The Nile crocodile is a massive reptile and probably the most feared predator in Africa and with good reason. It is one of the very few animals for which human beings regularly feature on the Menu.
The size of the Nile crocodiles at Murchison falls national park is very impressive. These crocodiles can be up to 6 meters long, and can weigh over 700kg. Those kinds of measurements imply that they are very huge animals.
The species of crocodile have been recorded in Uganda. The dwarf crocodile was recorded in rivers flowing into Lake George up until the 1950s. It has not been sighted recently and may be extinct in Uganda although it is possible that it might survive in the swamp to the north of Lake George in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Nile crocodile is the most widespread in the country and can be seen in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, along various stretches of the Nile River and in Lakes Albert and Victoria. A newly described species in 2012, crocodile lives in Kidepo Valley National Park.
Crocodiles are common sight in Africa and there are four main types these include; the Nile crocodile, Dwarf crocodile and Slender-snouted. The Nile crocodiles are found anywhere with a water source. These like rivers, streams, lakes, marshes, dams and swamps. The Nile crocodile is a fresh water river with its headwaters in Lake Victoria and that is why Nile crocodiles love it so much. The Nile crocodile also known as Crocodylus niloticus is the biggest crocodile found in Africa and the world’s second largest crocodile after the saltwater crocodile.
Initially thought to be a subspecies of the Nile crocodile, this species is genetically quite distinct. It has been confirmed as the species used by the temple priests in ancient Egypt, who recognized two species of crocodile in the Nile River and selectively mummified the smaller species for use in the pharaoh’s tombs. The Kidepo Valley population is the last known population of this species near the Nile River, but several occur in the Sahel region in West Africa.
Crocodiles are threatened outside Protected Areas. They are very often killed because they pose a threat to people, particularly fishermen on Lakes Victoria, and Albert. They are not hugely threatened within Protected Areas, but there is still a lot we do not know about these animals. For instance, crocodiles have been drawn to soak-away pits of water at drilling sites in Murchison Falls National Park – often several kilometers from the river. It is clear that they are moving quite large distances at night overland but we do not know why. Egg collecting for the farming of crocodiles still continues in Murchison Falls NP despite the fact that the 10-year license expired in the early 2000s.
The main threat to crocodile is likely to be the increased drying of the region due to global warming. Kidepo Valley NP is already a fairly dry park with one wet season each year. In the dry season these animals aestivate (like hibernating) to escape the heat in the remaining mud. However, sites where they can do this are increasingly limited.
The Nile crocodile afraid of hippopotamus which kills them though the crocodile also feed on young hippos and the old crocodiles is capable of killing a lion.
Nile crocodiles in Murchison Falls can grow up to 6 meters long and weigh over 700 kilograms. Females lay 25–100 eggs on sandy shorelines, dry stream beds, or riverbanks. They cover the eggs with sand and guard them until they hatch, The best time to see the crocodiles is during the dry season and breeding season, which runs from December to early March you can see the crocodiles from a boat ride to the falls or the Lake Albert delta falls You can book a safari to photograph the crocodiles. They have a life expectation of crocodile is between 75 and 100 years.
Explore the pearl of Africa on the water; one of the great ways to enjoy a wildlife safari is by getting on a boat cruise. Murchison falls national park; Lake Mburo national park and Queen Elizabeth national park are some of Uganda’s conservation parks offering you good sights of Nile crocodiles.
