Reading a title like that might make you wonder whether crocodiles carry some secret immortality. But we have all come across reports of crocodile deaths, haven't we? So are they really immortal?
To answer it in short: no. Crocodiles and gators are mortal too. But the reasons for their deaths rarely come from old age — more commonly, they fall to natural disasters, poaching (yes, by us, the human species), and other external factors that can come up.
Living Fossils
Crocodiles are a remarkable species by any measure. They can even be considered living fossils for the sheer amount of time they have been around on Earth — roughly 80 to 85 million years. Think about the catastrophic events they have lived through, and still somehow managed to avoid extinction. Some even say crocodile ancestors existed during the Jurassic era — yes, there was a Jurassic era as well, not just the movie — which dates back some 200 million years ago.
Negligible Senescence
So why all the fuss around crocodiles and their anti-aging reputation? It comes down to a behavior scientists call negligible senescence. Before you ask what that means, let us get to it.
Senescence can be loosely used as a synonym for aging, though it is more accurate to say senescence contributes to aging. It is the point where cell growth stops — when there is a halt in cell division activity that would normally continue throughout the life cycle of a being. In simpler terms, it is a process of biological aging that results in a gradual decrease of a being's efficiency.
This behavior is very negligible in crocodiles. They do not grow indefinitely — once they reach adulthood, their growth, at least in terms of size, slows down considerably. There is a reason we do not see 1000-foot crocodiles.
As mentioned earlier, crocodile-like species were around during the time of the dinosaurs. Why they are not extinct yet may be partly due to their remarkable ability to survive for long stretches without food, and partly luck — some species simply happened not to be where the asteroid hit.
They Do Feel Old Age
Crocodiles do feel the effects of old age, too. Their teeth fall out, they develop cataracts the same way we humans do, their strength fades, and so on. And as they grow in size, their need for food increases proportionately. So, eventually, either they fall prey to nature or to humans, or they simply become too weak to survive.
So yes — the living fossil, as it is sometimes called, has its own fate written down, and that fate includes death.
Impressive, But Still Mortal
That is not to say crocodiles are not impressive. There are instances of crocodiles reaching literally 9 feet, and some live around 120 to 140 years. One famous crocodile, known as Mr Freshie, a freshwater crocodile from Australia, lived for around 140 years.
And crocodiles are not the only species that exhibit negligible senescence. Whales — specifically Arctic Bowhead whales — are said to have a lifespan of around 200 years. Sharks run on similar timelines. Lobsters, octopuses, jellyfish, tortoises, and other creatures are often mentioned in the same breath.
Just to stir your curious mind a little: jellyfish can actually be called immortal beings. These creatures seem able to escape death — not provable yet, but technically it appears possible. That is because jellyfish, or Turritopsis Dohrnii, can hit a reset button, returning to the start of their life-cycle phase and regenerating all over again.
Maybe we can explore some of that another time. For now, the takeaway is simple: crocodiles, immortal? No. Jellyfish, lobsters? Maybe — but that is a story for another day. Until then, remember, the curious mind talks.