Did you know that some crocodiles can grow as long as a bus? According to Guinness World Records, the biggest saltwater crocodiles can reach an incredible 7 meters (23 feet) from their snouts to their tails! That’s longer than most cars! But, most male crocodiles of this species are usually about 4.9 meters (16 feet) long.
Right now, the largest crocodile in the world living in captivity is named Cassius. He’s about 100 years old and measures 5.48 meters (18 feet), which is almost as long as two ping-pong tables placed end to end! Cassius was captured in 1987 in northern Australia. Today, he lives at Marineland Melanesia wildlife park, located on Green Island, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef—the world’s largest coral reef!
But there was once an even bigger crocodile than Cassius – the largest crocodile in the world. His name was Lolong, and he was 6.17 meters (20 feet 3 inches) long! That’s about as long as a school bus! Lolong was captured and brought to the Bunawan Eco-Park in the Philippines in 2011. Sadly, he passed away in 2013, but no other crocodile in captivity has ever been bigger than him.
Crocodiles, one of the most dangerous animals, today are big, but ancient crocodiles were even bigger! Sarcosuchus imperator was a prehistoric crocodile that lived around 112 million years ago during the time of dinosaurs. This super-croc grew up to an incredible 12.2 meters (40 feet) long and weighed about 8 tons (17,600 pounds)! To help you picture that, Sarcosuchus was twice as long as Lolong and about 7.5 times heavier. No wonder people call it “Super Croc”!
Sarcosuchus lived alongside some of the most famous dinosaurs, like Spinosaurus, the largest meat-eating dinosaur, Microraptor, the smallest dinosaur, and Sauroposeidon, the tallest dinosaur. Because saltwater crocodiles today look so much like Sarcosuchus, scientists used a modern croc to make a life-size model of Sarcosuchus. This helps us imagine just how huge these ancient creatures were!
Crocodiles have been some of the most fearsome predators for millions of years. From the modern-day giants like Cassius, the largest crocodile in captivity, and Lolong to the prehistoric Sarcosuchus, these reptiles continue to amaze us with their size and strength. Whether living today or long extinct, these crocodiles remind us just how powerful and awe-inspiring nature can be.
