Let us meet the Nile crocodile. Nile crocodiles live in Africa. They also live on the island of Madagascar. They live in rivers, freshwater marshes and mangrove swamps.

As of November 2026, the Nile crocodile is the largest crocodile in Africa. An average adult is about 16 feet (about 5 meters) long, counting its tail. It weighs about 500 pounds (225 kilograms). Many weigh more.

Now let us look at its body. Its eyes are on top of its head. It swims by moving its tail. Its short legs are held against its body. A long tooth on each side of its lower jaw can be seen when its mouth is closed.

Fish are the main food of a Nile crocodile. Besides fish, it eats animals such as zebras and porcupines. Its tail stores fat. A big crocodile can go a long time without food.

In daylight a Nile crocodile basks in the sun. It cools off in the water when it needs to. It often rests in the sun with its mouth open.

A mother makes her nest on a riverbank, a sandy shoreline or a dry streambed. Nile crocodile mothers often make their nests close to each other. She guards her nest until the eggs hatch. She lays at least 25 eggs in one nest. The eggs take about 90 days, or three months, to hatch.

Baby crocodiles call from inside their eggs just before they hatch. When the babies are ready to hatch, the mother digs up the nest. A parent may gently roll an egg in its mouth to help a baby hatch. Then the mother carries her newly hatched babies to the water in her mouth.

Young Nile crocodiles eat insects and small fish. A young one grows about 30 centimeters (1 foot) longer each year.

Words to know

• basks: sits in sun
• hatch: come from eggs
• nest: egg home

The short version

Nile crocodiles live in rivers, freshwater marshes and mangrove swamps in Africa, and on the island of Madagascar. As of November 2026, the Nile crocodile is the largest crocodile in Africa. An average adult is about 16 feet (about 5 meters) long, counting its tail. Fish are the main food of a Nile crocodile.

Quick facts

• Nile crocodiles live in Africa, and on the island of Madagascar.
• An average adult Nile crocodile weighs about 500 pounds (225 kilograms), and many weigh more.
• A mother Nile crocodile lays at least 25 eggs in one nest.
• Nile crocodile eggs take about 90 days, or three months, to hatch.