Strangely enough, an isolated population of freshwater crocodiles is reported to live in an oasis like environment in the Sahara Desert. These isolated Nile Crocodiles, fierce carnivores, are also the patient creatures that legend depicts allowing small birds to glean food from their mouths.

Because of their unique ability to adapt to a variety of climates, Nile Crocodiles are found in a number of habitats. They will dig, using their snouts and feet, to escape from harsh weather conditions in dens of their own creation. When extreme weather has passed, the crocodiles emerge to function normally. To cool themselves, Nile Crocodiles gape, leaving their mouths open, and a number of bird species will steal scraps of meat left between their teeth. Usually, the diets of Nile Crocodiles consist of fish and small vertebrates, though they can take large mammals. Larger specimens have been known to take buffalo and even young hippopotamuses. There is a hierarchy in feeding and Nile Crocodiles assist each other in eating. Some will partition off portions of rivers to catch fish and often the combined feeding activities of several animals actually assist in breaking off manageable pieces of prey. Dominant Nile Crocodiles in such group situations are given priority for food, with juveniles or submissive animals eating last. Usually older males are dominant, and groups consisting of a few to a few hundred crocodiles are not uncommon. In captivity, caution should be used when handling Nile Crocodiles. Although these animals have been reported to be intelligent, they can also be aggressive, and their large size makes them difficult to handle.

In areas with extreme conditions, Nile Crocodiles grow to between two and three meters in length, though in more favorable climates they often attain five meters and animals around six meters in length are not unheard of. Most weigh between 272 and 910 grams. Nile Crocodiles are generally olive brown in color. Though juveniles have darkly banded tails and bodies, these markings fade as they age. Nile Crocodiles have between 64 and 68 teeth.

Although a number of subspecies of Nile Crocodile have been proposed, experts recognize few if any. These reptiles are found throughout most of Africa. Once found in Israel and the Comoros Islands, Nile Crocodiles have been extinct in both these regions for about 200 years. Nile Crocodiles are considered to be a low risk species through most of their range and are threatened in parts of their range. In many areas they are illegally poached for their skin.

Usually Nile Crocodiles should be kept in temperatures between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit with a basking spot kept between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Although juveniles can be kept in 55-gallon tanks, they will need larger areas as they grow. These can include stock tanks available for farm-bred crocodilians, although as the Nile Crocodile continues to develop it will eventually need some sort of large enclosure with access to both water and land. These animals are often fed on commercial diets on occasion, though the bulk of their diet should consist of whole prey items. Often poultry, rodents, and beef are offered.

By the time they are about two and three fifths meters long, female Nile Crocodiles are sexually mature. Males usually become sexually mature when they have reached just over a meter in length. Copulation occurs underwater and the gestation period usually lasts about eight weeks. Nile Crocodiles dig nests in sandy banks, usually located several meters from the water. These are often 50 centimeters deep and females will remain near their nest at all times. Although nesting occurs in the dry season in northern populations of Nile Crocodiles, southern populations will nest at the beginning of the wet season. Generally, between 40 and 60 eggs are deposited in each nest. These eggs require between 80 and 90 days to hatch at a temperature near 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and the female will assist the newly hatched young by digging them out of the nest and carrying them to the water in her mouth. Males as well as females have been known to assist hatchlings by gently cracking eggs open in their mouths. Young Nile Crocodiles usually live in family groups with their parents until they are about two years of age. Older juveniles usually lose out in dominance struggles for food and territory, and often leave areas where mature animals are established.