Checkout the size of this massive Nile crocodile I photographed in the Okavango Delta in Botswana recently. This was one of the larger individuals we saw, estimated around 15ft. They get larger than that even, although truly huge individuals are difficult to find due to hunting by humans. Nile crocs are well known for taking down a variety of large mammalian prey in Africa, such as wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and more. Since they’re very used to taking large prey, something “small” like an adult human is easy prey and people in the area must be very wary near the water. Some studies estimate roughly between 300-700 humans a year are eaten by Nile crocs, but the number is difficult to ascertain in remote villages with no annual consensus or record keeping. A remote area villager’s dependence on gathering water from the bank also makes them far more susceptible to attack than people in developed areas, leading to such a high number.
We didn’t observe any aggressive behavior from any of the crocs on this trip, and it was amazing to see them in their natural habitat. I actually caught a Nile crocodile in the Everglades a couple of years ago with some of my colleagues, it was one of three Nile crocodiles captured in the Everglades that escaped from a local facility. There is not a known population of breeding Nile crocodiles in the Everglades
Photographed with a Sony A7riii with a Metabones mark V adapter and Canon 100-400 telephoto lens.
