---
title: "What the sources say about the Nile Crocodile | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "64 claims from the Nile Crocodile profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/nile-crocodile-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/nile-crocodile/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Nile Crocodile (*Crocodylus niloticus*)

> 64 claims from the Nile Crocodile profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Nile Crocodile](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/nile-crocodile/)

## Nile Crocodiles ( Crocodylus niloticus & C. suchus ) Fact Sheet: Summary. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library, 2026.

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/nile_crocodile/summary

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Freshwater lakes, rivers and brackish coastal swamps in eastern and southern Africa and the Nile valley | Species: Crocodylus niloticus - Nile Crocodile (eastern Africa, Nile valley, southern Africa) (note: stats.habitat, range half) |
| Freshwater lakes, rivers and brackish coastal swamps | Habitat: Freshwater lakes, rivers and brackish coastal swamps. (note: stats.habitat, habitat half) |
| in eastern and southern Africa and the Nile valley | Species: Crocodylus niloticus - Nile Crocodile (eastern Africa, Nile valley, southern Africa) |
| lives in freshwater lakes, rivers and brackish coastal swamps | Habitat: Freshwater lakes, rivers and brackish coastal swamps. |
| Crocodiles of west and central Africa are a newly recognized separate species, Crocodylus suchus. | Species: Crocodylus suchus - Nile Crocodile (west and central Africa) (note: 'newly recognized' from the same page: 'Crocodylus suchus : Newly recognized species; assessment not yet available') |
| The 2017 Red List assessment rated the Nile crocodile Least Concern. | Crocodylus niloticus : Least Concern (2017 assessment) |
| The zoo fact sheet, which covers both Nile crocodile species together, estimates 250,000 to 500,000 wild individuals but says the figures are not reliable. | Estimated 250,000 to 500,000 individuals, but figures not reliable. |
| which covers both Nile crocodile species together | Nile Crocodiles ( Crocodylus niloticus & C. suchus ) Fact Sheet: Summary (note: faq 3 scope) |

## Nile Crocodiles ( Crocodylus niloticus & C. suchus ) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library, 2026.

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/nile_crocodile/characteristics

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| together they are the largest crocodiles in Africa | Largest crocodile in Africa (note: the fact sheet covers C. niloticus and C. suchus together, so the superlative is scoped to both) |
| a total length of 2.0 to 3.3 m | Total Length 2.0-3.3 m (6.6-11 ft) (note: two-species figure, scoped in the sentence ('For both')) |
| a weight of 70 to 100 kg | Weight 70-100 kg (154-220 lb) (note: two-species figure; table column is 'Males & Females') |
| males are larger than females | Males larger than females. |
| Its maximum recorded length, snout to tail tip, is 5 m | Maximum recorded body length from snout to tip of tail is 5 m (16 ft) |
| adults of 1,000 kg have been reported | Adults weighing 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) have been reported |
| Africa's largest crocodiles | Largest crocodile in Africa (note: heading; two-species scope) |
| The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance fact sheet this page draws on covers both species together | Nile Crocodiles ( Crocodylus niloticus & C. suchus ) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics (note: scope of every SDZWA page) |

## Nile Crocodiles ( Crocodylus niloticus & C. suchus ) Fact Sheet: Behavior & Ecology. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library, 2026.

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/nile_crocodile/behavior

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| At the water surface, only its eyes, ears and nostrils are exposed. | At the water surface, only the eyes, ears, and nostrils are exposed |
| Out of water it tires easily. | Become exhausted easily on land |
| The fastest way a crocodile moves on land is the gallop | Gallop (from Webb and Manolis 1989; Cott 1975) Fastest form of terrestrial movement |
| which the fact sheet calls typical of the young of some crocodile species | Typical in the young of some crocodile species |
| A galloping crocodile reaches 18 km/h for short distances | Reach speeds of 18 km/hr (11mi/hr) for short distances |
| it may stay under for up to two hours | May remain underwater for up to two hours when not moving |
| Its blood is adapted to cope with lactic acid levels that would kill other vertebrates. | adapted to high levels of lactic acid in their blood ... Such lactic acid levels would kill other vertebrates |

## Nile Crocodiles ( Crocodylus niloticus & C. suchus ) Fact Sheet: Diet & Feeding. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library, 2026.

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/nile_crocodile/diet

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Mostly fish, plus mammals such as impala, buffalo and young hippos | Fish are mainstay of diet (note: stats.diet) |
| Mostly fish, plus mammals such as impala, buffalo and young hippos | Feed on impala, bushbuck, water buck, giraffes, buffalo, young hippos, hyenas, wild dogs, porcupines, and lions in Kruger National Park (note: stats.diet, mammals half) |
| Launches its body out of the water to grab prey | Launch body out of the water to grab prey (note: stats.superpower) |
| It swims silently underwater until it is near the shore | Silently swim underwater until near shore |
| may surface with its eyes above the water to check its position | May surface, with eyes above the water, to check position |
| then launches its body out of the water to grab prey | Launch body out of the water to grab prey |
| It can lunge several times its own body length onto land. | Can lunge several times own body length out of the water, onto land |
| It drags prey into the water to drown it | Drag prey into water and drown |
| tears big prey apart by holding on and rotating until a piece comes away | Crocodile takes hold of prey and rotates in the water until a piece is torn away |
| Its tail bats at birds in the reeds, bending the reeds down and flipping the birds into the water. | Tail bats at birds in reeds Tail bends reeds down and flips birds into water |
| Fish are the mainstay of an adult's diet | Fish are mainstay of diet |
| in South Africa's Kruger National Park it also takes impala, buffalo, giraffes and young hippos | Feed on impala, bushbuck, water buck, giraffes, buffalo, young hippos, hyenas, wild dogs, porcupines, and lions in Kruger National Park |
| One meal may be up to 20% of its body mass. | May consume up to 20% of body mass in one meal |
| Stones are often found in their stomachs and may make up about 1% of a crocodile's body weight. | Gastroliths (rocks) often found in the stomach ... May account for c. 1% of total body weight |
| lists possible jobs: helping with buoyancy, giving stability in the water, and adding weight to help hold down struggling prey | To help maintain buoyancy in the water Useful when lying on the river bottom Added weight helps to subdue struggling prey To lower the center of gravity and gain stability in the water |
| Young crocodiles have no stones inside them. | Young crocodiles lack gastroliths in the stomach |

## Nile Crocodiles ( Crocodylus niloticus & C. suchus ) Fact Sheet: Reproduction & Development. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library, 2026.

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/nile_crocodile/reproduction

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Eggs incubated at 28 to 31 °C hatch only females, while 34 °C produces 81% male hatchlings. | Only females hatch at temperatures between 28°C and 31°C ( 82-88°F) (Hutton 1987) Male neonates Temperatures of 34°C (93°F) result in 81% male hatchlings |
| Eggs incubated below 27 °C never hatch. | Eggs incubated below 27°C (81°F) never hatch |
| Nest temperature picks the sex | Sex determined by nest temperature (note: heading) |
| The mother digs a hole with her hind limbs and snout | Female digs hole with hind limbs and snout |
| lays 55 to 60 eggs | Clutch size 55-60 eggs |
| Incubation takes 84 to 90 days | Eggs are incubated 84 to 90 days |
| she guards the nest for about 10 to 14 weeks | Watches nest for c. 10-14 weeks |
| At hatching, the young call from inside the eggs, and the sound can be heard up to 20 m away. | Baby crocodiles utter distress calls from within the egg below ground Sound can be heard up to 20 m |
| She moves the soil off | Female moves soil off the nest to allow young to escape |
| gathers hatchlings in her mouth and carries them to the water | gathers hatchlings in her mouth, and moves from nest to nearby water |
| A hatchling is about 28 cm long and weighs about 80 g. | Body measures c. 28 cm (11 in) long Weigh c. 80 g (2.8 oz) |

## Nile Crocodiles ( Crocodylus niloticus & C. suchus ) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library, 2026.

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/nile_crocodile/distribution

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| but not at Africa's southern tip | Absent from the southern tip of Africa |

## AnAge entry for Crocodylus niloticus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Crocodylus_niloticus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A wild-born female Nile crocodile was reported living more than 56 years in captivity. | A wild born female was reported living more than 56 years in captivity |

## Leitch & Catania (2012). Structure, innervation and response properties of integumentary sensory organs in crocodilians. Journal of Experimental Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.076836

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| An armored crocodile whose skin is more touch-sensitive than a primate's fingertips | Despite crocodilians' armored bodies, the ISOs imparted a mechanical sensitivity exceeding that of primate fingertips. (note: tagline; the study covered the Nile crocodile and the American alligator) |
| A Nile crocodile looks like a suit of armor | Despite crocodilians' armored bodies (note: armored bodies) |
| on a Nile crocodile's jaws and body scales | Integumentary sensory organs (ISOs) are densely distributed on the jaws of crocodilians and on body scales of members of the families Crocodilidae and Gavialidae. (note: jaws and body scales) |
| roughly 9,000 sensory organs | Each of the ISOs (roughly 4000 in A. mississippiensis and 9000 in C. niloticus) (note: count) |
| In tests on Nile crocodiles and American alligators, these organs were more sensitive to touch than primate fingertips. | documented related behaviors for an alligatorid (Alligator mississippiensis) and a crocodylid (Crocodylus niloticus) (note: species tested) |
| these organs were more sensitive to touch than primate fingertips | the ISOs imparted a mechanical sensitivity exceeding that of primate fingertips |
| Some of their nerve units responded most strongly to vibrations of 20 to 35 hertz (cycles per second), which fits reports that the organs detect ripples made by prey on the water surface. | Several rapidly adapting units responded maximally to vibrations at 20-35 Hz, consistent with reports of the ISOs' role in detecting prey-generated water surface ripples. (note: units are the afferent nerve units recorded; hertz gloss: cycles per second, from the SDZWA behavior page, 'frequencies between 100 and 4,000 hertz (cycles per second)'; "most strongly" paraphrases "maximally") |
| The researchers also concluded that the organs help indicate when to bite, based on direct contact with pursued prey. | We conclude that crocodilian ISOs have diverse functions, including detection of water movements, indicating when to bite based on direct contact of pursued prey (note: 'crocodilian' scope in source) |
| Nerve units in a Nile crocodile's skin sensors respond most strongly to vibrations of 20 to 35 hertz | Several rapidly adapting units responded maximally to vibrations at 20-35 Hz, consistent with reports of the ISOs' role in detecting prey-generated water surface ripples. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim "Some of their nerve units responded most strongly to vibrati") |
| the kind of ripples prey make on the water | Several rapidly adapting units responded maximally to vibrations at 20-35 Hz, consistent with reports of the ISOs' role in detecting prey-generated water surface ripples. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim "Some of their nerve units responded most strongly to vibrati") |

## Turner & Marais (2017). Crocodylus niloticus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T45433088A203590190.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2017.rlts.t45433088a203590190.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus; category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List for taxon 45433088) |

## Kavhu et al. (2025). Mapping human fatalities from megafauna to inform coexistence strategies. Scientific Reports.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04934-0

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | For crocodiles, the Sen’s slope estimate was 3.5, indicating an upward trend from 16 fatalities in 2016 to 37 in 2022 (note: task #1009; Deadly is 'Capable of killing a human'. The study counts human fatalities in Zimbabwe, where the one crocodile is C. niloticus (the paper names it: 'we assess fatalities caused by six megafaunal species: Nile crocodile ( Crocodylus niloticus )'); C. suchus is west and central African) |