The largest crocodile in the world today is the saltwater crocodile. Males can grow up to seven meters in length and weigh one ton. Unlike males, females of the largest species of crocodiles are not so large.
They weigh only up to half a ton, and grow to a maximum of three meters. And, interestingly, these giants can now be seen quite often while walking in Indonesia, Australia and the islands of New Guinea.
Saltwater crocodiles live in freshwater bodies of water, where they prefer to breed. However, the reptile feels quite comfortable in salt water. Therefore, sometimes the largest crocodile in the world can even displace sharks from coastal waters. It is worth noting that, as a rule, young individuals live in brackish water, which, in turn, were forced out of their usual place by adults. Male saltwater crocodiles periodically start fights for territory.
The name of the crocodile “combed” is quite simply explained. The reptile has two ridges that are located near the eyes. Well, the color of the animal changes with age. For example, in a young individual it is light yellow, and there are spots and dark hairs on the surface. Older relatives have a darker color. And the belly is distinguished by a light shade, usually white or yellow.
Strong and ruthless
The largest crocodile in the world eats small fish, reptiles, birds, and large reptiles. But these are young individuals. Adults consume completely different foods. Their menu includes large crabs, turtles, monitor lizards and snakes. Often seasoned crocodiles hunt large livestock, in particular antelope, buffalo, and wild pigs. And reptiles guard their victims at dusk, when the crocodile is not visible. They wait for food at a watering hole when it doesn’t even suspect anything. The victim instantly falls into a vice; the strength of the crocodile's jaws is so great that the bones of the cattle are immediately crushed. After being captured, the animal immediately finds itself under water and has no ability to resist.The largest crocodile in the world ate 50 people
Reptiles also attack people. Quite a few cases are recorded every year. And human carelessness is to blame. A crocodile attacks shallow water where, as a rule, a relaxed vacationer swims. However, there are also attacks on land, although they are quite rare. And, according to experts, attacks are usually provoked by aggression on the part of people.
Maternal instinct
Males become sexually mature at 16 years of age, females much earlier, at 12 years of age. Saltwater crocodiles breed exclusively in autumn and winter. The female lays about 50 eggs in the hole and buries it. Inside such a nest, the young are kept along with dirt and leaves, which maintain a comfortable temperature in the hole. After three months, the crocodiles are born. The female, usually, is not far from the cubs and closely monitors their development; as soon as the mother hears the voices of the babies, she begins to tear open the hole and help the offspring hatch. However, females are sometimes not very vigilant and the eggs become prey to predatory animals. One way or another, only one percent of the offspring usually survives to sexual maturity, because young individuals are also eaten by other predators.Most Valuable
The skin of saltwater crocodiles is incredibly valuable in the market. Therefore, over the past 70 years, their numbers have decreased significantly. In some countries, the reptile has been completely destroyed. A large number of crocodiles can be found in Australia. At least one hundred thousand individuals live there.Philippine record holder
Some time ago, a huge crocodile was caught in the Philippines. Its length was 6.4 meters and its weight was more than a ton. According to local residents, before the discovery they began to notice the constant loss of livestock. Then, people began to disappear. After some time, it turned out that the crocodile that lived in the local area was to blame for everything. They managed to catch the animal, although people did not tell anyone the details of the capture process. However, it was not possible to find out whether the caught crocodile was a cannibal. Since there are many predators in the Philippines, they don’t mind eating human meat. By the way, it was decided not to kill the captured record holder. He was sent to the local zoo to attract tourists.Sarcosuchus
And at the beginning of the Cretaceous period, the crocodile Sarcosuchus lived on the planet. He lived in Africa and ate fish and herbivorous dinosaurs. For a long time nothing was known about Sarcosuchus, but in the middle of the 20th century, paleontologist from France Albert-Felix de Lapparent discovered the teeth and armor of this animal in the Sahara; later, another researcher found six skeletons of ancient Sarcosuchus at once. Therefore, we were able to find out that this crocodile was most likely the largest of all crocodiles that lived on Earth. The body length of Sarcosuchus was 12 meters with a mass of more than 8 tons. Now parts of the predator’s body are kept in one of the Parisian museums.The biggest alligator
But the largest alligator that was caught grew to 5.8 meters in length. Its weight was more than one ton. They found it on Marsh Island in Louisiana in America. It is noteworthy that next to the record holder there were quite a few large individuals, but still smaller in size.It’s worth noting right away that it’s not difficult to distinguish a crocodile from an alligator. The crocodile has a more elongated muzzle; in addition, a large tooth is visible on the upper jaw. There are only two species in the alligator family. American and Chinese. They live, respectively, only in the USA or China. And the latter is now on the verge of extinction. American alligators can be found in several areas of the country, with more than a million in Florida alone. By the way, alligators are bred specifically to obtain meat and valuable skin.
At first glance, alligators may seem slow. But this is far from true. At short distances, the reptile can reach amazing speeds of up to 45 kilometers per hour. So, no matter how hard a person wants to, he cannot escape from a predator. Young individuals feed on insects, snails, small fish, and crustaceans. Adult alligators eat birds, turtles, large fish and, occasionally, carrion. They can attack adult animals. But predators are afraid to attack humans. However, for the sake of protection, they step over their fears.
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Mother and son are walking along the sidewalk! And ahead is an open sewer hatch. Son:
- Mom, look, the crocodile is flying!
- Where?
And they passed by. Suddenly, after a minute, a man catches up, covered in... no, and says:
- Listen, mom, tell your little bastard that crocodiles don’t fly!!!
Joke
It just seems that crocodiles are all the same: big,... In fact, these mammals also have their own hierarchy, and it concerns their size. So, Top 10 largest crocodiles.
1
This crocodile is considered the largest among the rather small representatives of the toothed and tailed ones. The length of such “monsters” ranges from 6 to 7 meters, but sometimes reaches almost ten. The largest saltwater crocodile was caught in India 100 years ago.
2
This cutie is slightly smaller in size than the saltwater crocodile. He likes to huddle along the banks and hide his five-meter body in the swamp. It is mortally dangerous for humans, which is proven by this fact: in Uganda, villagers caught one such “crumb”, which took 83 human lives with it into the swamp.
3
These crocodiles are also far from “baby” - their length reaches 5-6 meters. Despite the fact that the animal’s diet consists of fish and small animals, livestock can also easily go to dinner for the Orinoco crocodile. The colossus attacks people only if there is a threat to its offspring or its own life.
4
This animal lives on the Hindustan Peninsula. And although its length reaches 4-5 meters, the crocodile practically does not attack people. Only if they start making fun of his pointy muzzle. It is afraid of the tiger or its relative, the saltwater crocodile, because, despite its impressive size, it can easily become their prey.
What this cutie has in common with the black Cayenne is only their considerable length: caimans in nature grow up to 4.7 meters. But if you feed a South American crocodile well and scratch it behind the ear, it can stretch up to 6 meters.
6
Another toothy evergreen beast, the length of which varies from 4 to 4.5 meters (if we talk about males). Female Mississippi alligators are slightly smaller - only 3 meters. However, one day on Marsh Island, located in Louisiana, a crocodile almost six meters long was caught. Apparently it was a good year.
7
Although the name of this crocodile sounds quite cute - “gavial”, there is little charm and charm in it. Even a narrow and long face is not able to smooth out the horror caused by its size, which is as much as 5 green pimply meters.
8
Another crocodile that has chosen the Hindustan Peninsula as its place of residence. It has from 66 to 68 teeth, the impression of which is complemented by a wide muzzle and an impressive size: 4-5 meters. When he smiles or yawns, everyone faints or runs away.
9
The habitat of this mammal is the countries of Southeast Asia. Compared to the above crocodiles, this guy is just a baby, since adult crocodiles of this species do not grow more than 3 meters. Maximum 4, if he is not stressed and fed well.
10
Closing our list of the largest crocodiles are the “babies” from New Guinea. Their height is quite small - only 3.5 meters, and only if we talk about males. However, even such “small” dimensions make him great, and terrible, and quite dangerous for those who dare to doubt his zealous character.
The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) named Cassius is considered the largest living representative of the order. 
Cassius was recognized as the 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. At the moment, the animal is about 100 years old. His full name is 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 large reptile predators that can live both in water and on land. This is one of the most dangerous predators living on the planet. The average length of a crocodile is 2-5 meters, but there are varieties that are larger in size.
1 place
Saltwater crocodiles are the largest species of reptiles, also known as man-eating crocodile, underwater crocodile. They are distinguished by their aggression, significant size and high speed with which they attack the prey. Individuals of such crocodiles reach 7 meters in length and weigh about 2 tons. Unlike other species, it can live in salt water, but prefers marshy areas and river deltas. Another feature of the saltwater crocodile is that its habitat is extremely wide: Southeast Asia, the shores of Australia and Japan, and India. In ancient times, saltwater crocodiles were an object of worship.
2nd place
The Nile crocodile is a representative of African reptiles, as well as the saltwater crocodile, known as a man-eating crocodile. For the ancient population of Africa it was an object of fear and worship. The population of the species is quite large. They live on the banks of rivers. Dimensions of Nile crocodiles: length - 3-5.5 meters with a weight of 220-560 kg. Females are significantly smaller than males.
3rd place
Orinoco crocodile
The name of this species speaks for itself - representatives live in the Orinoco River basin in South America. Large individuals can be characterized by a light green or green color with black spots. The largest individuals can grow up to 5.2 - 5.5 meters in length. Like many other crocodile species, females of the Orinoco species are smaller than males. Diet: birds, small mammals, reptiles, fish.
4th place
The sharp-snouted American crocodile lives in South and North America. Representatives of this species can reach 6 meters. On average, the male can reach 4.9-5.7 meters, the female - about 3 meters. Historical data are known about 7-meter representatives of this species. Found in Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, USA and other countries.
5th place
Black caiman - representatives of an independent genus and family of alligators live in South America. The name is due to the color of the crocodile's skin - this coloring helps to camouflage and hunt successfully at night. The largest specimens reached a length of 5 meters, the average length was 3.9-4.7 meters.
6th place
The Mississippi alligator lives in North America in the southeastern United States. The color is green, dark green, part of the body is black, there may be stripes on the tail. There is a pronounced difference in the sizes of females and males. The dimensions of an adult male are 3.7 - 4 meters with a weight of about 230 kg, females - 2.5 - 2.8 meters, weight - about 90-100 kg.
7th place
The Gangetic gharial is a unique reptile that has ancient roots and has no analogues. Today they live on the shores large rivers on the territory of Hindustan, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, found in Myanmar, Bhutan, India, Pakistan. They can reach more than 5.5 meters in length, but the average length is up to 4.5 meters, females - up to 3.5 meters.
8th place
The marsh crocodile is a species of reptile also known as the Persian or Indian crocodile. Habitat: Hindustan. This is a representative of the average parameters among crocodiles. Maximum length – 4 – 4.5 meters. The average size of males is up to 3.5 meters and weighs up to 250 kg; females usually do not grow more than 2.5 meters and do not weigh more than 60-70 kg.
9th place
The Siamese crocodile is a species that represents the crocodile population of Southeast Asia. Basically, they are characterized by medium size, but there are hybrids with saltwater crocodiles - they can reach a length of up to 4.5 - 5 meters. The length of an ordinary Siamese crocodile is 3-4 meters for males, up to 2.5 meters for females.
10th place
The New Guinea crocodile is a species of reptile whose habitat is located on the island New Guinea. The male grows up to 3.5 meters long, the female rarely reaches 2.8 meters.
The largest crocodile in the world was caught in the Philippines, weighing more than a ton and 6.4 meters in length.
According to local authorities, the predator attacked livestock and people. Locals believe a huge crocodile may have eaten a farmer who went missing in July this year and several buffaloes south of the town of Bunawan. The Ministry of the Environment does not rule out that the predator may also be involved in the death of a 12-year-old girl in 2009.
"According to previous records of wild animal captures, the largest crocodile was considered to be a reptile measuring 5.48 meters in length. This is one of the largest animals I have caught in the last 20 years," Josefina de Leon, an official with the Ministry of Environment and Conservation, told reporters. wildlife. According to experts, the predatory reptile could be over 50 years old.
“The local residents have calmed down. Of course, we cannot be sure that we have caught a man-eating crocodile, since other predators live in the region,” said Josephine de Leon.
The authorities decided not to kill the animal, but to place it in a zoo under construction in Bunwan to attract tourists.
The captured predator is a member of the family of saltwater crocodiles, which are considered the largest crocodiles on Earth. According to scientists, representatives of this species can reach up to 7 meters in length and live more than 100 years.
By the way, previously the largest crocodile in the world kept in captivity was recognized crocodile Cassius from Queensland Zoo (Australia). Just a couple of weeks ago, he was officially listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest crocodile in captivity. According to experts, Cassius may already be 80 or 100 years old. Cassius’s length is 5 meters 48 centimeters.
