Wide habitat preferences, reflecting their success and distribution- e.g. lakes, rivers, freshwater swamps, brackish water. Sub-adults disperse into different habitats, away from breeding areas, when they reach a length of approximately 1.2 m. Appendix I, except 1. Generally, it is a large crocodilian, averaging 5 m in length but reaching up to 6 m in rare instances. There are reports of 7 m animals having existed, but these are hard to verify.
Juveniles are dark olive brown with black cross-banding on the tail and body.
This banding becomes fainter in adults. Adults, however, take a wide range of large vertebrates, including antelope, buffalo, young hippos, and large cats. Fish often form the greater part of their diet, however. As with C. porosus , they have a reputation as being man-eaters. A number of deaths and disappearances are attributed to them each year, along with other animals such as hippos and lions.