Colour generally light tan in juveniles, with black cross-banding on body and tail. Adults are generally grey to brown, with little banding remaining. The snout is the broadest of any member of the Crocodylus genus, giving the mugger a more alligatorine appearance. Enlarged scutes present around the throat area may serve a similar protective function when moving through shallow swampy areas as they do in Alligator mississippiensis . It is generally thought of as having a similar ecology to A. mississippiensis which may account for morphological similarities.
Juveniles take crustaceans, insects and small fish generally.
Large adults have been known to take deer and buffalo on occasions. However, captive specimens have sometimes been observed laying two clutches per year, but this has yet to be observed under natural conditions. Eggs hatch after a relatively short period, usually 55 to 75 days, and the juveniles are around 30cm long at hatching. While the female usually guards the nest, opens it and transports hatchlings to the water in her mouth, the male has been observed undertaking this task in captivity. Data on their status in the wild are variable.