Trivia question for May-19-2011

Since we had such a busy day and we are just now getting everyone to bed etc., I am going to try and write the trivia tonight.  Hopefully I can do as good as the kids.  Sorry it is so late.  These guys are considered to be the worlds largest living reptile.  A consummate, ferocious killer, it has been know to prey on man occasionally.

An adult male’s weight is 1,300–2,200 lb and length is normally 13–18 ft, although mature males can be 20 ft or more and weigh 2,900 lb or larger.  These guys are opportunistic apex predators capable of taking nearly any animal that enters its territory, either in the water or on dry land. They are known to attack humans who enter the crocodiles’ territory. Juveniles are restricted to smaller animals such as insects, amphibians, crustaceans, small reptiles, and fish.

So her are the questions I came up with:  Where do these giant killers live and tell us what is the furthest recorded distance one of these guys has traveled?  Also, when villagers came across one of these guys that was reportedly 30-feet long, what did they throw at it to appease it?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations goes out to two of our big fans Marie Zeamer Chittester and Gina Vaughn for being the first two to answer our trivia.  The species we featured is the Saltwater Crocodile.

The saltwater or estuarine crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles. It is found in suitable habitats in Northern Australia, the eastern coast of India and parts of Southeast Asia.  A lone male saltwater crocodile once turned up on an island in the South Pacific.  It had traveled at least 815 miles.

The largest size saltwater crocodiles can reach is the subject of considerable controversy. The longest crocodile ever measured snout-to-tail and verified was the skin of a dead crocodile, which was 20 ft long. As skins tend to shrink slightly after removal from the carcass, this crocodile’s living length was estimated at 21 ft, and it probably weighed well over 1,200 kilograms 2,600 lb.

There are rumors of an even larger saltwater crocodile which was said to be 30-feet long.  Villagers believed it to be the Devil’s father and appeased it with coins.  We have also learned from Marie, of an ancient crusader story which claims the villagers threw women, to sacrifice, at the croc to appease it, for men were too valuable.  Here is more on these beasts:  Saltwater Crocodile

Thanks for playing along 😉