NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Freshwater Crocodile
Crocodylus johnstoni Krefft, 1873
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni), also known commonly as the Australian freshwater crocodile, Johnstone's crocodile, Johnstone river crocodile and the freshie, is a species of crocodile native to the northern regions of Australia. Unlike its much larger Australian relative, the saltwater crocodile, the freshwater crocodile is not known as a man-eater, although it only bites in self-defence, and brief, nonfatal attacks have occurred, apparently the result of mistaken identity.
Wikipedia contributors, Freshwater crocodile; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:46:03.231200+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Crocodylus johnstoni Krefft, 1873
- Name authority
- Krefft, 1873
- Common name
- Freshwater Crocodile
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Crocodylia
- Family
- Crocodylidae
- Genus
- Crocodylus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderCrocodylia
- familyCrocodylidae
- genusCrocodylus
- speciesCrocodylus johnstoni Krefft, 1873
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Crocodylus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Hall’s New Guinea CrocodileCrocodylus halli Murray, Russo, Zorrilla & Mcmahan, 2019 | CrocodylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| American crocodileCrocodylus acutus Cuvier, 1807 | CrocodylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Orinoco crocodileCrocodylus intermedius Graves, 1819 | CrocodylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Philippine crocodileCrocodylus mindorensis Schmidt, 1935 | CrocodylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| New Guinea crocodileCrocodylus novaeguineae Schmidt, 1928 | CrocodylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Marsh crocodileCrocodylus palustris Lesson, 1831 | CrocodylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Siamese crocodileCrocodylus siamensis Schneider, 1801 | CrocodylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| West African crocodileCrocodylus suchus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1807 | CrocodylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tomistoma kreffti Gray ex Krefft, 1873 Gray ex Krefft, 1873 | synonym |
| Oopholis (Philas) jackyhoserae Hoser, 2012 Hoser, 2012 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Crocodylus&species=johnstoni Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:C6Q4M. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.