THE ANIMAL WORLD IS FULL OF PREDATORS Predators are the hunters that find catch and eat other animals their prey to survive Every environment has its chain of hunters The smaller slower less able predators become part of the prey for the bigger faster more cunning hunters But everywhere just a few kinds of predators are at the top of the food chain These are the top predators In the coastal ocean waters rivers and swamps of tropical parts of Africa Asia the Americas and Australia those top predators include crocodiles Scientists have identified eighteen species or kinds of crocodiles and believe there may be more The largest of these different crocodile species is the saltwater crocodile A close runner up is the Nile crocodile
NILE CROCODILE SALTWATER CROCODILE
NILE CROCODILE Why are saltwater crocodiles and Nile crocodiles top predators For one thing they are big enough to hunt and kill their habitat's large prey such as wildebeest An adult male saltwater croc may be up to 23 feet 6.5 m long and weigh as much as 2,200 pounds 998 kg The largest adult male Nile croc may be up to 20 feet 6 m long and weigh as much as 1,700 pounds 771 kg
MALE NILE CROCODILE Female saltwater crocodiles and female Nile crocodiles are usually about half as long as and weigh much less than the males Scientists aren't sure why male crocodiles grow to be so much bigger than females One possibility is that males fight other males to win control over large territories for hunting prey animals Or like this Nile crocodile male and female couple it could be to gain mating rights by fighting off other males But even though they are smaller female saltwater crocodiles and FEMALE NILE CROCODILE female Nile crocodiles are still big enough to hunt and overpower large prey
