Number 14 Attacked by Fidel Castro’s Crocodile While attending a private party at the Skansen
Aquarium, in Stockholm, an elderly man was savaged by a crocodile that once belonged
to Fidel Castro. The victim had his arm on the wrong side of the security glass, when
one of the Cuban crocodiles in the enclosure bit him. The man was fortunate enough to keep
his limb, but the damage was extensive. His mangled arm was heavily bandaged and he was
rushed to the hospital. The crocodiles at the aquarium were gifted by Cuban President
Fidel Castro to Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov, in 1978, when they were very young.
Shatalov is believed to have held them in his Moscow apartment until they got too big
to care for. They ultimately ended up at the Swedish aquarium after a stint at the Moscow
Zoo. Number 13 Cuban Crocodile
The Cuban crocodile is one of the rarest and most violent croc species in the animal kingdom.
There are several characteristics that set Crocodylus rhombifer apart from the others.
It has long, muscular legs and is, by far, the most terrestrial crocodile species. Using
its powerful tail, the croc can launch itself out of the water and snatch animals from hanging
branches. A Cuban crocodile colony in Florida has been observed exhibiting pack behavior.
This feature explains the predation of prehistoric megafauna it coexisted with, like the giant
sloth. The animal is not only notoriously aggressive but also suspected of being the
most intelligent of all crocodiles. It tends to dominate other crocodilians wherever their
ranges overlap. Number 12 Attack in Kalimantan
In December of 2008, a fisherman in Kalimantan, on the Island of Borneo was killed and eaten
by a false gharial. This was the first confirmed fatality attributed to this rare crocodilian
species. On New Year’s Eve, news of the man’s disappearance started to spread and
a search party was put together. Among those involved there was also a pawang, a type of
shaman with the purported ability of calling crocodiles. Once the beast was hunted down,
it was cut open and the fisherman’s remains were found inside its stomach.
Number 11 False Gharial Gharials are crocodiles with very long and
narrow snouts that primarily prey on fish. This species is one of the longest extant
crocodilians, reaching up to 22 feet, which means it’s about the same size as a giraffe.
They tend to avoid humans and aren’t generally considered to be a threat. False gharials,
on the other hand, have at least 3 confirmed kills. The “false” part of their common
name is related to the shape of their snout, which broadens significantly towards the base,
thus making these creatures more similar to “true” crocodiles rather than gharials.
This beast has a slender snout and the longest skull of any crocodilian species. The skull
of one record-breaking specimen measured almost 3 feet, or about as much the average toddler.
Number 10 Alejandro Jimenez and Lisset Rendon In the summer of 2014, Alejandro Jimenez and
Lisset Rendon made the natural history books as the first people in the US to ever be attacked
by the American crocodile. The couple took a late night swim in a canal from Coral Gables,
Florida, when they encountered the 12-foot reptile. A desperate struggle ensued. Fortunately,
the crocodile didn’t follow through on the attack which likely would’ve ended in the
couple being eaten. Instead, it settled for biting them, probably as an expression of
territoriality. Jimenez was mauled on the hands and torso. He recovered at a hospital
while his girlfriend, who was only bitten on the shoulder, rested at home.
Number 9 American Crocodile When it comes to crocodilian attacks in the
Floridian wilderness, alligators are often the main culprits. That, however, is only
because of their greater numbers and tolerance for freshwater and brackish environments.
American crocodiles prefer the saltier waters off the coast and consequently don’t have
many people cross their territories. As a general rule, crocodiles are more aggressive
than alligators. The American is among the larger crocodilians. Exceptional males can
tip the scales at 2,000 pounds and measure 20 feet from snout to tail. That’s as long
as a python and twice as heavy as a horse. They’re also deceptively quick in moving
their weight around, as they can reach speeds of about 20 mph in the water and 10 mph on
land. Number 8 Javara Parmar
In July of 2020, a woman from the Indian district of Vadodara, in the state of Gujarat, was
washing clothes on a river bank. 70-year-old Javara Parmar was knee-deep in water when
a mugger crocodile clamped its jaws on her leg. Other villagers intervened and tried
to save the woman from the jaws of death. Unfortunately, the 13-foot mugger proved too
strong. Parmar was dragged underwater and drowned, after an hour-long struggle. A team
of crocodile catchers subsequently managed to trap the beast and transferred it to Vadodara
forest authorities. According to one of the trappers, the crocodile had been living in
the river for years and had been involved in other fatal attacks.
Number 7 Mugger Crocodile Mugger crocodiles are found in freshwater
habitats ranging from southern Iran to the Indian subcontinent. They have the infamous
armored skin, ferocious jaws and killer instinct that make crocodilians dreaded predators.
Since they don’t really overlap with saltwater crocs, muggers are only challenged by Bengal
tigers and Asiatic lions. A number of fatal attacks on humans have been recorded. They
usually involve the reptile dragging victims from river banks and drowning them, but rarely
consuming them. Mugger crocodile intelligence is rather remarkable since this creature is
among the first reptiles to be recorded using tools. It will often balance branches and
sticks on its head. This effectively place birds looking for nesting material within
striking distance. Number 6 Cynthia Covert
South Carolina woman Cynthia Covert was killed by an alligator, after she was warned not
to approach the beast. Covert, who worked as a manicurist, had an appointment at a gated
community called Kiawah Island. While working on the porch, she spotted the gator and headed
towards it to take pictures. Her client and her husband warned Covert to stay away and
told her they’d seen the animal snatch a deer. Covert didn’t listen and the alligator
attacked her as she got near it. She resurfaced from the pond in waist-deep water and said
“I guess I won’t do this again”. These would be her final words. Within moments,
the alligator attacked again, dragged Covert underwater and drowned her.
Number 5 American Alligator The American alligator is indigenous to the
Southeastern United States, where it’s the official state reptile for Louisiana, Mississippi
and Florida. It’s an apex predator found in freshwater wetlands, such as marshes and
cypress swamps. It feeds on other reptiles, fish, amphibians, birds and mammals. In the
Everglades, alligators have been observed preying on Burmese pythons, possibly even
playing a role in curtailing the invasive species’ expansion. The American alligator
owned the strongest bite ever measured, until it was dethroned by the saltwater crocodile.
Size is the distancing factor, as gators rarely go beyond 1,000 pounds, meaning they weigh
about as much as a Grand Piano. These creatures are capable of killing humans but are considered
less aggressive than other crocodilian species. Fatal attacks are fairly rare. Still, even
if the bite doesn’t kill its victim, it may still result in a fatal infection.
Number 4 Estevao Alberto Gino In March of 2017, a Mozambican soccer player
was snatched and killed by a crocodile while he was training. 19-year-old Estevao Alberto
Gino played for Atletico Mineiro de Tete, a club in the country’s second division.
He was running along a bank of the Zambezi River. At some point, he stretched his hands
into the water, presumably to cool off. That’s when a massive Nile crocodile bit Estevao
and dragged him underwater. Neighbors, who’d witnessed the incident, were powerless to
stop the beast from taking the teenager. By their accounts, the crocodile was roughly
16 feet long. Number 3 Nile Crocodile
The Nile crocodile and the saltwater crocodile are not only the largest crocodilian species
but also the ones most likely to target humans with the intention of eating them. Consequently,
they’re responsible for the majority of attacks and fatalities. The Nile crocodile
is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa in stable numbers. They’re opportunistic
apex predators capable of taking any creature within their range. Large specimens have been
observed killing giraffes, young elephants and even black rhinos. This is the only creature
that will take on the Cape buffalo, nicknamed the Widow Maker, on its own. Against large
prey, they’ll lie in wait at the water’s edge before violently ambushing the victim
and dragging it in the water to be drowned and dismembered. They’ll tackle prey in
their natural habitat but also engage in terrestrial campaigns, under the cover of darkness, up
to 200 feet from the water’s edge. Nile crocodiles are thus capable of unpredictable
attacks against a wide variety of species. Today's topic was requested by Shadow Phoenix.
If you have any other topics you'd like to learn about, subscribe & let us know in the
comments section below. Number 2 Craig Dickmann
Ranger Craig Dickmann miraculously survived being death rolled twice by the saltwater
crocodile, the largest of all crocodilians. He was fishing alone at Cape York, in Australia,
when the croc attacked him with barred teeth. The creature clamped its jaws on his limbs,
pulled him in the water and started death rolling. This move involves the crocodile
twisting its body, with the jaws locked on its victim. It’s meant to break bones and
separate chunks of flesh. Thinking back on the attack, Dickmann said “That noise will
haunt me forever - the snap of its jaws – it was quicker than your mind can register”.
He added that saltwater crocs had virtually no weakness. At 9 feet, the crocodile was
relatively small and only managed to peel off some of the ranger’s flesh. The man
dug his fingers in its snout and managed to fling it away before escaping to his car.
He drove to the ranger station, where he was given first aid prior to being airlifted to
a hospital. Dickmann was extremely fortunate. He could still use his mauled hand and the
bite in his thigh had narrowly missed his femoral artery.
Number 1 Saltwater Crocodile The saltwater crocodile is an uncontested
apex predator and one of the most dominant beasts in the animal kingdom. Males can attain
truly staggering proportions. Studies of their morphology have theorized that they’re capable
of growing to 23 feet while weighing roughly 4,400 pounds, or about as much as an adult
black rhino. Large specimens may generate nearly 8,000 pounds of force with their bite,
meaning it’s close to that of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. This is due to large spaces in their
jaws for muscles which are extremely stiff and almost as hard as bone. Crocodylus porosus
will thus prevail against virtually any animal that enters its territory.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather be death rolled by a saltwater croc or get caught in
a Cape buffalo stampede? Let us know in the comments section below!