NILE CROCODILE

Common name:
NILE CROCODILE

Scientific name:
Crocodylus niloticus

Class:
Reptiles

Order:
Crocodylia

Family:
Crocodylidae

Provenance:
Africa subsahariana, coste occidentali del Madagascar

Diet:
Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals

Habitat:
Rivers, lakes and swamps

Reproduction:
From 20 to 90 eggs per brood with an incubation of about 3 months

Adult specimens can reach 4.5 – 5 meters in length and exceed 600 kg in weight, especially maleo ones. They are fearsome predators and when adults they have no natural enemies but humans. Crocodiles hunt by patient ambushes for animals that quench their thirst in waterways. In the absence of prey, a few months can pass without feeding. They are among the few reptiles that have strong parental care. At the time of deposition, the female digs a nest on the banks of the rivers and defends its eggs until the time of hatching, then helps the young ones to get out of the egg and brings them into the water where she takes care of them for a few weeks defending them from predators. The sex of the unborn is determined by the temperature, with incubation temperatures below 29°C female individuals are born while at higher temperatures males are born. Crocodiles can live beyond 90 years.