Saltwater Crocodile
(Crocodylus porosus)
Habitat: found around freshwater lakes, tidal rivers, wetlands, and marshes as well as in brackish waters along coasts; basks and nests on land
Behavior/Rhythm: territorial and social, with a wide range of vocal sounds, including purring and roaring; hunts at night; aggressive toward humans; long-lived
Feeding: carnivorous; eats fish, mammals, wading birds, goannas, dingoes, amphibians, turtles, insects, and carrion
Breeding: establishes breeding territories; females reach sexual maturity before males, around ten to 12 years old; during the wet season 40 to 60 eggs are laid in a nest made from plants and mud; each egg weighs about 4 ounces (100 grams) and hatches after three months; temperature of the incubating egg determines sex of hatchling; high level of mortality for eggs and hatchlings
Size: females measure eight to ten feet (three meters) long; males reach 16 feet (5 meters), but some males can reach 23 feet (7 meters); weight varies by length, but on average 880 to 2,200 pounds (400 to 1,000 kilograms)
Status: lower risk, least concern; effectively managed in Australia but remains on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) list because of its status in other countries
(Crocodylus porosus)
Habitat: found around freshwater lakes, tidal rivers, wetlands, and marshes as well as in brackish waters along coasts; basks and nests on land
Behavior/Rhythm: territorial and social, with a wide range of vocal sounds, including purring and roaring; hunts at night; aggressive toward humans; long-lived
Feeding: carnivorous; eats fish, mammals, wading birds, goannas, dingoes, amphibians, turtles, insects, and carrion
Breeding: establishes breeding territories; females reach sexual maturity before males, around ten to 12 years old; during the wet season 40 to 60 eggs are laid in a nest made from plants and mud; each egg weighs about 4 ounces (100 grams) and hatches after three months; temperature of the incubating egg determines sex of hatchling; high level of mortality for eggs and hatchlings
Size: females measure eight to ten feet (three meters) long; males reach 16 feet (5 meters), but some males can reach 23 feet (7 meters); weight varies by length, but on average 880 to 2,200 pounds (400 to 1,000 kilograms)
Status: lower risk, least concern; effectively managed in Australia but remains on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) list because of its status in other countries