A famous Nile crocodile named Henry just celebrated a birthday last year, turning 124 in December. This living fossil currently resides at Crocworld Conservation Centre in South Africa, after being captured well over a century ago in 1903 from the Botswana Okavango Delta. While Henry’s age is impressive, what may be even more mind boggling is the reptile’s number of offspring. In his many decades on Earth, he has fathered 10,000 baby crocs. And if you think his ripe old age means he is nearing the end, you are very much mistaken: Henry continues to thrive in his South African home.

Crocodiles are one apex predator most of us hope to never run into unexpectedly. With such powerfully built bodies and strong jaws, these reptiles mean business. Despite existing for hundreds of millions of years, they are still quite mysterious to us. For starters, did you know that crocodiles can’t actually die of old age?

This post was updated on June 2, 2025 to include information on Henry the Nile crocodile.

The Background on Crocodiles

Crocodiles are semi-aquatic reptiles that inhabit wetlands. They are the largest reptiles on the planet and can be found almost everywhere. Europe is the only continent that they don’t inhabit natively. Since they’re cold-blooded, they’re unable to generate their own heat. That’s why you’ll find them in tropical climates.

There are 14 different crocodile species on the planet. The smallest species is the Dwarf Crocodile which grows to be around 4.9 feet and weighs between 40 – 71 pounds. In comparison, the largest species, known as the Saltwater Crocodile can grow to be 23 feet and weigh between 2,200 – 2,600 lbs.

Crocodiles also have the strongest bite in the world! Larger crocodiles are capable of biting down with a force of over 5,000 pounds. Thanks to their powerful bite, they’re able to capture a wide variety of prey. As carnivores, their diet consists mainly of meat.

Cool Facts About Crocodiles

Crocodiles are some of the most fascinating creatures in the animal kingdom. They are known for their fearsome reputation, with their powerful jaws and sharp teeth. But there is much more to these creatures than meets the eye.

• They have the strongest bite force of any animal: Crocodiles have the strongest bite force of any animal in the world. The force of their bite can be as much as 3,000 pounds per square inch, making them capable of crushing bones and tearing apart prey with ease.

• They have excellent hearing and vision: Despite their reputation for being slow and lumbering, crocodiles have excellent hearing and vision. They have specialized sensors on their jaws that allow them to detect vibrations in the water, and their eyes are adapted for low-light conditions, allowing them to hunt in the dark.

• They are excellent swimmers: Crocodiles are powerful swimmers and can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour in short bursts. They can also hold their breath for up to two hours, allowing them to stay submerged for long periods of time while waiting for prey.

• They are more closely related to birds than to reptiles: Although they are often classified as reptiles, crocodiles are more closely related to birds than to other reptiles such as snakes and lizards. In fact, both crocodiles and birds are descendants of the same group of prehistoric archosaurs.

• They have been around for millions of years: Crocodiles are ancient creatures that have been around for millions of years. Fossil evidence shows that crocodiles have changed very little over the course of their evolutionary history, and they are considered to be living fossils.

Overall, crocodiles are fascinating creatures with a number of unique adaptations that make them well-suited to their aquatic lifestyle.

The Average Crocodile Lifespan

Crocodiles can live up to 70 years in the wild, with the Saltwater crocodile being the longest living species. However, crocodile lifespans among species range from 25 to 70 years. Crocodiles in captivity have been known to reach 100 years or older.

What’s most interesting about crocodiles is that they do not die from biological aging. Instead, they continue to grow and grow until some external factor causes them to die.

Research conducted by Siddiqui, Ruqaiyyah, et al. explores how a crocodile’s microbiome may influence this antiaging ability. The research found that crocodile serum depicted potent growth inhibitory effects as well as cytotoxic effects against cancer cells. Essentially, crocodile gut bacteria may work to inhibit the survival of cancer cells.

Their lifespan is still a mystery. To better understand them, let’s uncover the crocodile life cycle!

The Crocodile Life Cycle: 4 distinct stages

Egg

A female adult crocodile will build one nest per year, depending on her health. She may choose to build one large nest away from predators or she may build a few nests in close proximity to one another. She will then typically lay anywhere between 30-60 eggs. They will then incubate the eggs for the next 80-90 days. The sex of the hatchling crocodiles is affected by the temperature of the nest during the incubation phase.

Hatchlings

Unfortunately, baby crocodiles do not have a high survival rate. Many of them will not hatch as they fall prey to predators that eat the eggs. Other times, the mother crocodile may lose eggs due to flooding around the nest. Baby crocodiles that have hatched from their egg are called hatchlings. Crocodile mothers will take care of their hatchlings until they are old enough to be out on their own. Hatchlings take a long time to mature, often taking 4 to 15 years.

Young Crocodile

Young crocodiles need to eat meat to grow. During this stage of the life cycle, they will continue to grow bigger and bigger. They will eventually begin to morph into their adult version over the next few years. For example, the body of an American crocodile is big and lizard-like, with four short legs and a strong muscular tail. Their skin is rough and scaled. Adult American crocodiles are uniformly brown with darker cross-bands on the tail and body, whereas juveniles are dark olive-brown with darker cross-bands on the tail.

Adulthood

Sexual maturity occurs at the age of ten. At this point, the crocodile’s body length is anywhere between 5-10 ft. Adult crocodiles will spend their time hunting for prey throughout the night as they are nocturnal. When they aren’t hunting, they thermoregulate their temperature by alternating between sunning themselves and shading themselves away.

What Factors Impact the Crocodile’s Lifespan?

As apex predators, crocodiles don’t have many natural enemies in the wild. That means that they don’t have to worry about being attacked by other animals. However, there are other factors that will impact a crocodile’s lifespan. Poachers and hunters will track down crocodiles and kill them for their skin.

Outside of hunters, there are other major factors to consider. These include habitat degradation and human meddling. Finally, while crocodiles don’t age biologically, they are still susceptible to the effects of old age.

As they age, they begin to lose their teeth. Without their teeth, they are unable to hunt and eat. They are also susceptible to developing cataracts, which also negatively impacts their hunting abilities. Still, according to crocodile expert Anne Welsbacher, crocodiles can actually live up to one year without eating. Thanks to their highly evolved metabolism, their body fat can actually provide them with energy for extremely long periods of time.

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