Nile crocodile

Description

The snout is quite long and ends in a peak. The ears, eyes and nostrils are on the top of the head, allowing them to hide the rest of the body in the water when stalking their preys. The adults have a uniform dark colour, with black strips on the tail and a clear abdomen; the young, on the other hand, are dark green or brown in colour, with darker transversal strips. 

Ethology

The females use their claws to dig a hole in the sand where they will lay their eggs, which they then cover with sand and plants. The incubation temperature of the eggs determines the sex of the hatchlings: with high temperatures, the hatchling will be male and with colder temperatures female. The incubation period lasts around 100 days and in the meantime the females will protect the nest from possible predators. 

Interesting facts

They have special glands at the base of the tongue that eliminate excess salt from the organism. This adaptation allows them to spend long periods of time in salty water or even in the sea. This has allowed them to spread from the African continent to the island of Madagascar. If faced with a threat, they are able to spend more than 2 hours underwater without breathing.