Most of the representatives of this speciesReptiles cause people the most contradictory feelings: horror, disgust, delight, surprise. Someone likes these beautiful and terrible creatures at the same time, someone would like not to see them at all, but they do not leave anyone indifferent. Various types of crocodiles can be seen not only in their natural habitat, nature reserve or zoo, but also at home with a lover of exotic animals.
Even the smallest representative of this speciesbrings fear, what can we say about large specimens. The largest crocodiles are crested, they have a fairly wide range of habitats and, although they prefer to settle in freshwater bodies, they can withstand salty seawater. They are found near Sri Lanka, the islands of Indonesia, the northern coast of Australia, the eastern coast of India, the Solomon Islands and the Philippines.
Adult combed crocodile males grow to7 m, their weight can reach tons, females are usually less than two times. The average size of males is half a ton of weight and 5 m in length. Young individuals are distinguished by a light yellow color, dark stripes and spots pass along the body. With age, the largest crocodiles darken, but the belly still remains light - white or yellow.
If we consider specific representativesof this species, it should be distinguished three of the largest reptiles. In third place is an Australian named Brutus. Its length is 5.5 m, the crocodile is known for its love to jump for meat, which is kindly offered to him from tourist boats. A lot of travelers are going to watch amazing jumps. Many did not believe in its existence, arguing that such crocodiles cannot live in nature. Photos taken by employees of the travel company, dispelled all doubts. Brutus can be learned from thousands of his ilk, because he does not have a front leg, they say he lost her during a fight with a shark.
The second place is occupied by a reptile named Lolong,he comes from the Philippines. Its length is 6 m 19 cm, and the weight is more than a ton. About 500 people come to watch this miracle of nature every day. Many researchers agree that the largest crocodiles live near the coast of the Philippines. The recently caught giant 6.5 m long only confirms this point of view. Nevertheless, the Nilian crocodile named Gustav won the palm, its length is about 7 m. According to local legends, the giant is about 60 years old, during his long age he managed to eat one huge hippopotamus and about 300 people. Gustav kept the whole district in fear, tried to catch him since 1998. Now the giant lives in the protected area, where he is closely watched.
The biggest crocodiles do not include in their dietonly small animals, such as birds, snakes, turtles, monitor lizards, fish, but also livestock, wild pigs, antelopes, monkeys, buffaloes. She hunts for a reptile victim near a watering hole: when an animal comes too close, the predator grabs it by the face and knocks it down with a tail blow. Then the crocodile drags off prey under water so that it chokes. During the day, he basks in the sun in the water or on the shore, but getting too close to the reptile is not worth it; it can attack a person.
