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Africa Travel Newsletters > African Crocodiles

In Africa's inland lakes, rivers and wetlands, the crocodile rules as the supreme predator. Crocs- as they are popularly known, are feared and despised, mainly on account of their enduring image as evil, unforgiving and ruthless man-eaters. The beasts are large aquatic reptiles of the crocodilian family, and are closely related to alligators, caimans and gavials. In Africa they are common south of the Sahara and on the island of Madagascar.

Crocodiles are of ancient pedigree and little has changed about them since departure of the dinosaurs. Among reptiles, they are the most advanced - in terms of lifestyle, and especially physiologically. Though they are reptiles, they are closer to birds and dinosaurs.

In ancient Egypt, crocs enjoyed great prestige and were revered as a manifestation of Sobek- a god of fertility, and also as a symbol of the power of the Pharaohs.  Mummified crocodiles have been found in ancient burial sites and even in royal sarcophagus. Major temples dedicated to the worship of Sobek can be found at Kom-Ombo and Al Fayyum.

Crocs resemble giant lizards. They have monstrous jaws with copious teeth, rough scaly skin, four squat legs and a long and powerful tail. They live in and around water masses, spending most of their time submerged in water. They prey on other animals- both vertebrates and invertebrates, and are well adapted to a hunters' way of life.

Their scaly skin is crusty, and is particularly tough around the back and the neck. Generally, croc skin varies in colour from a dark olive-green to a dull greyish-brown -depending on species and age, while the underbelly is yellowish. In most cases, juveniles are usually a darker version of adults, with cross-bands over the body and tail. The skin is lined with integumentary sense organs, which enables them to detect and react to changes around them -especially in water.

Crocs are cold blooded and thus depend on their surrounding to regulate body temperature. On a hot day, they remain submerged in water to keep cool, and when they are cold they emerge to bask in the sun. This is a very neat survival trick, as they do not need to generate their own body heat and can go for long periods of up to months, without food.

Croc bodies are purposefully built to suit their waterlogged lifestyle. Their nostrils, eyes and ears are set atop their heads, which keeps these vital organs dry and alert. The nostrils are at the upper tip of the snout, and are designed to open when out of the water, and close when diving. Crocodilian ears are unnoticeable organs, whose shallow externals are covered with membranous flaps, which also close, and open in and out of water. The ears play a balancing function and they also serve the croc with impeccable hearing.

The eyes are relatively camouflaged at the top of the head, and are lined with a third eyelid. This is a clear protective membrane that enables them to achieve the miracle of keeping their eyes wide open even under water. Crocs have a gland that produces tears that helps keep their eyes clean. This action is the source of the myth that crocs shed tears.

Bartholomaeus Anglicus was probably the inventor of the myth, when he wrote in the thirteenth century: "If the crocodile findeth a man by the brim of the water, or by the cliff, he slayeth him there if he may, and then weepeth upon him and swalloweth him at last". Since then, the phrase "crocodile tears" commonly refers to insincere remorse, and is a powerful image of the crocs heartlessness.

The crocodile's body is streamlined, to make movement in water swift. While swimming, they tuck their short, clawed legs to their sides to reduce water resistance, and then steer themselves with their powerful tails. Their hind legs have five webbed toes -not for effective swimming -but for better splay when walking. In water, they move in a serpentine manner and are quite agile swimmers.

Crocs usually stay under water for 10-15 minutes, but if circumstances demand they can hold their breath for as long as 2 hours. They have the most advanced cardiac system in all living animals that enables them to oxygenate their blood and regulate its distribution to the lungs. In a prolonged dive, the heart can drop to 2-3 beats a minute to help reduce oxygen uptake. They leverage this ability and their massive weight to overcome prey, which they hold down and suffocate underwater.

The larger species of crocs are most notorious for this practice, making them successful and indomitable hunters. They are quite weighty, and some good specimens tip the scales at well over a metric ton. On land, they crawl on their bellies or sometimes high-walk, like most animals do. Smaller species are known to gallop at remarkable speeds and the larger ones are equally fast on their legs.

Though they may pass themselves as slow and lazy sunbathers, they can run for short distances at top speeds of 12 to 14 km/h. Unless caught unawares, a fit human will outrun a fast croc. Crocs live to about 60-70 years in the wild, but a celebrated individual in a Russian zoo is estimated to have lived to 115 years.

African crocodiles mainly occur in the fresh waters of Afro-tropic habitats. They come in 3 species: Nile crocodile, dwarf crocodile and slender-snouted crocodile. The different species vary in size and other characteristics, owing to adaptation and environmental conditions.

The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest croc species, and is second largest amongst the world's 23 species. It is spread widely across the continent; from as far north as Egypt's southern Nile banks, Gambia in the west, through to East and Central African, and as far south as the Okavango Delta in Botswana, and Kruger in South Africa. While good numbers are found in western Madagascar, the species has done best along the Nile River basin of East Africa. You can see the nile crocodile during your Kenya safari or Maasai Mara safari.

Nile crocs reach average lengths of 16ft from snout to tail tip, and reach 1,000 kg; though even larger individuals have been recorded. The species is an opportunistic hunter that can feed on virtually any animal, including other crocodiles and even humans. However, its diet mainly comprises of fish, and is only lightly supplemented.

They have been known to eat: insects, invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals of all sizes- antelope, buffalo, young hippos, hyenas, lions, leopards, giraffe, and zebra. It is only elephants and fully-grown hippos -due to sheer mass, that are out of its range.

The Nile croc is the meanest and the most ferocious of all crocodiles. It has earned a reputation as man-eater, and in its presence caution and respect is always advised. A close encounter with a Nile croc is usually an unhappy and hair-raising experience. On a lucky day, when they are not hungry, you might escape with a few bruises and scratches. But if they are hungry, only God's mercy can save you.

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Page 2 Article on the Croc: Harsh Masters of the Africa's Rivers