🐊 Nile crocodile vs Tiger shark 🦈
The tiger shark is about one and a half times as long as the nile crocodile. The tiger shark weighs about 6 times as much as the nile crocodile.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐊 Nile crocodile | 🦈 Tiger shark |
|---|---|---|
| Size The tiger shark is about one and a half times as long as the nile crocodile. | 6.6 to 11 ft2 to 3.3 m1 | 11 to 14 ft3.3 to 4.3 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The tiger shark weighs about 6 times as much as the nile crocodile. | 154 to 220 lb70 to 100 kg1 | 849 to 1,400 lb385 to 635 kg2 |
| Lives We don't have a checked number for the nile crocodile yet. | no checked number yet | 27 years27 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | insects when it is young, and big animals such as impala and buffalo when it is grown | sea turtles, birds, snakes, crabs, shellfish and dugongs |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | freshwater lakes, rivers and coastal swamps south of the Sahara | warm salt water, from shallow reefs to deep water |
Which one? Nile crocodile or tiger shark
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the nile crocodile or the tiger shark 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.
9 things to know about Nile crocodile vs Tiger shark
- The nile crocodile: A big, strong river reptile that lives in Africa.
- The tiger shark: A big striped shark that eats many kinds of sea animals.
- They are different kinds of animal. The nile crocodile is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the tiger shark is a fish, so it breathes with gills.
- The tiger shark is about one and a half times as long as the nile crocodile: 2 against 1.
- The tiger shark weighs about 6 times as much as the nile crocodile. That is 1 for the nile crocodile and 2 for the tiger shark.
- 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 tiger shark eats sea turtles, birds, snakes, crabs, shellfish and dugongs.
- The nile crocodile lives in freshwater lakes, rivers and coastal swamps south of the Sahara. The tiger shark lives in warm salt water, from shallow reefs to deep water. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The nile crocodile: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The tiger shark: doing fine, for now (Near Threatened 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.
🦈 Tiger shark
- A tiger shark eats many kinds of sea animals.
- It lives from shallow reefs to deep water.
- It moves slowly and quietly.
Questions kids ask about Nile crocodile and Tiger shark
Which is bigger, nile crocodile or tiger shark?
The tiger shark is about one and a half times as long as the nile crocodile: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, nile crocodile or tiger shark?
The tiger shark weighs about 6 times as much as the nile crocodile. That is 1 for the nile crocodile and 2 for the tiger shark.
What do nile crocodile and tiger shark 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 tiger shark eats sea turtles, birds, snakes, crabs, shellfish and dugongs.
Where do nile crocodile and tiger shark live?
The nile crocodile lives in freshwater lakes, rivers and coastal swamps south of the Sahara. The tiger shark lives in warm salt water, from shallow reefs to deep water. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, nile crocodile or tiger shark?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. 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-tiger-shark
Where these numbers come from
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Nile crocodile fact sheet, checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Galeocerdo cuvier (tiger shark), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.