The saltwater crocodile also known as Estuarine Crocodile, or Saltie is the world's largest reptile.

Adult males can reach sizes of up to 6 meters (20 feet) with possible reports of exceptionally rare individuals of nearly 7 metres (23 feet) and they can weigh from 400 to 1,500 kilograms (880–3,300 lb). Unlike what we have seen for the great white sharks, female Salties are smaller than males, the normal maximum adult size being 2.5 m to 3 m (8 to 10 feet).

Where can you meet a Saltwater crocodile? They are typically found in brackish water in tropical estuaries, rivers and swamps. They congregate in the upper reaches of tidal rivers in the dry season and move into freshwater swamps in the wet season. Sometimes seen in the open sea, as they can travel long distances (up to 1000 km) by swimming and drifting.

What do they eat? Saltwater crocodiles eat a wide variety of prey. When they are young they eat small prey such as insects, amphibians, crustaceans, small reptiles and fish. The larger the animal grows, the greater the variety of prey becomes. Large adults occasionally take much larger prey include buffalo and domestic livestock, wallabies, wild boar, monkeys,... , and sometimes humans!

The estuarine crocodile deals with large vertebrate prey by overpowering, drowning and finally dismembering them. Crocodiles have a valve to seal off the mouth from the throat. They can thus open their mouth underwater without inhaling water. However, a crocodile can’t eat its prey underwater - swallowing would get water into the stomach and lungs. The croc therefore either drags the prey onto land, or sits up and raises its head above the water to swallow.

Here is an interesting video where you will learn how a Saltwater crocodile attacks :

 Here is a video of a Saltwater crocodile hunting in the wild (very good quality) :

Males engage in noisy bouts of fighting prior to mating at the start of the wet season.

Females build a large mound of vegetation and lay 40 to 62 eggs in a chamber within it. The mother will stand guard over the mound for about 100 days.

Upon hatching, the hatchlings squeal, prompting the female to dig them out and carry them to the water. The hatchlings then live in creche groups for about 8 months, guarded by the adults.

The male's approach to the female is very original. The males will touch the female, rub up against her with his jaw, blow bubbles underneath the females bodies, rub their musky sent on the female, and rumble softly. If the female is not impressed, she will either dive under water or quickly swim away. If the female is willing, she will lift her head high out of the water and often vocalize. The male will then begin to circle the female, swim over to her, and push her body underwater. He manages to rotate her back legs and tail to one side so he can align his vent with hers. Male crocodiles have one single copulatory organ. Once they insert their penis into the female, the process can take several minutes. The penis has a deep groove running along its length, down which semen travel to inseminate the female. The male may actually mate with the same female several times during the breeding season to ensure that he fertilizes her right after she ovulates.

Here is a good video if you want to see two Saltwater crocodiles in action :

The estuarine crocodile is the species responsible for most crocodile attacks on people. They often attack boats (which they may regard as rivals or as prey). They are most aggressive towards people in the breeding season.

Saltwater crocodiles are very dangerous animals, but data on attacks is limited outside of Australia, and estimates of human fatalities vary wildly between dozens to thousands annually. It is likely that, given this species' low population within most of its non-Australian / New Guinean range, the number of attacks is probably within the lower range of estimates. Most attacks by adult "salties" are fatal, given the animals' size and strength. In Australia, attacks are rare and usually make headlines when they do occur. There are, on average, no more than one or two fatal attacks reported per year in the country.

Even so, more people die from bee stings each year than from croc attacks. So don't be too affraid of these amazing animals...

I will soon add new stories and videos about Saltwater attacks...