Ask a Croc Expert
Read Dr. Britton's responses on the following croc topics:
Crocodile Predators
Crocodile Speed
Croc/Human Interaction
Crocodile Size
Crocodile Hunting
Crocodile Defense
Alligators vs. Crocodiles
Crocodile Mothering
Crocodile Infections
Crocodile Bites
Crocs in Water
Croc Body Heat
The Crocodile Heart
Q: On Crocodile SizeMy name is Lauren. I was wondering what saltwater crocodile holds the world record for size. I've heard of salties at 16 feet. I was wondering if they get any larger.
A: To be honest there are so many unverified stories about gigantic crocodiles; it's very difficult to tease the truth from the "big fish stories." Most crocodile specialists employ a simple rule — the measurement is valid only if it was taken with a tape measure from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail.
The most believable record-holder for the longest saltwater crocodile was a massive adult male killed on the Fly River in Papua New Guinea in 1982. The animal had already been skinned when a visiting zoologist measured it at 20.3 feet (6.2 meters), and because we know skins shrink slightly it's likely the animal was nearly 21 feet long. It would have weighed between 1 and 1.5 tons!
Another massive saltie was killed in a fishing net in the Mary River in the Northern Territory of Australia in the mid-1980s. The whole animal was measured by government wildlife officials at 20.3 feet (6.2 meters), and its massive skull is on display at a crocodile farm just outside Darwin.
But a 20-foot-long saltwater crocodile is like a 7-foot-tall human — it's exceptionally rare. The maximum size for most male saltwater crocodiles is around 15 to 16 feet (4.6 to 4.9 meters), and females are considerably smaller at around 10 feet (3 meters) maximum. Crocodiles don't keep growing bigger and bigger — they do have a maximum size, and just like us some are genetically programmed to grow faster, larger and heavier. Growth and size are also influenced by environmental temperature, the amount of food they eat and even social interactions.
What about those big fish stories I mentioned? Well, the largest crocodile ever reported was 33 feet long (10 meters) from the Bay of Bengal! The skull of this behemoth was retrieved and later calculated to have come from an animal around 17 feet long (5 meters). A bit of artistic license was used, it seems! There is a well-known saltwater crocodile from Australia that was reportedly 27 feet long (8 meters), but alas there is absolutely no evidence and frankly it's rather hard to believe. There is also a skull of a saltie from Orissa in India that is very large — perhaps the animal was between 21 and 23 feet long (6.4 and 7 meters), but without the actual animal it will remain a mystery.
