Crocodile at Grumeti River

Crocodiles are found all over the world. These prehistoric creatures are survivors, so perfectly adapted for their environment that they have hardly changed since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Here’s a brief guide to this ultimate predator.

Crocodile Facts

Although the Saltwater Crocodile in Australasia is the biggest of the 15 crocodile species, growing up to an immense seven metres in length, it is the Nile Crocodile of Africa that is the most feared. This is because Nile Crocodiles are sometimes responsible for human deaths across the continent in locations where villagers and crocodiles are forced to live side by side. As well as killing humans, they also kill livestock, making them a menace for many people.

The Nile Crocodile can grow up to 5.5 metres in length, although there are reports of some growing over 6 metres. They can weigh up to 1,000 kg, and in the wild they generally live up to 47 years of age.

Crocodiles have an incredible ability to stave off infections. Even though they are regularly injured in dirty water, they are often able to survive their injuries in a way that humans could not possibly manage. This is one of the key reasons behind their incredible survival abilities.

Crocodile Behaviour

Crocodiles are stealthy hunters. Most of the time they hunt in the cool of the evenings, swimming right up close to their prey on the riverbanks without being seen. They wait patiently and then ambush their prey with a lightening reaction, dragging animals into the water and drowning them. However, despite what you see on the TV, most of their diet is made up of fish rather than wildebeest and other large mammals.

The Best Places to See Nile Crocodiles

Africa has three species of crocodile – the Nile Crocodile, the Slender Snouted Crocodile and the African Dwarf Crocodile. However, you are most likely to come across the Nile Crocodile. This is found all over Sub-Saharan Africa, but is most common in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Madagascar and Botswana.

One of the best places to see crocodiles when you go on a photo safari is in the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Masai Mara in Kenya. During the Great Migration, they pick off large mammals as they try to cross the Grumeti river and Mara river, providing one of the best and most reliable opportunities to watch them hunting in the wild. Getting up close and personal with a mighty killer such as this is definitely an experience and one of the highlights of any safari in Africa,

Alternatively, head to the wetlands of the Okavango Delta in Botswana where crocodiles are present in large numbers and you may get to see them from the safety of your boat.

Crocodile Conservation

Up to the 1960s the Nile Crocodile was heavily hunted, almost to extinction, for its meat and leather. However, a lot more has been done since then to protect them, and now there are up to half a million living in the wild.

Despite these efforts, the Nile Crocodile is still threatened by bad fishing practices, hunting and pollution all across the continent, which continues to cause concern for conservationists. Crocodiles control certain populations of fish and clean up the waterways by eating dead animals that would otherwise decay, meaning they are hugely important to the overall picture.

For more information on crocodiles and their plight, visit International Crocodile Specialist Group.