Updated
The Nile crocodile is Africa’s largest reptile. Big males commonly reach 4 to 5 m and can exceed 5 m and 500 kg, while females are smaller. Crocodiles are thought to live for several decades, possibly 70 years or more. In Uganda the biggest are seen below Murchison Falls on the Nile, and they are also common on the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth and along Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga.
How crocodiles hunt
Crocodiles eat fish for much of their lives, but large adults ambush antelopes, buffaloes and other animals that come to drink, seizing them and dragging them underwater. They can stay submerged for long periods and see, hear and smell while almost completely hidden. Groups sometimes share a carcass, twisting off pieces by spinning their bodies.
Breeding
Females lay 25 to 80 eggs in a nest dug in a sandbank and guard it for about three months. The nest temperature decides the sex of the young. When the hatchlings call from inside the eggs, the mother digs them out and carries them to the water in her mouth. Most hatchlings are eaten by birds, monitor lizards and fish in their first year.
Crocodiles in Uganda
Crocodiles were absent from Lakes Edward and George for a long time, possibly since volcanic activity thousands of years ago, and only reappeared there in recent decades. Today the Murchison boat trip to the falls is the best place to see huge crocodiles. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to hippo facts, Murchison Falls animals, Queen Elizabeth and Uganda’s most dangerous animals.
Frequently asked questions
Large males reach 4 to 5 m and can exceed 5 m.
Several decades, possibly 70 years or more.
Below Murchison Falls, on the Kazinga Channel and along Lake Victoria.
By the temperature of the nest during incubation.
