Juveniles feed mostly on water beetles, crustaceans, fish, frogs and turtles. Adults prey on large mammals, such as goats, pigs, sheep and young cattle. This species has been confirmed as a manpeater and therefore is hated and feared. One specimen kept alive in Siliman University for 4 1/2 years grew from a total length of 675mm and a weight of 1,061gm to a length of  902mm and a weight of 3,235gm. This crocodile builds a nest of leaves in which it lays 25-60 eggs. The mother stays near the nest during the period of incubation (2.5 months) to guard the nest from predators.
Threats: It's hide is used in leather industry. Some people have developed a taste for cocodile meat and this has increased pressure on the hunting of the species.
Interesting Information: In the Philippines, survey information was collected by the Crocodile Farming Institute. Saltwater crocodile populations and habitats are greatly reduced throughout the Philippines and no large populations are known (Ortega et al. 1994). Remaining crocodiles appear to distributed as single individuals and small groups scattered through the remaining habitat. Particular areas of distribution include the island of Mindanao, the Liguasan swamp area, and numerous small rivers around Palawan and northeastern Luzon. Crocodiles have also been recently sighted or captured from Siargo, Negros, Bohol, and Panay (Ortega and Regoniel 1993). On Palawan, the majority of wild adults (141 individuals) are thought to have been caught and moved to the CFI farm where they form the nucleus of a captive population for breeding efforts for commercial use and restocking.

Conservation Efforts/Measures:High priority - Population censuses in unsurveyed countries: Quantitative information on the status of C. porosus populations is lacking for many countries where this species occurs, and within most of the other countries large areas remain unsurveyed. Population surveys need to be conducted in Burma, Cambodia, peninsular Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Philippines. Follow up surveys and monitoring, in association with conservation and management programs should be developed for Thailand, Indonesia, Sabah and Sarawak.

Photograph Information:courtesy of  J.Gazecki and Senari Ponnamperuma