That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, is the largest of the world’s reptiles. Until now, the record was held by a 21.1 foot-long male taken in 1974 along the Mary River in Australia’s Northern Territory. This month (September, 2011) an astonishing behemoth was captured alive in the southern Philippines…and it may be the biggest croc ever seen!

Awe-Inspiring Crocs

Large Saltwater Crocodiles, or “Salties”, awe neophyte and veteran herpetologists equally when viewed up close. There is simply no way to prepare oneself for the grandeur of these other-worldly beasts. I had worked with hundreds of large crocs before meeting my first true monster – a 17-foot-long, 1,700 pound brute christened “Gomek” (please see article below). Accompanied by his keeper, I edged to within a few feet of the usually calm, nutria-eating giant, and I still lack the words to properly describe the experience.

Well, the individual just captured in the Philippines out-measures Gomek by quite a bit…please see the video below. He frequented the outskirts of a farming town in Bunawan Township, 515 miles southeast of Manila. Circumstances led residents to believe that the animal, whom they have named “Lolong”, may have been responsible for killing several people; domestic water buffaloes were also on his menu.

Catching a Legend

The giant destroyed 4 traps and eluded capture for 3 weeks; a stronger, re-built trap finally snared him. After several escapes from ropes that sought to restrain him (not an easy task, even with much smaller animals, I can assure you!) Lolong was pulled from the water…a feat that took the efforts of 90-100 people!

The new heavyweight contender is currently listed as being 21 feet long and weighing an amazing 2,370 pounds. The Mary River individual mentioned earlier measured at least 21 feet long (there is some uncertainty). I’m anxious to hear if 21 feet is a rough measurement…if so, we may have a new record.

Unfortunately, giant crocodiles and people do not mix, so this fellow cannot be released. An exhibit in a local ecotourism park is expected to be his new home.

Natural History

Saltwater Crocs occupy an enormous range that stretches from northern India southeast through China and Thailand to Australia. Ocean journeys of over 600 miles have been documented, and they sometimes wind up well beyond their normal haunts (i.e. Japan); some particularly seaworthy specimens even sport barnacles!

An Extinct Giant

Salties are not the largest crocs to have ever lived. Deinosuchus, a 29-foot-long crocodile that once roamed Florida, preyed upon dinosaurs! Please see this article.

Gomek’s Story

Gomek was captured on New Guinea’s Fly River and eventually found a home with Arthur Jones. Mr. Jones, best known for inventing Nautalis weight-lifting equipment, was quite the animal fancier. At one point he had scores of adult crocs and a herd of 20+ African Elephants on his land in Florida. Years in the zoo field and friendship with a protégé of his have favored me with a few peeks into his most unique life…but those are stories for another time. For now, please check out the Gomek article below.

 

Further Reading

Saltwater Crocodile Natural History

Photos and a video of the giant captured this month here

My Visit with Gomek World’s Largest Captive Croc

Check out this video of a giant croc feeding –
feeding a giant croc

 

Crocodile images referenced from Wikipedia.

Pythons, whether large or small, tend to be somewhat similar in their captive requirements and behaviors, and many have long been bred and studied.  Two species, however, break all python stereotypes and are poorly understood – the Calabar Ground or African Burrowing Python, Calabaria reinhardtii, and the New World or Mexican Dwarf Python, Loxocemus bicolor. 

Both species are rather small, and so can be kept in spacious naturalistic terrariums where they might reveal more of their secrets to observant keepers.  They live largely below ground, but forage on the surface after dark.  Read More »

Many interesting field research reports are published in professional journals such as Copeia, Herpetologica and Herpetological Review, and are not available on the internet.  From time to time I’ll provide summaries of some of the fascinating articles that I come across.  Today’s report, drawn from Autumn, 2010 publications, covers observations of free-living snakes, turtles and caimans.

Giant Meals…even for snakes!

Snakes are “big meal specialists”, but rarely consume animals larger than themselves.  However, a Southern Toad and a Spadefoot Toad, swallowed by different Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes, Heterodon platyrinos, each outweighed the snake by several grams!  Read More »

The plight of the USA’s freshwater turtles has taken a back stage to what has been labeled the Asian Turtle Crisis (a tragic situation, please see below).  However, a full-blown crisis is in progress here as well.  In the past 5 years, over 12 million wild caught freshwater turtles were sent from the USA to food and pet markets abroad, while untold numbers were sold in-country.  Fortunately, you can make a real difference in their future by taking one simple step.  Please read on to learn how to take action to support CITES (Committee on International Trade in Endangered Species) protection for the USA’s freshwater turtles.

US Turtle Diversity and Conservation

It comes as a surprise to many people that the USA is home to more species of freshwater turtles than any other country.  Unfortunately, several of the states that support the greatest diversity and largest turtle populations offer little or no protection, despite strong evidence that many species are in sharp decline.  Food markets in China and Southeast Asia are the main importers of US turtles, but rarer varieties wind up in the pet trade the world over. Read More »

 A recent article in the journal IRCF Reptiles and Amphibians (V17, 1) provides evidence that the African Rock Python (Northern African Python, Python sebae), may have established a breeding population in southern Florida.  The huge constrictors are adapted to take small antelopes and other large animals, and have been killed and consumed people in their native habitat.

Florida’s Introduced Constrictors

At least 45 species of non-native reptiles and amphibians have established breeding populations in Florida; many others have been observed but are not known to be reproducing.  Among these are 2 of the world’s largest snakes, the Burmese Python and the Boa Constrictor.  Other large constrictors, including the Green Anaconda, Yellow Anaconda and White-Lipped Python, have been found at large in Florida.  Read More »