Throughout the world we can find amazing animal species, but the one that we are going to discover today without a doubt is in front of all of them. We're talking about the saltwater crocodile, a rare predator that inhabits from Southeast Asia to northern Australia .
Thanks to this article, you will be able to know ten curiosities of this animal that is as aggressive as it is impressive that it lives mostly in rivers, lakes or estuaries, although some of them have been seen penetrating the sea because they are great swimmers. If you want to know all about them, keep reading these lines. Discover the saltwater crocodile!
Saltwater crocodile | 10 curiosities of this rare predator
1. Huge size
The saltwater crocodiles have the honor of being the largest reptiles on the planet. They have been able to register males of more than 1,700 kilograms and with a length of almost nine meters. This crocodile in particular, It was captured in Queensland at the end of the fifties.
2. Great speed
Despite the immense size that they can possess, these animals are tremendously fast . You can swim up to fifty kilometers per hour, and even move four meters only with the momentum of its powerful tail. They have short legs, but their movements on dry land are also extremely accurate and fast, so you should not trust them.
3. Third eyelid
A very curious mechanism that saltwater crocodiles possess to adapt to the ocean is their third eyelid. It is called nictitating membrane and is translucent , which allows you to protect your eyes from water and also gives you great visibility under water.
4. The most powerful bite
Studies were done, which proved that the saltwater crocodile has the strongest bite of the entire animal kingdom. His mouthful with his 66-tooth jaw exerted a pressure of 1,770 kilograms. It is capable of crushing a human skull from just one bite .
5. Awesome resistance
This animal can even change its heart rate to hold more time under water. It is also able to slow down your metabolism and only direct blood to your brain, in this way can hold up to two hours in the depths of the waters and thus jump without his prey being aware of his presence.
6. Cannibalism
The voracity of this predator is such that the saltwater crocodile is capable of eat up members of their own kind . If he does not manage to hunt, he will eat as much carrion as he can until he is satisfied.
7. Murders of humans
Every year there are attacks of this type of crocodile on people. Once they approach their territory, these gigantic reptiles do not distinguish their prey. There is a story that you do not know if it is totally real, in which it is ensured that these crocodiles they came to kill in one night more than a thousand soldiers of Japanese occupation in Burma.
8. Building a nest
A rather rare curiosity of this type of reptile is that The female during her gestation is dedicated to collecting materials throughout the ocean to build a safe nest, for the more than sixty eggs she is able to put . The offspring have a tremendously high mortality rate, reaching 99% and there is a myth that says the mother murders her offspring, even though it is the opposite as it breaks the shell of the eggs to help them out.
9. Crocodile hunting
Many people hunt this wild animal, since its meat is very appreciated. They also take advantage of their skin to their bones to produce products that they then sell at a high price, since hunting these animals is a great danger, as we have already mentioned. Although humans hunt this animal indiscriminately , at the moment they are not in danger of extinction although their number is decreasing.
10. A very intelligent animal
It has been proven that they are able to solve problems - in their own way - quite complicated. They adapt very easily to any change of environment , which makes them even more dangerous. This is one of the reasons why so many millennia have survived among all species.
As you may have noticed, saltwater crocodiles are tremendously lethal predators with very special characteristics. We are sure that this article about this gigantic reptile has attracted your attention so we want to know your opinion. Have you been impressed by the curious abilities of the saltwater crocodile? Do you think that the killing of more than a thousand soldiers at the hands of these animals really happened? Which of all the characteristics of this reptile have you found most striking? We want to read your comments, because we love that you participate in our articles. Write us!
If you love crocodiles, you can not miss the Machimosaurus | 8 curiosities of the most terrifying crocodile dinosaur .