In the following, Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) are called just crocodiles or ‘crocs’. They occur in Southern- and Eastern African regions and along the Atlantic coastline in Central Africa. They eat any animal they can get a hold of and are dangerous to humans from a total length of about 2,5 m onwards.
How to spot crocodiles
These crocodiles live in every bigger lake and perennial river outside semi-desert areas. On careful observation, either the crocodiles’ heads or backs can be seen in the water, or they bask on a sandbank or find their tracks and scats on the banks. When they sunbathe outside the water and get disturbed by humans, their immediate reaction is to get back into the water. Because over thousands of years, they learned that humans can throw things from a distance, which hurts.
Nile crocodile tracks on river banks can not be confused with water monitor tracks, as the lateral distance between the left and right feet is large, and very often, flat areas created by the moving belly can be seen. At first sight, a crocodile scat looks very similar to a hyena scat. It is the same bright white color, size, and shape, but when breaking apart, a crocodile scat has no pieces of bones or hair inside but is dense and fine-grained like gypsum.
Danger of Nile crocodiles
Crocodiles are highly dangerous if they are in the water. Swimming in African wild waters is strongly discouraged, as both crocodiles and Bilharzia (caused by parasitic flatworms) are on the prowl for a meal. Over 90% of crocodile attacks occur either in or near the water.
Therefore, all such activities are hazardous: swimming, wading, fishing, gathering water, and cleaning fish at the water’s edge.
If using a boat on the water, remember that the smaller the vessel, the higher the danger. Many recordings exist of crocodiles lounging out of the water onto the boat and grabbing a person.
Suggested behavior of anglers for not getting attacked by crocs
When angling, changing the location on the water’s edge is strongly advised every minute. Nile crocodiles try to position themselves perpendicular to the water’s edge, directly in line with the victim so they can shoot out of the water in a straight line. When changing the location frequently, they will not have the time to take the correct attack position.
The most dangerous times to be in and on the water or near the water’s edge are dusk, dawn, and nighttime when they are most active. Once, in the morning dusk, we saw a crocodile attacking a cow coming to drink on the Zambezi River, trying to pull her into the river. Loud mooing alerted the herders, who managed to free her from the croc with sticks they were punching into the croc’s head.
Finding crocs during nighttime
When dark, it is easy to see their eyes with a flashlight. That’s also how humans catch small Nile crocodiles: blind them with a flashlight in one hand and catch them with the other hand from behind. But it is astonishing for persons who handle them for the first time how strong such only 50 cm long crocs are. Both hands are needed to hold such a baby croc securely in place.
Danger of breeding female crocs
Crocodiles are especially dangerous during the wet season in Southern Africa. Nesting begins from the first rains onwards (November), and the eggs are incubated for up to three months. During that time, the female will fiercely protect the nest. So, from the rains in November to the end of the Marula period, there is a heightened risk of being attacked by female crocodiles when walking in reed beds or densely vegetated areas along water bodies.
Sleeping outdoors near crocodile-infested waters
When sleeping outdoors near crocodile-infested waters, the standard recommendation is to be at least 2 m above the high-water mark and 50 meters from the water’s edge. As I do not always know what ‘2 meters above the high-water mark’ is, as pans, lakes, and rivers very often have shallow edges without any marks, my recommendation is to stay at least 150 meters away from the water at a well-protected place and out of sight from the water.
Nile crocodiles are not to be underestimated. They will figure out when some slow-moving animals (like humans) are staying at a place near the water for a longer time and will check it out during nighttime. In case of meeting a croc on land close by, the best is to run in a straight line away from water. Crocs can run up to a speed of 17 km/h on land, which humans can surpass for a short time. However, the swimming speed can be up to 60 km/h for mature crocodiles.
What to do when bitten by a Nile crocodile?
If unfortunate, the crocodile will bite. It could be a defensive bite, in which the crocodile lets go after biting. But if the crocodile continues holding on, it will either try to pull the victim into the water or, when already in the water, turn around its length axis in multiple spins to drown the victim.
Whatever it is, the most important is to fight back. Their highly vulnerable eyes are very close to the teeth, and it has to be tried to poke fingers or the thumb into the eyes. The head should be attacked by as many blows as possible if it is impossible to squeeze the eyes. If this is not good enough, the palatal valve behind the tongue should be opened by hand. It consists of soft tissue, which prevents water from flowing into its body when diving underwater, and when opened, it will force the croc to release the victim, not drown itself.
When bitten, it is important to get professional medical attention as soon as possible, as a high bacteria load in Croc’s mouth can cause severe wound infections.
Lessons learned about the danger of crocodiles.
- When on the edge of croc-infested water bodies, change location very frequently
- Never camp closer than 150 meters from waters containing large crocs
- On land, you can outrun a Croc
- When bitten and the croc hangs on, poke fingers in its eyes or try to open its palatal valve in its throat.
Additional articles on this website about dangerous game in Southern Africa can be found under these links:
- African buffaloes are dangerous
- Lion behavior – so different by day and night
- Recipe for disaster – elephant bulls in musth
- Spotted beauties: Leopards in Southern Africa
- Spotted hyenas are successful hunters
- Why are Hippos dangerous on land?
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