Facts about Australian Crocodiles Crocodiles are some of the Animal Kingdom's supreme survivors, with an evolutionary history of longer than 200 million years – well back into the age of dinosaurs.
Australian crocodiles belong to the genus Crocodylus, while the smaller American alligators are members of genus Alligatoridae. Here is some crocodile information about the two types of crocodiles in Australia - the smaller fresh water crocodiles and the huge and deadly Australian saltwater crocodile. Further down the page are also some crocodile facts about where do crocodiles live, what do crocodiles eat, and what are crocodile habitats.
Australian Crocodiles - Fresh Water Crocodiles There are two species of Australian crocodiles. The smaller, Fresh water Crocodile, also called Johnstone’s Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) is 2-3 metres long, and it can be distinguished from the larger salt water crocodile by its slender snout. Fresh water crocodiles eat fish, crustaceans, insects, smaller reptiles, amphibians, rats, bats and birds. They are found in northern Australia between Cape York Peninsula in east and Broome in west, and as opposed to the salt water crocodiles, they can be found way into the inland: they live in freshwater rivers and lakes in the whole Kimberley region in Western Australia, the Top End of Northern Territory, and in the inland of northern Queensland. The good news is that fresh water crocodiles are not dangerous to humans, although it is not recommended to go swimming with them. Swimmers have been injured, but humans are too large to be their prey and fresh water crocodiles would not kill us.
Crocodile Eggs and Fresh Water Crocodile Habitats During the dry season, female Fresh water Crocodiles get around on sandy riverbanks looking for nesting sites. They lay 5-25 eggs and bury them under the sand where the eggs are incubated during 65-95 days before they hatch at the start of the wet season. Only 30% of the eggs ever hatch. The female fresh water crocodile helps the hatchlings out of the eggs and stays with them for several weeks. Life is hard for the newly hatched crocs – goannas, large fish, sea-eagles and other crocodiles may eat them, and generally only 1% of hatchlings survive to maturity. But despite the low survival rate the populations of Freshwater Crocodiles are increasing.
Where to See Fresh Water Crocodiles Fresh water crocodiles are ectothermic (“cold-blooded”) animals and they frequently have to come out of the water to maintain a constant body temperature. During warmer months they often float in the water to avoid overheating. During the Dry (June – August), when the water cools down they are often basking on the riverbanks and this is the best time to see them. Good places to see fresh water crocodiles are Lakefield National Park on the Cape York peninsula in north Queensland, and Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks in Northern Territory.
Australian Crocodiles - Australian Saltwater Crocodile The story is different with salt water crocodiles. Australian Salt water Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the world’s largest crocodile, known to be a perfect killer, so quick that your last words are likely to be: "Oh, is that a cro--". They have therefore been one of the most infamous Australian animals, and they were shot to almost extinction before 1970s when they became protected.
Australian Saltwater Crocodile is a massive animal, it can be up to 7m long and weigh over a tonne. You can distinguish it easily from the fresh water crocodiles by its broad snout, which reflects its diet: it eats large mammals like kangaroos, buffaloes and cattle but also smaller prey like feral pigs, dingoes, birds and fish. The world’s largest crocodile is found along the coast of northern Australia from Rockhampton in Queensland to Derby in the Kimberley region in Western Australia, but it does not live in inland rivers as do the fresh water crocodile. Australian saltbwater crocodile lives in coastal swamps, rivers and estuaries, and also in the ocean near the coast.
Salt Water Crocodile Habitats and Crocodile Eggs Salt water Crocodiles can often be seen laying on riverbanks during the day, and during the night they hunt in the water. They are very territorial animals, and fights between males can end up in fatal injuries. During the Wet (December-March), female lays 50-60 eggs in a nest built of rotting vegetation near the water. The warm temperature produced by rotting incubates the crocodile eggs which hatch after 75-105 days. The interesting thing is that if the nest temperature has averaged in 31.6°, more males will be born, while higher or lower temperatures will produce more females.
More Crocodile Facts The young are only 30cm long when they hatch and vulnerable for predatory fish and birds, goannas and other crocodiles. Female carries the babies carefully to the water, and remains with them for up to three months. Once they are grown up, males have to find a new territory and if a male has to travel across land to find a new waterhole, he risks to die of dehydration. Survivors live for 50 years, and some very large Australian crocodiles are believed to be up to 80 years old.
Do Crocodiles Have Predators? No. Other than humans of course. But Australian crocodiles are incredibly quick predators themselves. When a crocodile sees a prey on the riverbank it sneaks up to it and stays under the water, waiting for the right moment with only eyes and nostrils above the water surface, until it jumps out and pulls the prey under the water. It kills the prey by drowning, then comes out to the riverbank to eat.
Where to See Australian Saltwater Crocodiles Good places to see salt water crocodiles are Daintree Rainforests in far north Queensland, and Kakadu National Park and Mary River in Northern Territory. In Kakadu there are croc-watching tours in Yellow Waters, and on the Daintree River you can take a croc-jumping cruise where a piece of meat that is hung from the boat makes them jump out of the water.
Crocodile Farms that Have Australian Saltwater Crocodile Australian zoo parks and crocodile farms also put on croc-feeding shows where large crocs are hand-fed by trained park rangers. Recommended are Darwin Crocodile Farm in Northern Territory and Australia Zoo on Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Other Zoo Parks that Have Australian Saltwater Crocodile In many crocodile farms and animal sanctuaries you can get close to baby crocodiles - an example is Billabong Sanctuary south of Townsville in north Queensland.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
