Let us meet the Nile crocodile. As of November 2026, the Nile crocodile is the largest crocodile in Africa. A typical adult measures about 16 feet (about 5 meters) from snout to tail tip and weighs about 500 pounds (225 kilograms). Many weigh more. As of November 2026, the longest reach about 20 feet (6 meters).

A Nile crocodile has sensing bumps on its skin. These bumps are more sensitive to touch than human fingertips.

A Nile crocodile has its eyes on top of its head. It swims by moving its tail. Its short legs are held against its body as it goes.

A Nile crocodile warms up and cools down by moving. It shifts between sun and shade, or between land and water. Nile crocodiles often rest in the sun with their mouths open.

Nile crocodiles sometimes hunt fish together. They work as a group and herd the fish.

Zebras and porcupines are among the animals a Nile crocodile may eat. A crocodile can go a long time between meals. Because its tail stores fat, even a big one can go a long time without food.

Nile crocodile mothers often make their nests close to each other. Each nest sits on a riverbank, a sandy shoreline or a dry streambed.

A mother lays at least 25 eggs in one nest. The eggs take about 90 days, or three months, to hatch. The temperature of the nest decides whether the babies will be female or male.

Near hatching time, the mother digs up the nest. A parent may gently roll an egg in its mouth to help a baby hatch. The mother then carries her newly hatched babies to the water in her mouth.

In the middle of the 1900s, Nile crocodiles were hunted until they were almost gone. Laws and protection have helped their numbers recover in many places. As of November 2026, the IUCN Red List calls the Nile crocodile a species of Least Concern. In some places pollution, hunting and loss of habitat still harm them.

Words to know

• sensitive: quick to feel
• herd: drive together
• recover: come back
• habitat: home place