Nile Crocodile

== Roleplays that feature this creature ==
* Sinai Peninsula
== Other info ==
The gender of hatchlings is determined by temperature, so entire clutches will all be the same gender. Cooler temperatures cause the clutch to be female, warmer temperatures cause the clutch to be male. Mothers will guard their eggs, defending them from predators who'd like to snatch them away to eat.
The mother rarely leaves her nest to eat, some mothers do not eat at all while they incubate and guard their eggs. When the babies are ready to hatch, they loudly call to their mother to alert her that they are about to hatch. If the mother is some distance away, this ensures she will be there to help dig them out, defend them from any predators which have also heard their calls and carry them to the water.
Babies about to hatch will not stop calling for their mother until she arrives, even continuing to call for several days if their mother is for some reason unable to come to them (in this case the mother is usually dead, trapped somehow or she for some reason deliberately decided to abandon her nest, as the mother prioritizes her hatching babies over everything else). They do not continue hatching until they are dug out of their nest.
Hatchlings do not have a natural instinct to head for the water like baby sea turtles do, so they need their mother to carry them into the water. If their mother is for some reason absent, they will not head for the water, instead they will be overwhelmed by an instinct to hide, sometimes even turning away from the water in the process of finding a hiding place.
If the mother is for some reason unable to help her babies hatch, the father may choose to step in for her, digging them out and carrying them to the water just like the mother would. Otherwise, the father usually doesn't play much of a role in caring for his babies.
When they aren't hungry, they spend most of the day basking in the sun.
Category:Animal Pages