Rwanda’s Most Deadly – The Nile Crocodile : The Nile crocodile is the world’s largest living reptile, measuring up to 18 feet long and weighing over 1,000 pounds. These apex predators are found only in Africa and can kill with a single swipe of their powerful jaws.
In Rwanda, you can watch these reptiles from the safety of a boat as they go about their daily activities on the banks of Lake Kivu. You are sure to have a wonderful and memorable experience watching them in their natural habitat. If you are planning a Rwanda safari tour, you should take the time to see these amazing creatures for yourself!
The largest recorded Nile crocodile weighed more than 2,000 pounds and was 23 feet long! Due to their size and ferocity, the Nile crocodile is one of the deadliest animals in the world. However, due to conservation efforts such as capturing and relocating crocodiles to large enclosures where they can live in peace, the extinction of the Nile crocodile in the wild is now thought to be highly unlikely. Below are five interesting facts about these deadly reptiles.
- The Nile crocodile is capable of killing adult humans with a single bite. This is no exaggeration; Nile crocodiles have been observed feeding on dead hippos while fully submerged in water! They can even crush a fully grown male buffalo to death using their powerful jaws! However, despite their fearsome reputation, Nile crocodiles very rarely attack humans unprovoked.
- Crocodiles have existed on Earth for over 200 million years. They are considered to be one of the oldest and most primitive groups of reptiles alive today. Their ancestors diverged from the ancestral lineage of modern lizards millions of years ago and became one of the largest groups of reptiles on the planet. There are currently around 70 different species of crocodiles, all of which are considered to be vulnerable to extinction as a result of human activity and climate change.
Rwanda’s Most Deadly – The Nile Crocodile - Crocodiles are an ancient species, dating back to the age of dinosaurs. In fact, most scientists believe that crocodiles were actually the first reptiles to inhabit Earth! This makes them the oldest living species of reptile alive today. They are often referred to as a living fossil due to the similarities between modern crocodiles and their ancient ancestors. Most crocodiles have remained unchanged for millions of years and only underwent a rapid evolutionary change over the past few hundred years.
- Most species of crocodile are found in the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia, Africa and South America. However, the largest species of crocodile can be found on the African continent, including the species known as the Nile crocodile. The largest known specimen of this animal was a gigantic female that measured over 20 feet in length and weighed over 1000 pounds!
- Male Nile crocodiles can grow to be much larger than females. Male Nile crocodiles can reach up to 18 feet in length and can weigh as much as 800 pounds! Female crocodiles, on the other hand, usually grow to be about half the size of their male counterparts and rarely exceed 12 feet in length.
