Common Name: Nile Crocodile
Scientific Name: Crocodylus niloticus
Family: Crocodylidae – Crocodile Family
Locations: Angola, Botswana, Burund, Cameroon, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Size: 16 – 20 feet (4.8 – 6 meters), 500 – 1,650 pounds (227 – 750 kilograms)
The Nile Crocodile lives not just by the Nile River but throughout most of Africa. The croc can live in salt water but prefers fresh or brackish waters. The males of the species are larger than the females, typical for crocodilians. They are apex predators. They are also considered the second largest living reptile by body mass.
During the mating season, the male crocodiles try to attract the females by bellowing, blowing air out of their nose, or smacking their snout on the water. Honestly, pretty much anything to get the females attention. Males can fight between themselves over territory. I won’t go into the details on the mating but its not great for the female.
One to two months later, the female lays between 25 – 80 eggs in a nest that she made. She needs no man.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Nile Crocodile as Least Concern for Extinction. The crocodile has a wide range and are numerous throughout it.
