The African crocodile associated with the Nile River and known as one of the largest living crocodilians is the Nile crocodile.
The Nile crocodile is Crocodylus niloticus, a large freshwater crocodilian native to much of sub-Saharan Africa. Its name refers to the Nile River, although the species now occupies rivers, lakes, swamps, marshes, dams, and some brackish coastal habitats across 26 African countries. The historic Nile population helped make the animal familiar in ancient Egyptian culture, where crocodiles were associated with the god Sobek.
Adult males are substantially larger than females, and exceptional individuals can exceed 5 metres in length. The species is Africa’s largest predator and may be the second-largest living reptile after the saltwater crocodile. It is an opportunistic apex predator that eats fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals, sometimes taking prey far larger than itself.
The Nile crocodile is often confused with the mugger crocodile, another large African-Asian species, or with the West African crocodile, which is now generally treated as a separate species. Its conservation status is currently least concern overall, but local populations have declined because of hunting, habitat loss, and conflict with people.