After learning about Koalas, Kangaroos and Australian Aboriginals i'm learning about Saltwater crocodiles, the Largest reptile in the world!
What do they eat?
A saltwater crocodile diets varies widely. It mainly eats mammals, birds and fish, but will eat mostly anything that passes including other crocodiles! A saltwater crocodiles like to hunt at night they'll hide until something comes ear the edge of the water and then SNAP! They'll bite and when they bite you'll never be able to open there mouth, but you could hold its mouth shut with your bear hands! This is because the muscles that open the jaw are tiny, about the size of a toddlers shoe whereas the the muscles that close the jaws are massive! They are about the size of your foot! The reason their muscles are so strong is so its prey can't get away.
How big are they?
Saltwater crocodiles usually weigh about 400-600kg! Male saltwater crocodiles can grow up to 7m! But thats very rare, they usually grow from 5m and up. A female saltwater crocodile usually grows up to 3m which seems tiny compared to the males but its about the size of two fully grown men!
What is its latin name?
The saltwater crocodiles latin name is: Crocodylus porosus but its also called:
Indo-pacific crocodile,
Estuarine crocodile
and by the Australians:
Salties!
Habitat?
Saltwater crocodiles mainly live in south east Asia and northern Australia. They live mainly in swamps and rivers but can be found in open sea. Saltwater crocodiles also live in freshwater.
How fast can they swim/run?
You could probably outrun a saltwater crocodile on land as they can only go 8.7mph but theres no chance you could outrun a saltwater crocodile in the water as it can swim at speeds up to 18mph! The reason why they can swim so fast is because there tail's so strong, it propels them.
Interesting facts about saltwater crocodiles
When a crocodile runs it looks like a rabbit.
Their the largest reptile in the world!
One of the main tactics to hunt is the 'death roll' the crocodile will grab its prey and then roll vigorously so that the prey gets thrown of guard and can't attack.
They can swallow massive bits of meat without chewing it.
You can tell that a crocodile isn't an alligator by looking at its closed jaw, if you can only see its top teeth sticking out then it's an alligator but if you can see some of its bottom teeth sticking out as well as its top teeth then its a crocodile.
If you'd like to learn a bit more about saltwater crocodiles here's a couple of pages and a documentary:
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