and they include:
- American crocodile
- Slender-snouted crocodile
- Orinoco crocodile
- Freshwater crocodile
- Philippine crocodile
- Morelet’s crocodile
- Nile crocodile
- New Guinea crocodile
- Mugger crocodile
- Saltwater crocodile
- Cuban crocodile
- Siamese crocodile
- West African crocodile
- Dwarf crocodile
Many of these species will live up to 70-100 years.
How Much Does a Crocodile Eat?
Some of these fierce carnivores can eat as much as half their own body weight in a single sitting!
However, they don’t eat this amount every day, and some larger species live without eating for as long as a year.
Animals on a crocodile’s menu include insects, frogs, crustaceans, small birds, water buffalos, rodents, deer, cattle, zebras, wildebeest, and small hippos.
~ Fun Fact ~
Saltwater and Nile crocodiles have the strongest bite of any animal. The most powerful crocs have a bite force of up to 5,000 pounds per square inch (psi).To put this into perspective, a human’s bite is around 100 to 200 psi, which means a crocodile’s bite is 25 to 50 times stronger than a human bite!
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile
https://ourplnt.com/worlds-5-largest-crocodiles-ever-recorded/