Australian Saltwater Crocodile – 7 Facts About The Largest Saltwater Crocodile

Even though Steve Irwin and Crocodile Dundee made it seem like all Australians love to wrestle crocodiles, saltwater crocodiles (also called estuarine crocodiles and “salties”) can scare anyone, even a true blue Aussie (Aussie). This scaly dinosaur scares everyone because it is one of the most dangerous animals in the country and the biggest living crocodile in the world.

Table of Contents

They are the top of the food chain and are still alive.

Saltwater crocodiles are the biggest reptiles in the world, and the first crocodiles appeared more than 240 million years ago, during the Mesozoic Era. The Crocodilia order used to be at the top of the animal food chain. They can still live up to 80 years and can be anywhere from three to seven meters long.

Australian Saltwater Crocodile - 7 Facts About The Largest Saltwater Crocodile — Saltwater Crocodile | © thinboyfatter/Flickr

They are now protected because they were almost extinct.

Saltwater crocodiles were almost hunted to extinction over the last hundred years. But in 1971, they were made a protected species, which led to a huge increase in their numbers. It is now thought that about 150,000 salties live in the “Top End” (north Australia). Today, they are also one of Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors’ top priorities, and you can see them up close at Australia Zoo.

They live in the murky water of Australia.

Even though they spend most of their time in rivers and swamps with fresh water, they move to estuaries and sometimes the open sea when it’s dry. When you live in murky water, it can be hard to see them coming until it’s too late. When they jump out of the water, they are able to move their bodies forward, and the deeper the water, the more momentum they gain.

They can’t make heat or sweat on their own to stay cool.

Crocodiles are cold-blooded, like most reptiles. They can’t make their own heat, so they sleep or hibernate when it gets cooler. Even though they like the heat and live in tropical places, they can’t sweat, so to cool off, they sit with their mouths open on the bank of a river. Their mouths make them sweat.

They have powerful jaws that can easily crush you.

A person’s jaw can only exert 100 pounds of pressure per square inch, but a crocodile’s jaw can exert up to 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. Even though they are under a lot of pressure, they don’t have much “opening strength.” This means that you can easily close a crocodile’s mouth with rubber bands. It lets them eat mammals, birds, and fish, but they don’t care what they eat and will eat anything, even a one-ton Water Buffalo. Even though they are known to attack people, they are said to kill less than one person a year on average.

They swim quickly, but they can’t eat underwater.

Even though they have strong jaws that allow them to crush their food, they can’t eat it under water. They have valves in their mouths that keep water from going down their throats. This means they can open their mouths underwater without drowning, but they have to come to the surface of the water or go back to land to swallow. They can swim up to 32 kilometers per hour and hold their breath for up to an hour, but they can’t eat under water. So be careful when you’re near the water, because they can sneak up on you in the blink of an eye.

Their deadly “Death Roll” is something they are known for.

Their most dangerous attack is called the “death roll.” It is meant to throw large prey off balance so they can be easily pulled into the water. Most of the time, they watch their prey from the water, then sneak up on it and drag it into the water. When an animal fights back or is a bigger meal, they roll their bodies underwater to confuse the animal and make it easier for them to eat.

Topic: Australian Saltwater Crocodile – 7 Facts About The Largest Saltwater Crocodile

Join the “I Left My Heart in Australia” in Our Community on Facebook. A place where members can be honest with each other, share their stories and travel photos, and try out a new way to see Australia together.