# Nile crocodile (*Crocodylus niloticus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/nile-crocodile  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is a species in the family Crocodylidae. It has been recorded in 56 countries, most often in South Africa, Kenya and Botswana. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 56 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Crocodylia
- family: Crocodylidae
- genus: Crocodylus
- species: *Crocodylus niloticus* Laurenti, 1768

Synonyms: *Alligator cowiei*, *Crocodilus chamses*, *Crocodilus complanatus*, *Crocodilus hexaphractos*, *Crocodilus lacunosus*, *Crocodilus madagascariensis*, *Crocodilus marginatus*, *Crocodilus multiscutatus*, *Crocodilus octophractus*, *Crocodilus vulgaris*, *Crocodylus madagascariensis*, *Crocodylus worthingtoni*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

South Africa (752), Kenya (315), Botswana (177), Tanzania (137), Uganda (121), Zimbabwe (111), Namibia (90), Zambia (88), Madagascar (78), Egypt (72), Benin (67), Mauritania (64), Malawi (48), Gabon (44), Cameroon (32), Sudan (32), Senegal (31), Ethiopia (29), Ghana (28), Mozambique (28), Gambia (20), Congo - Kinshasa (15), Liberia (13), Rwanda (13), Sierra Leone (12), Angola (11), Nigeria (11), Congo - Brazzaville (10), Côte d’Ivoire (9), Mali (8), United States (6), Central African Republic (5), France (5), Eswatini (5), Burundi (4), India (4), Israel (3), Japan (3), Finland (2), Guinea (2), Niger (2), São Tomé & Príncipe (2), Chad (2), Burkina Faso (1), Switzerland (1), Germany (1), Eritrea (1), Guinea-Bissau (1), Indonesia (1), Mauritius (1), Mexico (1), Philippines (1), Saudi Arabia (1), Somalia (1), South Sudan (1), Togo (1)

## Common questions

### Where does the Nile crocodile live?

The Nile crocodile has openly licensed sighting records from 56 countries on GBIF. The most records come from South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania and Uganda. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the Nile crocodile endangered?

The Nile crocodile is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/nile-crocodile