28+ Best Crocodile Facts that You Might Know!

Crocodiles are among the most feared predators on Earth due to their size, powerful jaws, and ferocity. They are aquatic reptiles.

They used to coexist with dinosaurs and are now such effective predators. The non-avian dinosaurs perished following the Chicxulub impact, which occurred about 66 million years ago, yet crocodiles survived. Here are the top incredible things you didn’t know about crocodiles.

Interesting Crocodile Facts:-

👉 The biggest reptiles on Earth are crocodiles.

The largest reptiles in the world are saltwater crocodiles. They can weigh over a ton and reach a height of 6.17 meters (20 feet 3 inches).

Australian saltwater crocodile Lolong was the biggest crocodile ever seen.

👉 Lolong was the longest crocodile ever. 

It was measured from the snout to the tail, measuring 6.17 meters (20 feet 3 inches). The largest crocodiles and reptiles in the world are saltwater crocodiles.

The largest crocodile ever measured, Lolong, was 20 feet 3 inches (6.17 meters) long and weighed 2,370 pounds (1,075 kg). 

On February 10, 2013, at around 8 p.m., he passed away in captivity from pneumonia and heart arrest that were exacerbated by stress and fungus infection.

At 20.25 feet, Lolong has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s biggest crocodile in captivity” (6.17 meters).

👉 The Dwarf Crocodile

There is a crocodile species called “Dwarf Crocodile” because of its size.

The dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis), with a median adult length of just 1.5 meters, is the smallest crocodile species on Earth (4.9 feet). This species’ longest known individual measured 1.9 meters (6.2 feet).

👉 Crocodiles are very common.

All of the inhabited continents, except Europe, contain them. Dinosaurs and birds share a tight relationship with crocodiles.

Despite being categorized as “reptiles,” crocodiles (and all other crocodilians, including alligators) are more closely related to dinosaurs and birds than to most other reptiles. Birds are truly avian dinosaurs.

👉 The existence of crocodile tears

Crocodiles shed true tears because when they feed, they swallow too much air, which contacts the lachrymal glands (glands that generate tears), forcing them to cry.

But it’s not really crying. “Crocodile tears” (and similar expressions in many other languages) denote an artificial, untrue display of emotion, such as a hypocrite wiping away pretend tears of sadness.

👉 Bibliotheca claimed crocodiles have fake tears.

It was first stated in the Bibliotheca by Photios I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who said that crocodiles weep to attract their prey or that they sob for the victims they eat.

This story first gained widespread English distribution in the 14th century in the Travels of Sir John Mandeville stories, and it is featured in several of William Shakespeare’s plays.

👉 They can maintain an open jaw while submerged.

The rear of crocodiles’ throats has a valve that allows them to open their jaws while submerged.

👉 They have a long life.

They live at least 30 to 40 years on average, and larger species live an average of 60 to 70 years. Although some people are said to have lived longer than 100 years, there isn’t any solid evidence to back this up.

👉 The crocodiles of ancient times were much larger.

Around 250 million years ago, at the same time as dinosaurs, the first crocodiles appeared. Crocodiles’ ancient forebears were substantially larger than their modern descendants.

Yet, crocodiles nowadays generally resemble those from 200 million years ago.

👉 Human versus Sarcosuchus skull

Crocodiles’ ancient relatives were substantially larger than their modern descendants. The image above shows a human skull next to a Sarcosuchus skull.

The extinct crocodyliform genus Sarcosuchus also called the “supercross,” was a distant relative of the crocodile that existed 112 million years ago. 

👉 Africa and South America had one of the biggest crocodiles 

One of the biggest crocodile-like reptiles ever alive, it is believed to have existed in what is now Africa and South America during the early Cretaceous Period.

It could weigh up to 8 tonnes and was almost twice as long as a saltwater crocodile today.

It had a powerful bite force like other crocodiles, possibly reaching 9 tons, or more than 88,000 N, greatly exceeding any crocodile in existence today (16,460 N).

👉 Saltwater crocodiles have the strongest bite.

One of the terrifying crocodile facts is that they have the strongest measured bite. All 23 species of crocodilians are still alive and had their biting forces evaluated by paleobiologist Gregory M. Erickson and colleagues.

The strongest saltwater crocodiles (naturally) closed their jaws with a bite force of 16,460 Newtons, or 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi).

A lion’s canine tips and carnassials have a combined biting force of 1,314.7 and 2,023.7 Newtons, respectively.

👉 Crocodiles are feeble

Another fascinating crocodile fact is that, while having powerful jaw-opening muscles, they are really small and feeble:

A human can close a crocodile’s mouth with nothing but their bare hands.

👉 They have a really deep bite force.

The bite force of a saltwater crocodile can reach 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi), or 16,460 Newtons.

The Deposit Pictures website shows a picture of a saltwater crocodile jumping in Australia 10. They can see well at night.

👉 They have sophisticated hearts.

Crocodiles have the most advanced hearts in the animal kingdom, and they actively alter the location of the blood’s flow there in response to needs.

👉 Crocodiles carry their babies in their mouths.

One of the fascinating crocodile facts is that they take their young in their mouths to the water. Before they hatch, baby crocodiles can create sounds within their eggs.

When she recognizes their voices, the mother digs up the eggs from the sand and brings the hatchlings to the water.

👉 They can navigate great distances to find their house

There’s a chance crocodiles have homing instincts. According to information gathered from monitoring devices affixed to them, three renegade saltwater crocodiles in northern Australia have traveled 400 km (249 mi) away but returned to their original positions within three weeks.

👉 They can swim well, which is clear.

They can swim at a top pace of 15 km/h (9.3 mph). This is quick! Crocodiles can swim very well. Many videos effectively illustrate a crocodile’s underwater swimming speed.

👉 Crocodiles have webbed feet.

Crocodiles have webbed feet, but they don’t use them to swim—instead, they tuck their feet to the side and rely on the force of their tails—instead, they utilize them to make quick spins and rapid movements in the water or to start swimming.

👉 They are cold-blooded

Crocodiles share the same cold-bloodedness as other reptiles.

As a result, they have a very slow metabolism, enabling them to go for extended periods without eating. They can go for weeks or even months without eating.

👉 They cannot perspire.

As they lack sweat glands, crocodiles expel heat through their lips. Their mouths are frequently open as they snooze.

👉 Crocodiles do not chew food.

They do not chew their food. Several huge crocodilians ingest stones, which may help them maintain body balance or aid in smashing food, much like grit consumed by birds.

👉 Their rate of infant mortality is really high.

In their first year of life, most baby crocodiles—up to 99% according to some sources—are consumed by predators like lizards, other crocodiles, hyenas, and even fish.

👉 Neither crocodile nor alligator skin is bulletproof

A crocodile is impossible to outrun. They have a speed comparable to a racehorse. This is wholly incorrect.

A racehorse has a top speed record of 43.97 mph (70.76 km/h), exceeding the speed limit of 40 mph (64 km/h). Crocodiles cannot move so quickly on land. 

On land, they can run at a top speed of 12 mph (19 km/h) for only a very little period of time (around 20–25 meters). Usually, they move considerably more slowly than that.

Their top speed when walking on their legs, known as the “high walk,” is only 5 km/h (3 mph).

👉 Crocodile galloping

A “galloping” crocodile pursues a chicken at a quick running clip. On land, a crocodile’s typical top speed is 12 mph (19 km/h) over a very short distance (around 20-25 meters).

In swimming and running, they do, however, accelerate quickly, roaring from 0 to 15 km/h in no time.

👉 Egyptian plover is a myth.

The “crocodile bird,” also known as the Egyptian plover, does not brush the crocodile’s teeth. No bird can polish a crocodile’s teeth.

It is a complete myth. False photographs have been circulated depicting Egyptian plovers cleaning crocodile teeth. 

Nobody has ever taken a picture or video of this. Still, the story continues today, according to Charles Darwin University biologist and expert in crocodile biology, behavior, and conservation Adam Britton.

The author of this myth is actually the Greek philosopher Herodotus (484–c. 425 BC); however, there is no photographic proof, and biologist Thomas Howell doubts the veracity of the textual reports.

👉 Both alligators and crocodiles do not devour their young

None of the crocodiles do that. “Long ago, people would observe the crocodiles and alligators digging up nests and having hatchlings in their mouths, and they would think that they were eating them,” says Evon Hekkala, the director of Fordham University’s Hekkala Lab and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History.

They were actually bringing their young to the water. 

👉 Crocodiles are not stupid.

Although crocodilians have relatively small brains, they can learn more than most reptiles.

In this article, we have discussed various facts about crocodiles. To learn more, keep following this website.