The crocodile of the Nile

The crocodile of the Nile river is a protected reptile species although common to the rivers, swamps, dams, and lakes of countries in eastern Africa. However, it is absent from the high altitude lakes of the Rift Valley in Kenya.

The Nile Crocodile (Crocodilus niloticus) is a large brown or grey crocodile that grows up to 5 metres (16 feet) long and weighs up to 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds).

The female crocodile (cow) lays white hard-shelled eggs in a nest, and guards them until they hatch. Baby Nile crocodiles eat insects and frogs, while adult crocodiles eat fish, turtles, birds, and mammals.

Crocodiles are different from alligators – crocodiles have long thin V-shaped snouts (noses), whereas alligators have U-shaped snouts. Crocodiles have exposed teeth, whereas alligators do not show their teeth when their mouths are closed. Crocodiles lay their eggs in nests and alligators lay their eggs in mounds.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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