🦈 Bull shark vs Saltwater crocodile 🐊
The saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the bull shark.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦈 Bull shark | 🐊 Saltwater crocodile |
|---|---|---|
| Size The saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the bull shark. | 7.5 to 9.3 ft2.3 to 2.8 m1 | 20 ft6.1 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the saltwater crocodile yet. | 209 to 245 lb95 to 111 kg1 | no checked number yet |
| Lives We don't have a checked number for the saltwater crocodile yet. | 32 years32 years1 | no checked number yet |
| Eats The bull shark eats fish; the saltwater crocodile eats meat. | mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs | fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes | rivers, swamps and coasts from India to northern Australia |
Which one? Bull shark or saltwater crocodile
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the bull shark or the saltwater crocodile yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
8 things to know about Bull shark vs Saltwater crocodile
- The bull shark: A sturdy shark that can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- The saltwater crocodile: The biggest reptile alive, at home in rivers and even the sea.
- They are different kinds of animal. The bull shark is a fish, so it breathes with gills; the saltwater crocodile is a reptile, so it has scaly skin.
- The saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the bull shark: 2 against 1.
- The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The saltwater crocodile eats fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water.
- The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. The saltwater crocodile lives in rivers, swamps and coasts from India to northern Australia. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The bull shark: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The saltwater crocodile: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦈 Bull shark
- A bull shark can swim in salt water and in fresh water.
- It is the only shark that can stay in fresh water for a long time.
- It eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays.
🐊 Saltwater crocodile
- A mother carries her babies gently in her mouth.
- It can float with only its eyes and nose above water.
- It can swim out to sea, between islands.
Questions kids ask about Bull shark and Saltwater crocodile
Which is bigger, bull shark or saltwater crocodile?
The saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the bull shark: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, bull shark or saltwater crocodile?
We only have a checked weight for the bull shark: 1. Scientists are still working out the other.
What do bull shark and saltwater crocodile eat?
The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. The saltwater crocodile eats fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water.
Where do bull shark and saltwater crocodile live?
The bull shark lives in warm, shallow coastal seas, and also rivers and lakes. The saltwater crocodile lives in rivers, swamps and coasts from India to northern Australia. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do bull sharks eat saltwater crocodiles?
The bull shark eats mostly fish such as catfish and stingrays, and also crabs. Saltwater crocodiles are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the bull shark.
Do saltwater crocodiles eat bull sharks?
The saltwater crocodile eats fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water. Bull sharks are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, bull shark or saltwater crocodile?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/bull-shark-vs-saltwater-crocodile
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Carcharhinus leucas (bull shark), checked 10 November 2026.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service rule, Federal Register 24 June 1996 (govinfo.gov), checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.