Crocodiles against sharks. Saltwater Crocodile vs White Shark Saltwater Crocodile vs White Shark

American alligators and sharks are known for their extreme eating habits... They are opportunistic predators who will not hesitate to launch their greedy jaws into any potential prey that they just spot. Including each other, says zoologist James Nifong from Kansas State University (USA).

A Mississippi alligator chews on a nurse shark on Sanibel Island, Florida (USA). Photo: USFWS.

Over the past ten years, Niphon has studied Mississippi alligators in their freshwater estates in the southeastern United States and has repeatedly seen different sharks swim there. He wondered if the crocodiles were interacting with their sea guests, if the greens were able to teach uninvited fish a lesson with punishing teeth. Digging into scientific literature and in consultation with experts, he learned of a number of confirmed cases of alligators devouring lemon sharks, small-headed hammerheads, whiskered nurse sharks and stingrays. The lamellar cartilaginous fish may be a significant but underestimated food resource for alligators, Nifun said.

Meanwhile, such evidence is rare, and there are several reasons for this. First, alligators with sharks are not easy to track and observe in coastal habitats. Secondly, alligators devour relatively small sharks, which may not be recognized from afar, mistaking for some bony fish... Thirdly, the acidity in the stomachs of alligators is so high that any food, with the exception of hair or shells, dissolves very quickly there, especially cartilage, so it is not possible to reveal the remains of sharks and rays in crocodile nausea or directly in the stomachs during dissection.

Cases of encounters between crocodiles and plate-gill are also known from other parts of the world. V South Africa, for example, at nile crocodile in the stomach, however, they found the remains of sharks of two indeterminate species. In Australia, crested crocodiles have been observed preying on blunt-nosed sharks, and a recent study has documented crocodile bite marks on half of the sawnose stingrays surveyed in the west of the continent. Crocodiles love meat cartilaginous fish- the aborigines even use it in traps as bait for combed crocodiles.

Nifun was able to find some interesting newspaper clippings from the 19th century, which tell about the battles of sharks with Mississippi alligators. So, in October 1877, hundreds of alligators, attracted by the abundance of fish that formed after high tide in a cove near Jupiter, Florida, were attacked by hundreds of huge sharks, also smelling potential food. According to an eyewitness, alligators with sharks "rose on the waves and nibbled like dogs", after which the surf turned bloody, and then for several days the coast was strewn with the corpses of headless and tailless alligators and sharks bitten in two - a real feast for vultures and buzzards! Perhaps journalists The Fishing Gazette, exaggerated and embellished in places, but alligators and sharks do sometimes gather in large flocks in places where prey is concentrated, so large-scale interspecific clashes cannot be ruled out. And in those days, their flocks were much more numerous than today, which increased the likelihood of such battles, adds Nifung.

Another story from Florida appeared in The Palatka Daily News in May 1884: a certain three-meter shark tracked down a two-meter alligator and attacked it, biting into the side and biting in half, after which "half of the defeated enemy disappeared into the deep throat of the predator." Yes, sharks are also not basty and can nag crocodiles! Moreover, this enmity lasts for millions of years, at least from a later Cretaceous: In the northeast of Mali, fossil bones of crocodiles were found with traces of ancient shark bites. However, these days, predatory shark aggression against sinister reptilians is relatively rare, and such evidence often looks implausible, which cannot be said about the opposite, notes Nifnuf. So far, the crocodiles seem to be winning.

Text: Victor Kovylin. Based on materials:

Such a question may seem strange, since both species of animals did intersect with each other on the Malaysian islands and the northern Australian coast. About who is stronger, it is worth talking about the example of a great white shark and a combed crocodile, which have repeatedly met each other in nature.

What a shark is capable of

Sharks do not defend their territory, offspring and even food source

In order to understand who is stronger, let's analyze the features and capabilities of the white shark. The record size of a white shark is 6 m in length, and the recorded weight is about 2 thousand kg. Average weight shark is about 1 thousand kg with a length of about 4.5 m. Shark bite force can reach 1800 kg / cm 2.

A meeting with sharks ends in death annually for about 15 people.

Since sharks predominantly feed small fish and marine life they are not used to sacrifice large sizes, which, moreover, resist, so the shark attacks relatively slowly and is unable to keep the resisting prey for a long time.

What a crocodile is capable of

Salted crocodiles exhibit high levels of intolerance and aggression when attempting to attack their territory.

The maximum recorded size of a combed crocodile is 6 m with a weight of about 1.5 thousand kg. Therefore, these parameters in animals are approximately the same. At the same time, the bite force of the crocodile, which was recorded, was more than 2000 kg / cm 2. So according to this indicator, the crocodile turned out to be much stronger.

About 2,500 people die from crocodiles every year.

Who is stronger

Excellence in combat experience, tactics and weapons, make the combed crocodile too difficult an opponent for the great white shark

It is almost impossible to fight off the predatory throw of the crocodile. He surpasses the shark in the following indicators:

• The attack is faster. Crocodiles are accustomed to large, resisting and fast-running prey, and the jaws have enough power and endurance to hold the prey long time.
• The reaction is much faster. Crocodiles have a viewing angle of 270 °, a powerful curving spine and sensory receptors, all of which are poorly developed in a shark.
• Maneuverability is higher. The muscles of the crocodile are most adapted to water conditions, and the muscles of the shark are very primitive.
• The teeth are larger. They are up to 10 cm long, thicker and more powerful than the five-centimeter shark fangs.

The chance of surviving a shark attack on a person is estimated at 86%, a crocodile - only 32%.

When a salted crocodile and a white shark meet, the second will obviously not do well, since the crocodile is much stronger than it.

Let's try to reproduce a model of a battle between two predatory titans - a shark and a crocodile. For a long time, both of these creatures have inspired a person with horror and apprehension. And what does the relationship between them look like? Who has the best chance of winning in the event of a bloody fight?

It is clear that any modeling, especially with the help of imagination, does not quite objectively allow us to assess the capabilities of the sides of the battle. And even more so - it is impossible to draw unambiguous conclusions, considering an imaginary battle between fierce and strong opponents, when the outcome of the battle can be decided by chance. Therefore, let's not forget that the fight is virtual, and it would not be entirely fair to assert on the basis of its outcome that one of the opponents is undoubtedly stronger.
The basis for logical constructions will be the knowledge about these large predatory animals.

From the side of sharks, a great white shark will perform in a duel, since it is the largest of the aggressive predators, a recognized leader in terms of weapon power and danger. Presumably, the readers of the site already know enough about the great white shark. it large fish, reaching a length of more than 7 m and weighing over 3 tons. The officially registered size records of the great white shark are somewhat more modest, but it must be assumed that not all especially large specimens fall on the scales of researchers and scientists.
The main weapon of this predator is sharp teeth, the length of which reaches 5 cm.

Who from the representatives of the crocodile family can resist such an effective killing machine?

There is only one contender for this role - who feels great in sea ​​water and reaches large sizes. For those who have not heard about this monster, a brief information:

Combed crocodile is the largest member of the crocodile family in the class of reptiles (reptiles). It is believed that some of its individuals can reach 7 m in length and weigh more than a ton.
This toothy monster lives in the area of ​​the Malay Archipelago, from the southeastern regions of Asia to the north of Australia. It can be found both on coastal land areas and in the sea, since the salted crocodile is able to live in sea water and even travel between the islands. Thanks to the ability to navigate, according to experts, these predators were able to settle from the Indian subcontinent and Indochina to Australia.
Crested crocodiles got their name for the presence of two large ridges on the head, stretching from the eyes to the middle of the head.
The crocodile's teeth and jaws are capable of instilling fear in any living creature. It is believed that the force with which a crocodile clenches its jaws can reach 2 tons! In the regions where this creepy monster lives, it dies from its teeth more people than because of the shark attack.
The mobility of this predator is amazing - at the moment of attack, it is capable of developing lightning-fast lunges at a speed of more than 40 km / h! Residents of places where large crocodiles live, claim that a toothy monster is able to snatch a person out of a boat so quickly that the comrades nearby do not always have time to notice it.
As you can see, our heroine's opponent is quite worthy - strong, fast, with powerful jaws.

In the stomachs of crocodiles, the remains of small sharks were often found, and in the digestive tract large sharks found the remains of crocodiles.

Let's try to estimate the chances of victory in an imaginary battle between a large white shark and an adult salted crocodile, especially since the encounters of these two predators in the sea are quite real.
The main advantages of a shark are high speed and maneuverability, a more massive body and the ability to stay under water for an infinitely long time, since it is a fish.

Crocodiles cannot remain without a breath of air for a long time - their circulatory system uses atmospheric oxygen to oxidize blood. And their main advantage over the shark is the armored skin of the back, which is difficult to bite even for a shark. But if the battle drags on, and it, of course, cannot be fleeting in the battle of giants, even a crocodile that has captured a shark with its teeth will be forced to open its jaws and float to the surface. He will not be able to quickly kill a shark with his teeth - it is too large a prey, moreover, it is extremely tenacious, so he will soon need a saving breath of air. Emerging to the surface, the reptile will expose its vulnerable belly to the shark's teeth, which will decide the outcome of the fight. Of course, with the same size, the crocodile will lose the fight.

Such fights between predators of equal size sometimes take place. There are also eyewitness accounts of such fights. In most cases, they followed this scenario.

The conclusion is unambiguous - large White shark will not leave the combed crocodile a chance of survival. However, the same can be said about others. large species sharks - tiger, mako. If they are as large as a reptile, then advantages such as the ability to breathe underwater, combined with powerful teeth and maneuverability, decide the outcome of a bloody battle.

Of course, in a real battle between titans, success in a battle depends on many circumstances - surprise of an attack, a successful lunge or bite, etc. But in our virtual simulation we adhered to equal conditions for opponents - as for boxers before the bell

Saltwater crocodiles live in seas that great white sharks dislike. These predators prefer cool waters. temperate latitudes where sea pinnipeds are found in abundance. Therefore, fights are more likely between crocodiles and small tiger sharks, as well as with representatives of the families of gray and reef sharks. Such opponents are significantly inferior in strength. large crocodile, therefore, they often become victims of adult reptiles.

We bring to your attention a video from the popular science channel Discovery, in which scientists and specialists have modeled a fight between two aquatic titans - a combed crocodile and a great white shark. After watching it, you will be convinced that many points of this film do not contradict the analyzes, reflections and conclusions given above. By the way, the author of the article about the fight between a crocodile and a shark did not watch this video before the publication of his article.