Saltwater Crocodile - Anatomy and Morphology

Anatomy and Morphology

The saltwater crocodile has a longer muzzle than the mugger crocodile; its length is twice its width at the base. The saltwater crocodile has fewer armor plates on its neck than other crocodilians, and its broad body contrasts with that of most other lean crocodiles, leading to early unverified assumptions the reptile was an alligator.

Newly hatched saltwater crocodiles measure about 25 to 30 centimetres (9.8–12 in) long and weigh an average of 70 grams (2.5 oz). By the time of their second year, a young crocodile will attain 1 metre (3.3 ft) and a weight of 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lb). Males reach sexual maturity at around 3.3 metres (11 ft) at around 16 years of age, while females reach sexual maturity at 2.1 metres (6.9 ft) and 12–14 years. An adult male saltwater crocodile's weight is 400 to 1,000 kilograms (880–2,200 lb) and length is normally 4.1 to 5.5 metres (13–18 ft). However, mature males can exceed 6 metres (20 ft) and weigh more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb), and this species is the only extant crocodilian to regularly reach or exceed 4.8 metres (16 ft). Weight can vary enormously based upon the condition and age; older males tend to outweigh younger ones since they maintain prime territories with access to better, more abundant prey. For example, crocodiles at 4.8 metres (16 ft) long have ranged in mass variously from 522 kilograms (1,150 lb) to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). This species has the greatest sexual dimorphism of any modern crocodilian, with the females being much smaller than males. Typical female body lengths range from 2.3 to 3.5 metres (8–11 ft). Mature females kept at the Australia Zoo typically weigh around 100–150 kilograms (220–330 lb). A wild female of an median length of 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) will reportedly weigh about 80 kg (180 lb). The largest female on record measured about 4.2 metres (14 ft). The mean weight of the species as a whole is roughly 450 kilograms (1,000 lb).

The largest size saltwater crocodiles can reach is the subject of considerable controversy. The longest crocodile ever measured snout-to-tail and verified was the skin of a dead crocodile, which was 6.2 metres (20 ft) long. As skins tend to shrink slightly after removal from the carcass, this crocodile's living length was estimated at 6.3 metres (21 ft), and it could have weighed more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). Incomplete remains (the skull of a crocodile shot in Orissa) have been claimed to come from a 7.6-metre (25 ft) crocodile, but scholarly examination suggested a length no greater than 7 metres (23 ft). There have been numerous claims of crocodiles in the 9-metre (30 ft) range: the crocodile shot in the Bay of Bengal in 1840, reported at 10 metres (33 ft); another killed in 1823 at Jalajala on the main island of Luzon in the Philippines reported at 8.2 metres (27 ft); a reported 7.6 metres (25 ft) crocodile was killed in the Hooghly River in the Alipore District of Calcutta. However, examinations of these animals' skulls actually indicated animals ranging from 6 to 6.6 metres (20–21.7 ft).

A crocodile shot in Queensland in 1957 was reported to be 8.63 metres (28.3 ft) long, but no verified measurements were made and no remains of this crocodile exist. A "replica" of this crocodile has been made as a tourist attraction. Many other unconfirmed reports of crocodiles exceeding 8 metres (28+ ft) have been made but these are highly unlikely.

With recent restoration of saltwater crocodile habitat and reduced poaching, 7-metre (23 ft) crocodiles possibly are alive today. Guinness has accepted a claim of a 7-metre (23 ft), 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) male saltwater crocodile living within Bhitarkanika Park in the state of Orissa, India, although, due to the difficulty of trapping and measuring a very large living crocodile, the accuracy of these dimensions has yet to be verified.

In September 2011 a 6.4 metres (21 ft) saltwater crocodile was captured alive in the Philippines, making it one of the largest specimens ever reliably measured snout-to-tail. This specimen, nicknamed "Lolong" and weighing roughly 1,075 kilograms (2,370 lb), has a past as a possible man-eater and is being kept alive as an attraction in a local zoo.