Crocodile, Chobe National Park, Botswana (photo)

Crocodiles, Chobe National Park, Botswana. In Botswana, crocodiles are most commonly found in and around Chobe River and the Okavango Delta. They reside in lakes, rivers and swamps and can be spotted in estuaries and mangrove swamps. The Nile crocodile can exceed 1000 kgs in weight, has a long jaw and extremely sharp and noticeable teeth along with webbed hind feet. The skin of the Nile crocodile is covered in geometrically arranged, horny plates. The horny plates found on top of the crocodiles head are fused to the skull. 40% of their body length is made up of its tail which has two raised dorsal keels. Young adult crocodiles are green with unusual black markings on its back and sides while its throat and stomach are straw-yellow. Young crocodiles dig a hole up to 3 metres long which for the first 3 to 4 years of their lives they use as a shelter. They don’t spend much time in water. As they get older they take up residence in backwaters and swamps, eating small birds, fish, Terrapins and small mammals. Adults are darker and are olive to grey in colour with a yellow belly. Adults overcome their prey with a fast, sideways swipe of the head. They also use their tail to knock over vegetation to remove residing birds in nests or redirect fish into their mouths. Crocodiles eat large prey by biting them into smaller pieces. They participate in what is known as supportive behaviour, where the reptiles will cooperate in feeding on and breaking up prey to sizeable amounts. Crocodiles mainly eat fish (Catfish) but will also ambush and fest on game meat such as antelope including Zebra and Buffalo. They can also be a danger to humans, as they will attack them and injure them or devour them. Photographed in 2013