Who would win the fight?
The famous great white shark is a cartilaginous sea mammal that has evoked fear and awe for ages.
It is believed to be one of the largest ocean predators but there is more fiction rather than reality in this claim.
Crocodiles are also big reptile species seen in tropical zones across the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
They belong to the family Crocodilia, which also features gharials, caimans, and alligators.
The biggest living reptile in the world and according to some, the animal most likely to devour a human is the saltwater crocodile.
Appearance & Description
The structure of the white shark is dense and robust, measuring around 13-22 feet long with an average length of 19 feet.
It weighs between 6600 to 7500 pounds. on average
Adult female sharks are bigger than males, which are typically 6.5 feet smaller.
The shark’s body has a narrow snout, two pelvic fins and a main dorsal fin with a triangular form.
Its tail fin has the shape of a crescent, and its higher and lower lobe is long and nearly the same size.
Their mouth stretches 3 to 4 feet wide.
They have a small set of onyx eyes and big nostrils near the edge of the snout.
It also shows some discoloration, because while the back of its body is blue or gray, the lower part is lighter.
This feature gives the great white an edge when hunting as their prey is unable to recognize the figure of the shark from a distance, which is mistaken for the bottom of the ocean.
Saltwater Crocs on the other hand measures 16 to 23 feet lengthwise and weighs between 882 to 1543 pounds. Contrary to the great white shark, the males are much bigger than the females.
The saltwater crocs are grayish or brownish in color and they have a wide, heavyset build with a big head and massive jawline.
Their infamous jaws are very powerful and they have short yet robust limbs.
They also bear ridges that cover the area between their eyes and nose, and this is especially visible in older crocodiles.
Saltwater crocs have a flap that shuts off their mouth from their throats and this allows them to open up their mouth while being underwater.
However, they cannot consume their prey underwater as swallowing would let water get into their throat. Thus, they attempt to drag their prey outside the water stream or raise their head above the water level to eat it.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
The distribution range of the great shark is very vast.
Great whites are found in tropical zone waters of varied temperatures–from cold to warm.
They are commonly spotted on the coasts of N.America-from Newfoundland to S.Mexico in the Atlantic Ocean and from Alaska to Mexico watered by the Pacific Ocean.
Fewer populations of sharks are also found in S.African waters and especially the Dyer Island, Japan, and Oceania.
They will also travel as far as they can swim, often utilizing seasonal floods to reach regions that are usually hard to access.
The saltwater crocs also known as salties are very capable of residing in the vast ocean for long periods of time and will swim through big areas of water to access new spots.
This dispersal power makes them especially widespread in New Guinea, South-East Asia and some Pacific Ocean islands.
Their BEHAVIOR?
The great white shark is mainly a solitary fish although it occasionally meets with other sharks of its kind.
At times you can see them in small family groups with a male, female, and their young ones.
In their packs, there is likely a hierarchy in terms of dominance and the females or the biggest sharks take the lead. Old members of the group also dominate the younger or newer members.
The shark is active from day to night time.
Surprisingly, they bounce out of the water occasionally to explore their surroundings and hunt for prey.
They are not typically aggressive with other sharks, but if they sense any threat, they may attack and bite their rival as a warning.
Clearly, most of us fear the great shark and consider it a man-eating beast.
Human attacks are rare but they can occur if the shark mistakes a human for its normal prey, especially if it looks like it from a distance. They may attack the human and give it a “taste” bite, but chances are, they will not keep on eating as they realize it’s not their ordinary food.
Now in terms of intelligence, the saltine crocs are considered one of the smartest and most refined of all reptile species.
Their barks are a tool for communicating with each other. They also have four different means of communication.
The saltwater crocs spare most of their time adjusting their body temperatures, an ability that is known as “thermoregulating”.
If they get too hot, they often dive into the water with only their eyes and nostrils being above the water and stay there until they are cool enough.
On the other hand, if they get too cold, they sunbathe themselves on flat rocks until they heat up.
Now let’s go back to our main question: Who would win the battle?
Let’s examine a few powerful hunting features of the two species first…
1. Their Bite Force.
Despite having a massive jaw, the great white sharks are not at the top in terms of biting force amongst other shark species because of their diet.
Some computer reports estimate that a great white has a bite force that surpasses 1000Kg based on its jawline and skeleton built.
Australian saltine crocodiles are famous worldwide for their enormous jaws snapping close with a 2000kg force, making the great white pale in comparison.
2. Their Tooth structure
Again, because of their typical prey choices, crocodiles and great whites have different teeth structures.
A croc’s prey is usually not only bigger than a shark’s, but they have much stronger skin and bones.
A crocodile’s teeth, therefore, have to be able to cut through the flesh of their prey through a death strike but also need to be robust enough to smash the thick leg bones of these mammals.
On the other hand, a great white doesn’t need to crush bones like this with its teeth.
Great white shark tears down the meat of their prey by thrashing and biting their head and their teeth resemble those of a saw.
Their teeth are not really designed to inflict any massive pressure as they are replaceable. They have multiple rows of spare teeth behind each front tooth and are ready to replace them in case they fall off during a battle.
3. Their Armor
A Great White Shark’s thin skin is not designed for tolerating tons of intruding pressure.
On the contrary, a Saltwater croc’s prehistoric build appears to be more impact and pressure resistant.
4. Their Jaw size
So now we have a case where the great white has a big enough jaw to bite off the body of a saltie, but it lacks enough bite power and teeth to be successful.
The saltwater crocodile has enough bite power and strong teeth to inflict major damage to whatever comes close to its mouth, even though its mouth is not large enough for a great white.
If you ask us, the odds are in the croc’s favor. In case of a battle between the two, the great white will most likely perish from a bitten fin but the saltie can survive even with a missing leg.