The Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is the largest freshwater predator in Africa, and the second largest species of crocodile. Male Nile Crocodiles are typically 3.5 to 5 metres long (11.5 to 16.5 feet) and weigh up to about 750 kilograms (1,650 lb). They live in a range of aquatic habitats and take a wide range of prey –fish, turtles, birds and mammals. These crocodiles are ambush predators and often wait for extended periods of time for their prey to come within reach. Their lunging attack on their prey is very fast, and even alert, agile animals fall victim.

This Nile Crocodile was waiting at the edge of a flooded causeway on the Shingwedzi River in Kruger Park, South Africa hoping to catch fish as they were swept over the road in the current. A blue damselfly is perching on the crocodile’s tail scutes as it moves in the current.