Nile crocodiles are most often active at night. They see well in the dark because their vertical pupils open wider than our round ones, letting in more light.

A Nile crocodile has its eyes on top of its head. The sensing bumps on its skin are more sensitive to touch than human fingertips.

A crocodile's ear slits close up when it dives, which keeps water out. A resting Nile crocodile may stay underwater for up to two hours when it is not moving.

A Nile crocodile waits patiently underwater for prey, then launches itself forward. It may ambush prey near the shoreline, swimming silently underwater until it is near the shore. Nile crocodiles sometimes hunt fish together, herding the fish.

Fish are the main food of a Nile crocodile. Young ones eat insects and small fish. Besides fish, Nile crocodiles eat animals such as zebras and porcupines. A crocodile's tail stores fat, so a big crocodile can go a long time without food.

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, and the longest reach about 20 feet (6 meters). An average adult weighs about 500 pounds (225 kilograms), and many weigh more. The biggest are reported to weigh as much as 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds).

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 says the Nile crocodile is a species of Least Concern. In some places pollution, hunting and loss of habitat still harm them.

In daylight a Nile crocodile basks in the sun, and it cools off in the water when it needs to. It warms up and cools down by moving between sun and shade or land and water. Nile crocodiles often rest in the sun with their mouths open.

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

Baby Nile crocodiles call from inside their eggs just before they hatch. When the babies are ready, 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.

A young Nile crocodile grows about 30 centimeters (1 foot) longer each year. A Nile crocodile lives about 45 years in the wild, on average.

Words to know

• ambush: hunt from hiding
• pupils: eye openings
• basks: sits in sun
• recover: get better