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  • Singapore Zoo
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  • Estuarine Crocodile

Estuarine crocodile

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Quick facts

Lifespan

Lifespan70 years

Diet

DietFrom insects and water birds to buffalo even sharks

Habitat

HabitatFreshwater, coastal brackish waters even out at sea

Range

RangeIndia, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Guinea, the Pacific

The estuarine crocodiles

Hunting habits

Hunting habits

With only the nostrils, eyes and part of the back exposed, it’s hard to spot these crocs when they’re on the hunt. Once in range of their prey, they lunge out of the water and slam their jaws shut on it. The force of this alone usually kills its prey instantaneously - these crocs have the strongest bite force of all animals. If the prey is too big, the crocs grips it with their jaws and tear chunks off by spinning and twisting - a behaviour also known as the ‘death roll’.
Guts of steel

Guts of steel

These crocs don’t have big stomachs and after having had their fill, they may stow any leftovers in mangroves or underwater for another day. Large amounts of stomach acid help them break down their meals - even bones can be dissolved! To aid their digestion, they also swallow and store stones in their guts that help grind up their food.

If all this mealtime talk is making you ‘hungry’ for action, come catch our croc token feeding session, happening every Sunday at 4.45pm.
Motherly care

Motherly care

Despite their fearsome reputation, the mummies of this species have a tender side to them. A mummy croc specially constructs a nest by making a clearing and then scraping vegetation and earth together to form an elliptical mound. 50 to 80 eggs are laid.  While they incubate, she guards them from an adjacent ‘wallow’. In the first few weeks after hatching, hatchlings live exist in nest-specific crèches and may be joined by hatchlings from nearby crèches. Groups of hatchlings may even undertake activities like crossing rivers together.
Boy or Girl?

Boy or Girl?

As with other crocodiles, the temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings.  Males are produced between 31 to 33ºC while more females are hatched when the nest temperatures are above or below this temperature range.

The family

Panjang

Panjang

Panjang is our resident male at Sungei Buaya. Males grow to be larger than females and he is named for his impressive length ('panjang' means 'long' in Malay). To keep him mentally and physically stimulated, Panjang's keepers think up ways to make him 'work' for his food.

Together, we protect wildlife

Cherish our local crocs

Cherish our local crocs

These awe-inspiring reptiles are often seen at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and have been recorded in estuaries and reservoirs including the Singapore River, Kallang River, Sungei Seletar and Kranji Reservoir, and even Pulau Tekong. They are usually found in the water or at the mudflats. NParks posts warning signs at their usual haunts. If you come across one in the wild, admire it from a respectful distance. Stay on the designated path and do not get into the water. If it is on the path, stay calm and back away slowly. Do not approach, disturb or feed it. Like other wild animals, crocodiles will not harm humans unprovoked.

The IUCN Status

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

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