Planet Earth is home to over 2 million different species, all of which are at least somewhat unique. But while we humans have our intellect, which makes us truly stand out from the crowd, we’re not the only ones who have something of such impressiveness.
For example, let’s take a look at Henry, a reptile who is believed to be the oldest crocodile in the world. Having now lived for almost 124 years, this massive croc has fathered more than 10,000 children and amazes even the most experienced wildlife experts. Scroll down to learn all about him!
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Crocodiles may live a long time, but only a few could boast about being alive since the beginning of the last century
Image credits: Channel 5 (YouTube)
A crocodile named Henry, who is residing in Crocworld Conservation Centre in South Africa, will celebrate his 124th birthday on December 16
Meet Henry, a huge, roughly 5-meter-long crocodile who weighs 700 kilos. Having almost reached his 124th birthday, which he’ll celebrate on December 16th, he’s a true sight to behold and has been named the oldest living crocodile in the world.
These days, the reptile spends his days sunbathing at the Crocworld Conservation Centre in Scottburgh, South Africa. However, before he was brought there, he lived in the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Botswana.
Image credits: Channel 5 (YouTube)
He's presumed to have been born in 1900 and was captured 3 years later by elephant hunter Sir Arthur Henry Neumann, which is how the croc got his name
Henry is presumed to have been born in the year 1900. His current age of 123 years makes him older than any human who has ever lived, with that record being held by Jeanne Calment, who passed away in 1997 having reached 122 years.
But while he indeed has lived for almost a century and a quarter, this massive croc only got to enjoy freedom for 3 years. Having become notorious for preying on the locals, Henry was finally captured by an English elephant hunter, Sir Arthur Henry Neumann, who sentenced him to lifetime captivity. That is also how our croc got his name.
And yet, even in captivity, he did more than fine. Being recognized as the world’s oldest crocodile, Henry gets loads of care and attention. Additionally, in the years since his capture, he has had 6 partners and has fathered more than 10,000 children, making him responsible for a whole lot of crocodiles in this world.
Image credits: Channel 5 (YouTube)
Living in captivity with tons of attention, the crocodile had 6 partners and has fathered over 10,000 children
Still, while Henry may be the oldest living croc, and his massive size is truly impressive, he’s not the biggest one out there. This title belongs to 3-years-younger Cassius, who, having been measured at 5.48 meters in 2011, has been added to the Guinness World Records book, successfully claiming that title.
The interesting thing here that applies to both Henry and Cassius, as well as every other member of their species, is that crocodiles don’t seem to ever fully stop growing. Although after reaching 5 meters, their growth usually slows down to as little as 1 centimeter a year, their size often keeps increasing for as long as they’re alive.
Image credits: Channel 5 (YouTube)
And yet, somehow, their ceaseless growth is still not the most mind-blowing fact about these ancient predators. Want to know what it is? Well, it’s quite simple: crocodiles do not age.
Of course, these animals do grow and mature, but when it comes to biological aging, they simply don’t do that. Crocodiles, as well as alligators and a few other animal species, exhibit what is known as negligible senescence, which makes them almost immortal (but just imagine what would happen if their growth never slowed down either, like in this story).
With that, the danger to their lives is mostly posed by only 3 things:
- Injuries: They often come quickly and unexpectedly, especially when crocodiles are not safe even from each other.
- Starvation: This can be a very relevant factor for such large animals that don’t ever truly stop growing.
- Diseases: Not even the biggest and most fearsome predators are safe from these.
Image credits: Channel 5 (YouTube)
Despite being the oldest and a massive crocodile in general, Henry is not the biggest one around, with this title belonging to another crocodile named Cassius
And, for the cherry on top, crocodiles are the closest living relatives to the dinosaurs that once roamed the earth. They first appeared roughly 235 million years ago, and due to achieving an equilibrium where their nearly perfected versatility and efficiency didn’t require them to evolve any further, they remain mostly unchanged.
“Crocodylians and birds are each other’s closest living relatives, and birds are the only lineage of dinosaurs that survived the end-Cretaceous extinction event,” a vertebrate paleontologist who studies crocodiles and their extinct relatives, Eric Wilberg, told Bored Panda.
Image credits: Channel 5 (YouTube)
While, at first glance, birds and crocodiles couldn’t appear more different, the expert explained that both birds and crocodiles are part of a group called Archosauria and are still quite closely related to this day.
For example, one interesting feature they share is that both these animals have unidirectional lungs, which is hypothesized to decrease the number of breaths needed for the individual’s respiratory system to rid itself of carbon dioxide.
Image credits: Channel 5 (YouTube)
However, there are also plenty of differences, as their last common relative lived roughly 250 million years ago in the late Permian period, which is more than enough time to develop a healthy amount of changes.
While the crocs themselves are completely cold-blooded, Eric shared that their ancestors were most likely warm-blooded instead, “meaning their current ectothermic physiology is a secondary adaptation, which probably helps them be more successful ambush predators.”
And if that’s not enough, crocodiles have incredibly amazing hearts that can shunt the blood away from the lungs, which is something that they use to be able to remain submerged for prolonged periods of time, adding yet another feature to their already fearsome predatory arsenal.
Image credits: Channel 5 (YouTube)
Ultimately, crocodiles are truly fascinating animals. They might be huge and scary reptiles that most of us would rather never meet face-to-face, but at the same time, their uniqueness is simply mesmerizing.
As for Henry, it’s not every day you learn about someone still walking this earth who was born at the very start of the last century. Even knowing all these crocodile facts, it may be a little difficult to grasp just how long he’s been alive. So, on December 16th, don’t forget to wish him a happy birthday and wish him many more healthy years to come.
What did you think about this story? Do you know any more interesting facts about crocodiles? Share it all in the comments below!
The commenters were in great spirits and didn't hesitate to make friendly jokes about Henry
