🐊 Nile crocodile vs Saltwater crocodile 🐊
The saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the nile crocodile.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐊 Nile crocodile | 🐊 Saltwater crocodile |
|---|---|---|
| Size The saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the nile crocodile. | 6.6 to 11 ft2 to 3.3 m1 | 20 ft6.1 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the saltwater crocodile yet. | 154 to 220 lb70 to 100 kg1 | no checked number yet |
| Lives Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Eats Both eat meat. | insects when it is young, and big animals such as impala and buffalo when it is grown | fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | freshwater lakes, rivers and coastal swamps south of the Sahara | rivers, swamps and coasts from India to northern Australia |
Which one? Nile crocodile or saltwater crocodile
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the nile crocodile or the saltwater crocodile yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
8 things to know about Nile crocodile vs Saltwater crocodile
- The nile crocodile: A big, strong river reptile that lives in Africa.
- The saltwater crocodile: The biggest reptile alive, at home in rivers and even the sea.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are reptiles.
- The saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the nile crocodile: 2 against 1.
- Both eat meat. The nile crocodile eats insects when it is young, and big animals such as impala and buffalo when it is grown; the saltwater crocodile eats fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water.
- The nile crocodile lives in freshwater lakes, rivers and coastal swamps south of the Sahara. The saltwater crocodile lives in rivers, swamps and coasts from India to northern Australia. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The nile crocodile: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The saltwater crocodile: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐊 Nile crocodile
- A mother Nile crocodile digs her nest in sandy soil near water.
- The youngest crocodiles eat insects.
- It is thought to live a very long time.
🐊 Saltwater crocodile
- A mother carries her babies gently in her mouth.
- It can float with only its eyes and nose above water.
- It can swim out to sea, between islands.
Questions kids ask about Nile crocodile and Saltwater crocodile
Which is bigger, nile crocodile or saltwater crocodile?
The saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the nile crocodile: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, nile crocodile or saltwater crocodile?
We only have a checked weight for the nile crocodile: 1. Scientists are still working out the other.
What do nile crocodile and saltwater crocodile eat?
Both eat meat. The nile crocodile eats insects when it is young, and big animals such as impala and buffalo when it is grown; the saltwater crocodile eats fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water.
Where do nile crocodile and saltwater crocodile live?
The nile crocodile lives in freshwater lakes, rivers and coastal swamps south of the Sahara. The saltwater crocodile lives in rivers, swamps and coasts from India to northern Australia. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do nile crocodiles eat saltwater crocodiles?
The nile crocodile eats insects when it is young, and big animals such as impala and buffalo when it is grown. Saltwater crocodiles are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the saltwater crocodile is about twice as long as the nile crocodile.
Do saltwater crocodiles eat nile crocodiles?
The saltwater crocodile eats fish, crabs, birds and animals that come to the water. Nile crocodiles are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, nile crocodile or saltwater crocodile?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/nile-crocodile-vs-saltwater-crocodile
Where these numbers come from
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Nile crocodile fact sheet, checked 10 November 2026.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service rule, Federal Register 24 June 1996 (govinfo.gov), checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.