Estuarine Crocodile

Affectionately known as “salties”, estuarine crocodiles are the world’s largest living reptile.

Males can grow up to a weight of 1,500kg and a length of 6m, while females can grow to a length of 3m.

The impressive stats do not end there – salties have the strongest bite of any living animal, having been documented with a record bite force of 3,700 pounds per square inch (PSI). To put things in perspective, hyaenas, tigers and lions generate around 1,000 psi!

Despite their staggering chomping power, salties use much smaller and weaker muscles to open their jaw, which can be securely shut with just a few layers of duct tape!

As with all crocodilians, the sex of the hatchlings is determined by their nest’s temperature.

At 28–30 degrees, all hatchlings will be female. Between 30-32 degrees, the majority of hatchlings will be male. At 33 degrees and above, most hatchlings will be female.

As with most crocodilian species, female salties display a remarkable level of maternal care.

She will gently roll eggs in her mouth to assist hatching, respond to calls and yelps from her hatchlings, carry hatchlings to water in her mouth, and even remain with her young for several months before their independence.

Despite these efforts, only around 1% of hatchlings survive to adulthood as they are hunted for food by various predators.