CROCODYLUS NILOTICUS
The Nile crocodiles are huge. They can be up to 6 meters long and can weigh over 700kg. They have a life expectancy of 80-100 years. They are predators that mostly feed on fish, given the fact that freshwater is their natural habitat. Crocodiles can eat up to half their body weight, and can surprisingly also go months without feeding. They have fat stored in their tails which they live off in months when they are not feeding. They can manage long stretches of time without food, by slowing down the metabolism.
They have the strongest biting force of any animal on earth having strong muscles to close their jaws but at the same time, they have very weak muscles to open that jaw. They are natural sneaky predators. They can be seen lying lazily on the sandbanks, but all that is just camouflage and very deceptive - they can be very fast on both water and land. They are usually more aggressive during the mating season.
The males are generally smaller than the female by about 30%. This is so the females can lay more eggs. Nile crocodiles bury their eggs in holes about ½ a meter deep and watch over them as they wait for them to hatch. Both the male and the female watch over the eggs until they hatch and through the first two years of life.
#Africantrips
#Ugandarwandatanzania #Reptilesofeastafrica
#Photographysafaris