🦈 Shortfin mako vs Saltwater crocodile 🐊
The saltwater crocodile is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦈 Shortfin mako | 🐊 Saltwater crocodile |
|---|---|---|
| Size The saltwater crocodile is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako. | 10 to 12 ft3.2 to 3.8 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. | 132 to 298 lb60 to 135 kg1 | no checked number yet |
| Lives We don't have a checked number for the saltwater crocodile yet. | 29 to 32 years29 to 32 years1 | no checked number yet |
| Eats The shortfin mako eats fish; the saltwater crocodile eats meat. | mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid | fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface | rivers, swamps and coasts from India to northern Australia |
Which one? Shortfin mako or saltwater crocodile
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the shortfin mako 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 Shortfin mako vs Saltwater crocodile
- The shortfin mako: A sleek open-ocean shark that travels far across the sea.
- The saltwater crocodile: The biggest reptile alive, at home in rivers and even the sea.
- They are different kinds of animal. The shortfin mako is a fish, so it breathes with gills; the saltwater crocodile is a reptile, so it has scaly skin.
- The saltwater crocodile is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako: 2 against 1.
- The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid. The saltwater crocodile eats fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water.
- The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. The saltwater crocodile lives in rivers, swamps and coasts from India to northern Australia. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The shortfin mako: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The saltwater crocodile: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🦈 Shortfin mako
- A shortfin mako travels very long distances.
- Females are bigger than males.
- It lives in warm and cool seas around the world.
🐊 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 Shortfin mako and Saltwater crocodile
Which is bigger, shortfin mako or saltwater crocodile?
The saltwater crocodile is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, shortfin mako or saltwater crocodile?
We only have a checked weight for the shortfin mako: 1. Scientists are still working out the other.
What do shortfin mako and saltwater crocodile eat?
The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid. The saltwater crocodile eats fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water.
Where do shortfin mako and saltwater crocodile live?
The shortfin mako lives in open ocean in warm and cool seas around the world, mostly near the surface. The saltwater crocodile lives in rivers, swamps and coasts from India to northern Australia. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do shortfin makos eat saltwater crocodiles?
The shortfin mako eats mostly fish such as bluefish, plus squid. Saltwater crocodiles are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the saltwater crocodile is about one and a half times as long as the shortfin mako.
Do saltwater crocodiles eat shortfin makos?
The saltwater crocodile eats fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water. Shortfin makos are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, shortfin mako 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/mako-shark-vs-saltwater-crocodile
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Isurus oxyrinchus (shortfin mako), 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.