Crocodile vs Shark (Strength, Size, Diet, Habitat)

Even though the crocodile has a stronger bite than most sharks, it would still lose out to a shark. However, a great white shark would easily beat a crocodile in a fight because it’s larger and much tougher to kill.

A fight between the two would probably have bad consequences for both. Luckily for them, crocodiles and sharks rarely share their habitat. Crocodiles mostly populate lakes and rivers of tropical habitats, while sharks are mostly found in seas and oceans. Both sharks and crocodiles are carnivores.

In this article, we’re going to compare crocodile vs shark and see what the major differences between the two are, as well as their similarities.

Summary Table: Crocodile vs Shark

	Crocodile	Shark
Bite Strength	around 3700 PSI	4000 PSI
Size	17 feet	40 feet
Diet	Carnivorous	Carnivorous
Habitat	Tropical lakes, rivers	Ocean
Conservation Status	Lower risk – Endangered	Vulnerable – Critically Endangered

Crocodile vs Shark

1. Strength

Crocodiles have a very strong bite, but they don’t have a stronger bite than the shark. The great white shark is also up to two times larger than the average crocodile, so crocodiles would usually lose out in this fight.

However, crocodiles are ferocious animals that could easily beat smaller shark species. The Nile crocodile has the strongest bite strength of all animals in the world – around 5000 PSI, which is definitely respectable. But there are also other factors to consider when comparing the strength of a crocodile vs shark.

The first and very crucial factor is size. Sharks are up two times larger than most crocodile species, although smaller sharks are also smaller than crocodiles.

Both crocodiles and sharks are considered to be apex predators (at least the majority of both species). This means that they both don’t have natural predators because of their strength and superiority over other species.

But one thing is certain: if sharks and crocodiles would ever get into a fight, it would have terrible consequences for both of the animals because of how strong both are.

2. Size

Most shark species are larger than crocodiles. However, there are also some shark species that are smaller than crocodiles, such as the dwarf lantern shark, which is the smallest shark species in the world, measuring just 8.3 inches.

On the flip side, the largest shark in the world is the whale shark, which could be as big as 60 feet.

The world’s smallest crocodile is the West African dwarf crocodile, which measures up to 6 feet. The largest crocodile species is the saltwater crocodile, which might grow to up to 20 ft. The largest ever recorded crocodile was called Lolong, and it measured 20 feet and 3 inches.

As you may see, there is a much starker contrast when it comes to the sizes of crocodile species when compared to sharks. Sharks come in different shapes and sizes and could be small enough to fit your hand, or large enough to cover the length of two cars and a half.

On average, though, sharks are generally larger than crocodiles if you compare all the shark and crocodile species. There is great variety in both of these two animal groups, so it’s hard to make a definite conclusion for all of the subspecies of both of these groups.

Related Article: 10 Shark Adaptations

3. Diet

Both crocodiles and sharks are carnivores. They are also apex predators, which means they don’t have predators and they rule their habitats.

Crocodiles prefer a heavily carnivorous diet. They are exceptional hunters, as they will hunt both on land and in the water. In the wild, they are used to eating fish, small frogs, lizards, crustaceans, small mammals, and other creatures. They have a strong bite and will usually stay in the water to hunt other animals there.

Sharks are also good hunters. They are apex predators, which means they don’t have natural predators, yet they are still endangered. This is mainly because of the loss of habitat and human intrusion in their habitats, which might cause them to lose habitat. This is an unfortunate event.

Most shark species will feed on smaller fish and the plankton that is in the water. Some sharks will also hunt larger fish species, especially the larger sharks. But most will prefer a diet that is heavy with plankton because that’s an easy type of food to get and it is abundant in many habitats.

4. Habitat

Crocodiles live in tropical areas with a lot of water sources. They live near rivers and lakes where they can cool down inside the water and hunt their prey. Sharks, on the other hand, tend to live in seas and oceans, but they prefer oceans because they are deeper and provide them with more space.

Crocodiles and sharks will rarely collide with each other. That is because crocodiles prefer shallow water sources where they can cool themselves down but still come onto the surface when they feel like it.

Sharks, on the other hand, prefer deep water sources such as oceans and seas. They need plenty of space to move around and swim freely. Some sharks prefer to stay near coral reefs, while others will populate the seas under the ice. They can also have a varied habitat as they might move around often.

Because of human intrusion, temperature changes, and loss of habitat, sharks are often endangered. They also get hunted by humans for food sometimes, and that is why some shark species are vulnerable. This is even true of the larger shark species that are seen as apex predators in their habitat.

Conclusion

To conclude, sharks are usually larger than crocodiles, but crocodiles have a stronger bite than sharks. They almost never meet though, because their habitats are so different. They have a very similar type of diet and both animals are considered to be apex predators in their habitats.

If there ever was a fight between a shark and a crocodile, it would probably have bad consequences for both animals.