Anaconda vs Crocodile: Who Would Win in a Fight?

Written by Heather Ross
Updated: March 8, 2023
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Anacondas are among the biggest snakes in the world, and they primarily live in South America. Crocodiles also have a range that includes South America, and that means they could run into an anaconda in the right situation. So, which animal wins an anaconda vs crocodile fight? We’re going to show you how these animals measure up to one another and see which one has the greatest chance of survival in this battle of large reptiles.

Comparing an Anaconda and a Crocodile

Anacondas and crocodiles would pit two of the largest reptiles in the world against one another!
AnacondaCrocodile
SizeWeight: 250lbs -550lbs
Length: 17-22 feet
Diameter: 12 inches
Weight: 300-2,000lbs
Length: 10ft – 20ft
Speed and Movement Type-5 mph on land
-10 mph in the water  
– 22 mph on land (in short bursts)
– Very fast crawling motion
– 15mph in water, aided by its tail
Teeth and Power– 90 PSI crush power  
– Roughly 100 rear-facing teeth to help latch on prey.
3,700PSI bite power
– 4-inch teeth – 66 teeth
Senses– Pit organs help identify heat from prey
– Anacondas pick up vibrations from other creatures.
Uses Jacobson’s organ to smell and process chemicals.
– Great nocturnal vision and underwater vision
– Pressure receptors help crocodiles identify changes around them
Defenses– Their eyes on their head allow them to skim the surface of the water.
– Swims in water
– Large size
– Camouflage
– Tough scales
– Ability to travel on land and water
– Speed
Offensive Capabilities– Powerful bite for grasping
– Immensely powerful constriction that kills by stopping the prey’s heart while causing internal damage.
– Incredibly powerful bite
– Death roll can instantly remove large chunks of flesh.
Predatory Behavior– Ambush prey in and out of water
– Bites and holds prey while coiling around them and constricting.
– Ambush predators that wait in the water for prey to approach.

The Key Factors in a Fight Between an Anaconda and a Crocodile

A Nile Crocodile seen on a safari in South Africa

The anaconda vs crocodile battle comes down to power and size.

©Rudi Hulshof/Shutterstock.com

How do we know which reptile will win this fight? The answer is simple: we compare the bodies of each creature along with how they fight and see which creature has the greatest advantages. To achieve that, we have chosen six points of comparison for the anaconda and crocodile, and we’ll explore each in the pursuit of the answer of who survives this battle.  

Physical Features of an Anaconda and a Crocodile

Crocodiles can reach 2,000lbs in weight and 20ft in length

©iStock.com/Gumpanat

Size, power, and defenses are three of the most important indicators that we can use to figure out which animal will win a fight against the other. We are going to consider those features and more while we assign advantages to them.

Anaconda vs Crocodile: Size

Anacondas and crocodiles are both very large creatures. An anaconda can weigh up to 550lbs and measure up to 22 feet long (the longest ever recorded measured about 30 feet) with a body diameter of 12 inches. That length measurement is incredibly rare, though. Crocodiles are more massive, weighing up to 2,000lbs and measuring 20 feet long. The largest crocodile on record was named Lolong and was a saltwater crocodile. Lolong weighed 2,370 pounds and measured 20 feet 3 inches long!

Crocodiles are larger creatures, so they get the advantage here.

Anaconda vs Crocodile: Speed and Movement

The anaconda is not known for its speed, but it can still move roughly 5 mph over short distances on land and reach 10 mph in the water. That’s not too swift, especially considering that the crocodile can move up to 22 mph on land in short bursts and 15 mph in the water while propelling a lot more weight.

The crocodile has the advantage in terms of speed.

Anaconda vs Crocodile: Power and Teeth

An anaconda can have upwards of 100 rear-facing teeth that they use to bite and force their food into their bodies. Their crushing power is immense: 90 PSI. That’s more than enough to crush a human to death, and this power is used on much larger creatures including deer.

Crocodiles have the strongest measured bite at 3,700 PSI. Their teeth are conical, perfect for biting into a creature to break bones or injure vital organs.

We’re calling this section a tie since both creatures can exert a tremendous amount of force on enemies.

Anaconda vs Crocodile: Senses

Anacondas are like most other snakes in terms of their senses. They have pit organs that help them identify prey according to their heat output, and they are highly sensitive to chemicals in the air and vibrations in their environment.

As fellow reptiles, crocodiles have similar senses. They can detect changes in pressure and vibrations while also possessing great nocturnal and underwater vision.   

Anacondas have better senses, and they would know that a crocodile was lurking about in most environments.  

Anaconda vs Crocodile: Physical Defenses

Although they are large, anacondas lack physical defenses. They’re large and muscular, but anacondas are not overly fast, and they don’t have any special defenses along their body. However, their eyes are on top of their body, so most of them can remain hidden by the waters in which they live.

Crocodiles have tough scales protecting their body, making it hard to bite them. Moreover, they can travel quickly on land and in the water.

Crocodiles have an advantage in terms of physical defenses.

Combat Skills of an Anaconda and a Crocodile

anaconda slithering through grass

Anacondas attack and kill by a combination of biting and crushing.

©iStock.com/Schumaher

Anacondas and crocodiles are both incredibly good at their methods of combat. An anaconda will ambush an enemy, bite it, and then wrap its body around it while exerting incredible crushing forces upon it.

Crocodiles will launch a surprise attack and bite an enemy, essentially ensuring that the animal is unable to escape its incredible bite force. If they bite a vital place, like the head or neck, then they will just clamp down until the enemy dies. Should they latch onto a leg or other body part, they will begin rolling in place, tearing the limb off.  

Both animals are powerful in their own right, so we’re calling this a tie.

What Are Key Differences Between an Anaconda and a Crocodile?

Saltwater crocodiles are longer than most anacondas and heavier, too!

An anaconda is a snake while a crocodile is closer in morphology to a lizard, even though they are not directly related to them. Crocodiles are heavier and faster than anacondas both on land and in the water. Anacondas often grow longer than crocodiles, and their senses are more developed than crocodiles in most respects.

Although both creatures are aquatic reptiles, they use different means of hunting. Anacondas crush enemies to death but crocodiles bite and tear their enemies until they die. These contrasting elements give us enough insight to declare a winner in this fight.

Who Would Win in a Fight Between an Anaconda and a Crocodile?

Bull shark facts - crocodile vs bull shark

An adult crocodile would beat an anaconda in a fight.

©Sergey Uryadnikov/Shutterstock.com

A crocodile would beat an anaconda in a fight. A fully grown crocodile is simply too big and strong for an anaconda to kill. Even in an ambush situation, the anaconda would struggle to wrap enough of its body around the crocodile to inhibit its movement and crush it.

Moreover, the anaconda attacks head-first, meaning its most vulnerable part of the body is going to be right near the strongest pair of jaws and teeth in the world. A crocodile would probably bite straight into an anaconda’s head and kill it instantly or just keep biting and tearing until the anaconda dies.

It’s possible that an anaconda could kill a crocodile in the right circumstances, but the dizzying power and speed of a crocodile could end the fight in seconds rather than the minutes an anaconda needs.

What Kind of Animal Can Defeat a Crocodile?

There are not many animals that can take on a crocodile in a one-on-one fight and be able to claim victory, but there are some animals that are capable. It takes a faster, larger, more efficient killer to be able to accomplish this, and a tiger just so happens to be one of them!

Fully on land and in the open, the tiger has a straight-up advantage over a croc, which finds most of its food near water or in water. Crocs are well-known for pulling victims underwater in a death roll once they have firmly bit them. If a croc was found basking in the sun on a bank, it would be vulnerable to attack. However, an aquatic fight between these two would not be one-sided towards the croc necessarily. Tigers are fairly comfortable in water. But that would be the crocs best chance of winning this fight.

Most likely, a tiger could outmaneuver a croc and land a powerful bite on the throat or neck. As long as the big cat maintains a position on dry land, this fight is probably won by the tiger.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Patrick K. Campbell/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Heather Ross is a secondary English teacher and mother of 2 humans, 2 tuxedo cats, and a golden doodle. In between taking the kids to soccer practice and grading papers, she enjoys reading and writing about all the animals!

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