Size comparisons

[GuateGojira]

(05-09-2022, 10:55 PM)LonePredator Wrote: Now, if you calculate the weight for a 5.63m Mugger based on these saltwater weights, it would still be 800-900kg (assuming that Muggers are the same weight as Saltwater Crocs at same length).

But techically it should be even heavier because Muggers are the most ‘alligator-like’ and hefty in terms of morphology, they have the broadest snouts among all living crocodiles and likely the third broadest among all crocodilians only behind Chinese Alligator and Broad-Snouted Caiman which suggests that they are the heaviest crocodiles at equal lengths and the little data we have about their weights also reflects this characteristic of Muggers.

As for the lengths, if I quote Whitaker word by word, this is what he said “The maximum RELIABLY recorded length for the Mugger is 5.63m based on 2 specimens”. So he does makes it clear that the 5.63m length for the Mugger is reliable and there doesn’t seem to be doubt about it’s reliability. Also Deraniyagala (1939) stated this length in the Ceylon Journal of Science, the Tetrapod Reptiles of Ceylon Vol 1 so I don’t think a journal as such would mention a hunting record.


Now, for the Black Caiman, from what I roughly saw, Black Caimans are generally around the same weight as most Crocodiles at equal lengths so if you ask me to pick one of those lengths then I would say 4.2 metre seems more reliable to me and a 4.2 metre Black Caiman weighing 350kg seems normal and makes more sense.

And interestingly, as far as I remember, the longest Black Caiman actually recorded is only about 14 feet but they still accept that Black Caimans could exceed 16feet 5inch and on basis of that, they make the claim that Black Caimans are very large even though there is no concrete proof of a 16feet 5inch Black Caiman specimen.

Same is the case for American Crocodiles and Orinoco Crocodiles, no known reliable lengths over 5.5 metres but there are still claims about Orinoco, Black Caiman and American Alligator being the 3rd, 4th and 5th largest crocodilians. But these claims have been made on the basis of unreliable information without any proof to back these claims.

So in case of Muggers, 5.63m is much more reliable than 5 metre Black Caimans or 6.8 metre Orinoco Crocodiles (which is literally from 222 years ago). The highest known reliable lengths of Muggers is higher than that of Orinoco Crocodiles, Black Caimans or American Crocodiles and with that length, the weight of that Mugger would be much higher as well.

With the reliable data that we do have available, it shows that Muggers have attained larger sizes than all other crocodilians except Nile and Saltwater Crocodiles and this is despite the fact that data about Muggers is so scarce.

It will be good if someone can get all the lengths and body masses available (actually taken, not estimated) to create a database for this animals. I have a few, let's use only adult specimens. Reply