Salt water crocodile

Crocodylus porosus

Fascinating Facts

• The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile, with an average size of 17 ft and 1,000 lbs, and a measured maximum of 23 ft and 2,200 lbs!
• Saltwater crocs can live to be 70 years old in the wild.
• “Salties” (as Australians call them) are excellent swimmers and can easily cross large bodies of water.
• In the 1940’s-1970’s extensive hunting sent this species to the brink of extinction, but protection, hunting restrictions, and breeding programs have brought them back!

Habitat/Diet

Mangrove swamps, coastal marshes, river mouths, and occasionally open ocean. Saltwater crocs lurk just below the water’s surface, springing out to eat any animal that comes down to drink, including water buffalo, birds, monkeys, and wild boar, and have also been observed feeding on sharks and other fish.

Status in the Wild

Least Concern – IUCN 1996 (Previously categorized as Endangered – IUCN 1988)

Range

Brackish and freshwater regions of Eastern India, Southeast Asia, and Northern Australia

Location in the Zoo

Reptiles and Birds Zone of the Sculpture Learning Plaza