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Saltwater
Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
6.2
m
Crocodylus porosus J.
G. Schneider. 1801. Hist. Amphib.: 159.
Crocodylus porosus
Types:
Musei Goettingensis and Musei Blochiani, according to the original
description; Zoologisches Museum Humboldt-Universität, Berlin 278
“Indien” (= from India), designated lectotype.
Identification:
Head large, with a heavy snout; a pair of ridges running from the orbit to
the center of snout. The scales on the back are more oval than in most
other crocodiles. Juveniles are more brightly colored than adults, being
black spotted or blotched on a pale yellow or gray background. This is the
largest and heaviest of all living crocodiles.
Natural
history: Juveniles feed on crabs, shrimps, insects, fish, lizards and
snakes, while adults can take much larger prey, including turtles, birds
and mammals. Humans are occasionally attacked by large crocodiles. The
saltwater crocodile builds a mound-nest, in which a clutch of up to 60-80
eggs are deposited. Eggs are
produced in winter and females guard the nest till the eggs hatch.
Distribution:
The saltwater crocodile has the greatest distribution among the
crocodilians, linked to its salinity-tolerating capability. It occurs from
Sri Lanka and India eastwards through Indo-Malaya, to New Guinea, the
Philippines, Australia and some of the islands in the South Pacific, in
estuarines as well as in rivers and lakes in the lowlands.
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