Nile Crocodile
Crocodylus niloticus
CLASS: Reptilia
ORDER: Crocodylia
FAMILY: Crocodylidae
SIZE:
To 16 feet, with a record of over 19 feet
RANGE:
Most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert
HABITAT:
Rivers, lakes, and swamps
DIET:
Wild - Generalized carnivore, eating anything it can overpower
Zoo - Fish, chicken, other meat
DESCRIPTION:
A larger crocodile with a basically olive green to brownish back and sides marked with black blotches and spots in a network effect. As in all crocodiles, the fourth lower tooth is visible when the mouth is closed. The snout is also obviously narrower than in the alligators.
FACTS:
The species is dangerous to man, taking several African villagers and also tourists each year.
Widely farmed in Africa for its skin and meat
Social, living in groups of up to 20 with a dominant male (bull)
YOUNG:
Both sexes guard the nest. The young are dug out as they hatch and are guarded by the mother for their first few months, after which they move to shallow water, where they live until large enough to join the group.
STATUS:
CITES Appendix I, but some populations still large enough for CITES II. Losing habitat and often hunted.
REFERENCE:
Alderton, D. Crocodiles & Alligators of the World.
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