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Salt water or
Estuarine Crocodiles Dangerous |
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Salt water or
Estuarine Crocodiles Dangerous |
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The largest living reptiles in the world! (This one is not fully grown) |
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This species lives in the estuaries but crocs larger than 1.2m will will move up the tidal rivers to freshwater swamps in the wet session. An estuary is a tidal river that enters the sea. So this crocodile usually lives closer to the sea in tidal or non tidal rivers whereas the Fresh water crocodile will usually live inland in fresh water but sometimes coming down closer to the sea.
They are a reptile and are cold blooded. The water warms them as they live in a warm climate. To cool their body temperature they sit out of the water with their mouth open. |
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The Salt water or Estuarine crocodiles can be up to 6m-7m in length but I think it depends on who is telling the story and how many times it has been told. They are usually around 4metres in total length. Males are larger than females and can live 70-100 years. Large Salty's or Estuarine crocs can prey on humans as a food source. |
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Maybe out of the corner of your eye you will see the croc' waiting, resting hoping that something edible will come-by. But you are probably in more danger with the croc that you can't see. If there are warning signs or you know that there are crocodiles in the area do not stand on the bank looking out across the water to catch a glimpse of one as it is probably closer than you think just a few metres off the bank submerged under the water waiting to lunge out in a burst of energy.
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Males combat each other to gain the position to mate with a female. Females build large mound nest and lay between 40-60 hard shelled eggs in the centre, it is usually made out of vegetation, mud and sand. During the wet season (Perth's summer), she tends to the nest for the next 100 days when she can hear them squealing inside she digs them out and takes them to the water gentle in her mouth. The sex of the crocodile is determined by the temperature of the eggs during incubation. If the temperature is kept at 36.1 then the crocodiles will be boys, if the temperature is anything else they will be girls, obviously less boys are needed for reproduction and so more girls are hatched to unsure survival. |
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The young crocodiles are raised in freshwater and later will be forced out by the dominant males. |
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This is a young female Salt water crocodile. Females will mature around 8 years old and males around 10 years old. Photographed at Armadale Reptile Centre in Perth. |
The back feet are webbed to help propel the crocodile backwards through the water. Its tail is swished from side to side to move the crocodile through the water and its legs are held against its body. They can stay submerged for up to 5 hours. The females back feet are also used to dig the hollow to lay her eggs. |
The front feet have strong claws for digging and pulling themselves up a bank. |
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What do they eat? They have good hearing, sense of smell and great underwater eyesight this helps them in their hunting. They eat crusteans, fish, mammals, birds and humans if found in their territory. Although they can go months without eating.
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Go to our Tracks, Scats and Bones section to learn more about this animal. Text; |
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All Content, written
and graphical Copyright © Wildlife Education Services 2003. |
