Among many other animals that live in water, reptiles are the deadly ones.
There are 23 species of reptiles, and one of them is the crocodiles. Crocodiles are carnivorous reptiles and belong to the family of Crocodylidae which includes alligators, gavials, and caiman.
Their jaws and teeth are very powerful. They have short legs with clawed toes and thick skin all over the body.
Crocodiles are blessed with such an amazing body that allows their nostrils, ears, and eyes to be above the water while the rest of the body gets hidden inside the water.
All crocodiles possess the feature of a long snout and muzzle and their brain is tiny as compared to their body.
They are the largest and heaviest reptiles. Two of the largest crocodiles are:
- The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
- The Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus prososus)
These both are the largest and heaviest crocodiles of the “true crocodile” family. Their length is up to 6 meters and weigh approximately 2200 pounds.
The Nile Crocodile is found in Africa and the Saltwater Crocodile is found in Australia.
Even though they both are considered deadly creatures and can be dangerous to humans but the major difference between them is:
The Saltwater Crocodiles are much larger and bigger than the Nile Crocodiles and they can be found in both salt water and fresh water while Nile crocodiles can be found in freshwater only.
Interesting Fact: Nile Crocodiles being smaller are more aggressive and deadly than Saltwater Crocodiles with a high ratio of attacks every year.
Also, the body shape of the Saltwater Crocodile and Nile Crocodile is different from each other.
Check out this video to know more differences between Nile Crocodile and Saltwater Crocodile.
If you want to know more interesting facts about Nile crocodiles and Saltwater crocodiles, keep reading!
Let’s start.
Are Nile Crocodiles Stronger Than Saltwater Crocodiles?
No, Saltwater Crocodiles are stronger than Nile Crocodiles because they are heavier in size and are more muscular.
Though, the Nile Crocodile’s bite force is much stronger than saltwater crocodile. They attack mammals as well and are mostly found in the fresh waters of Africa.
But, saltwater crocodiles can stay in water for a long time too and have a broad snout with an uneven jawline while Nile crocodiles have a longer snout with a straight jawline.
The saltwater crocodiles are recorded to grow up to 23 feet and 2200 pounds which has earned the title of strongest for them.
It makes them much taller than an elephant.
Can A Saltwater Crocodile Mate with A Nile Crocodile?
I don’t think a Saltwater crocodile can mate with Nile Crocodile. This is because they both live apart and Saltwater Crocodiles are poor swimmers. They can only stay in the water without drinking and eating but cannot cross oceans.
If talking about genetically, they are compatible with each other.
I haven’t heard of any evidence about their mating, but one thing I know is that Saltwater interbreeds with Siamese Crocodiles and Nile Crocodiles have as many chromosomes as Siamese crocodiles chromosomes.
Also, there is no big reason to mate them because they both belong to the same family of crocodilians.
Saltwater crocodile has 32 pairs of chromosomes while Siamese and Nile crocodiles have 30 pairs of chromosomes.
Saltwater Crocodiles don’t play role in parenting, they mate with multiple females at a time and females make nests over their eggs to protect them from being eaten by male Saltwater Crocodiles.
What Is The Most Powerful Crocodile?
The Saltwater Crocodiles are the most powerful because of their bite force of 3700 pounds on a 17-foot crocodile.
This bite force beats the record of the 13-foot American Alligator which has a bite force of 2980 pounds.
It is the size of crocodiles that make them powerful. If a saltwater crocodile is bigger in size hence it will be called more powerful.
So, it would be fair to say that power is directly related to the size of the crocodile.
The bigger in size, the bigger would be their power.
Nile Crocodile is smaller in size hence it is not that powerful because power is measured by the pounds of their bite force.
Comparison Chart
Check out the following chart to get to know the difference between Nile Crocodile and Saltwater Crocodile.
| Parameters | Saltwater Crocodile | Nile Crocodile |
| Size | An adult male saltwater crocodile can reach up to 20 feet in length and females can reach a length of 9.8 feet | Adult male Nile crocodile length is up to 11 feet 6 inches while female crocodile length is 7 feet 10 inches. |
| Weight | The male saltwater crocodile weighs 2,250 to 2,370 pounds. | Nile crocodile’s average weight is 496 to 1,213 pounds. |
| Food | Saltwater crocodiles eat fish, birds, turtles, and snakes while young crocodiles eat small insects and small reptiles. | Nile crocodiles are carnivores hence they feed on amphibians, insects, fishes, and land creatures such as buffalo and giraffes. The young ones eat small insects. |
| Habitat | Saltwater crocodile habitat is both freshwater and saltwater. Their population is found in Australia, eastern India, and Southern Asia. | Nile crocodiles live in freshwater swamps, freshwater lakes, and coastal waterways. They can be found in Sub-Saharan Africa, |
| Attack | They prey on humans and have a huge history of attacking humans. | Nile crocodiles are also called man-eaters as they are found in freshwater |
| Predator | Saltwater predators are lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars which all belong to the cat family. | Nile crocodiles don’t have any natural predators but giant sharks or hippos could be a danger to them |
| Lifespan | Their average lifespan is about 70 years but some can even live up to 100 years. | In captivity, they can live up to 50 to 60 years. |
Are Saltwater Crocodiles Aggressive?
Yes, Saltwater crocodiles can be aggressive if they’re threatened. They can be very dangerous to humans but Nile crocodile is more aggressive than them.
Saltwater crocodiles live in solitary and don’t like to socialize. They only allow female crocodiles in their territory for mating purposes. While Nile Crocodiles live in groups.
Saltwater Crocodiles are more muscular than Nile Crocodiles but it is the Nile Crocodile that is called man-eaters because they are more aggressive even though they are smaller than Saltwater crocodiles.
Interesting Fact: Nile Crocodiles get tired faster than Saltwater Crocodiles because of their small size while Saltwater Crocodiles are famous for their death roll on their attacked prey.
Conclusion
The above discussion can be summed up as:
- Both Nile Crocodiles and Saltwater Crocodiles are deadly and have a long history of attacking humans.
- Nile Crocodile is more aggressive than Saltwater Crocodile.
- Saltwater Crocodile is larger and heavier than Nile Crocodile.
- Saltwater Crocodile lives in both saltwater and freshwater.
- Nile Crocodile can be found in freshwater only.
- Saltwater Crocodile lives alone and has their territory.
- Nile Crocodile lives in groups and you won’t find them alone.
To read more about interesting topics, check out my article on Ox VS Bull: Similarities & Differences (Facts).