saltwater crocodile
Ocean-going predator lizard
The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile, found in coastal waters and rivers from Southeast Asia to northern Australia.
Males can exceed twenty feet and a ton.
Unlike most crocodiles, they tolerate ocean water and may travel long distances at sea.
They are aggressive and responsible for fatal attacks on humans: A saltwater crocodile took a swimmer near Darwin.
Unpreyed-upon dominant hunter
- man-eaterBeast that hunts humans
- deadlyAble to cause expiration
- terrifyingEvoking extreme fear
- formidableInspiring fear or respect
menacing · powerful · aggressive · ferocious · ambush · death roll · jaws · attack
Plates or weighing devices
- scutesHorny epidermal plates
- cold-bloodedUnfeeling or externally heated
- ectothermicTemperature set by surroundings
- oviparousReproducing through external eggs
herpetology · vertebrate · crocodilian · snout · armored · tail · nesting · eggs
Tidal mixing zone
- mangroveTidal shrub with exposed roots
- brackishMildly salty water
- tidalOf sea rhythms
- coastalOf the shoreline
river mouth · swamp · wetland · delta · floodplain · billabong · waterhole · mudflat
Before documented civilization
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
- archosaurRuling reptile clade member
- dinosaurExtinct Mesozoic reptile
- cretaceousLast Mesozoic period
megafauna · paleontology · living fossil · primordial · survivor · unchanged · evolutionary · saurian
Preventing waste or loss
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
- protectedKept from harm
- CITESWildlife trade agreement
- poachingUnlawful wildlife capture
wildlife trade · threatened · vulnerable · extinction · biodiversity · ecosystem · preservation · illegal trade
apex predator
Unpreyed-upon dominant hunter
- man-eaterBeast that hunts humans
- deadlyAble to cause expiration
- terrifyingEvoking extreme fear
formidable · menacing · powerful · aggressive · ferocious · ambush · death roll · jaws · attack · territorial
scales
Plates or weighing devices
- scutesHorny epidermal plates
- cold-bloodedUnfeeling or externally heated
- ectothermicTemperature set by surroundings
oviparous · herpetology · vertebrate · crocodilian · snout · armored · tail · nesting · eggs · basking
estuary
Tidal mixing zone
coastal · river mouth · swamp · wetland · delta · floodplain · billabong · waterhole · mudflat · tropical
prehistoric
Before documented civilization
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
- archosaurRuling reptile clade member
- dinosaurExtinct Mesozoic reptile
cretaceous · megafauna · paleontology · living fossil · primordial · survivor · unchanged · evolutionary · saurian · ancient lineage
conservation
Preventing waste or loss
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
- protectedKept from harm
- CITESWildlife trade agreement
poaching · wildlife trade · threatened · vulnerable · extinction · biodiversity · ecosystem · preservation · illegal trade · captive breeding
- Asian reptilesking cobra, Indian cobra, Burmese python, krait, pit viper
- Australian Reptilesbearded dragon, death adder, frilled lizard, goanna, taipan
- ocean lifeocean, sea, sea creatures, shark, sea life
- reptileslizard, snake, turtle, alligator, python
- apex predatorsgreat white shark, tiger, lion, orca, killer whale
- aquatic predatorsshark, great white shark, great white, tiger shark, bull shark
saltwater crocodilefreshwater crocodile
Smaller Australian crocodilian species
American alligator · freshwater turtle · caiman · river dolphin · freshwater fish
saltwater, crocodile, crocodiles, saline, saltiness, salinity, desalination, desalinate