Which crocodilian is the largest living reptile by average and maximum recorded size?

The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile by average and maximum recorded size.

Adult males can exceed 6 metres in exceptional cases, although most are smaller. The species has a broad snout, powerful jaws, and a muscular tail that provides propulsion in water. It lives in coastal wetlands, estuaries, mangroves, rivers, and lagoons across parts of South and Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

Despite its name, the saltwater crocodile also spends much of its life in freshwater. Special glands help it tolerate seawater, allowing individuals to travel between islands and coastal systems. This ability explains its broad geographic distribution.

It is often confused with the Nile crocodile, another very large crocodilian. The Nile crocodile can reach impressive sizes, but the saltwater crocodile is generally recognized as the largest living crocodilian. Crocodilians are archosaurs, placing them closer evolutionarily to birds than to most other modern reptiles.