Giant crocs can slam their jaws shut at 5,000 lbs psi – one of the most powerful bite forces in the animal kingdom. As a result, anything caught between its jaws has close-to-zero chances of survival. Staying away from their habitats is wise because you will never see them coming. But this Dubai mall offers its visitors the chance to come close to a living King Croc, 16.5 feet long and 1650 pounds in weight, without risking their limbs or lives. Even more impressive is that the king croc, originally from Australia, is 40 years old and expected to grow bigger in the next 40 to 50 years. Baby crocs add about a foot to their length annually during the first four years of life, but this rate slows down as they age. They grow for the rest of their lives and can reach 20 feet long. The croc in the video could live to 100 in captivity. However, crocodiles live for approximately 70 years in the wild.
How Do Crocodiles Differ From Alligators?
Many people confuse alligators for crocodiles. How do you know whether you have encountered an alligator or crocodile? Here are some things to look out for:
Snout
A crocodile’s snout is U-shaped, while an alligator’s is V-shaped.
Color
Crocodiles are brown or olive green, while alligators are blackish-grey in color.
Water
While crocodiles can live in fresh and salty water, alligators prefer fresh water.
Habitat
Crocodiles live in Central America, India, Australia, Africa, and the Pacific. On the other hand, alligators are found in China and Southern United States.
Aggressiveness
Crocodiles are more aggressive than alligators, although both animals are dangerous.
What Do King Crocodiles Eat?
Crocodiles are carnivorous, meaning they only eat meat. King crocodiles in the wild eat any animal that is unfortunate enough to come within their striking range when hungry. Fish, mammals, birds, crustaceans, and reptiles make up the croc’s diet. In captivity, they are fed a wide variety of meats chopped up in sizes that the crocs can swallow since they do not usually chew their food. The tourist’s video captures the king croc during chow time, which the zookeepers schedule at 4 pm daily. The video shows the beast launching half its massive body out of the aquarium water to catch the hanging piece of meat. Sometimes zookeepers place live insects and fish in the water to motivate the crocs to hunt for their food. The zoo keepers in the video hung the meat to allow the visitors to appreciate how crocs can launch themselves when hunting. Crocodiles also eat stones which help them in digestion. Zoo keepers do not feed rocks to the crocodiles, but they keep many stones in the zoo to allow the croc to swallow them as desired. The zookeepers feed the crocodiles once a day, but baby crocs are fed thrice daily.
How Long Can Crocodiles Stay Underwater?
The crocodile in the video spends much of its time underwater, even opening its wide jaws while submerged. Crocs can hold their breath and remain submerged for over an hour. The crocodile has an efficient metabolism mechanism that slows down every time it dives underwater. Its circulatory system also helps it conserve oxygen when underwater. However, it only supplies large amounts of dissolved oxygen to hard-working muscles.
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