Crocodiles

* Nile Crocodiles
* Mugger Crocodiles

-**Ono**, **The Rise of Makuu**

**Crocodiles**, sometimes called **crocs**, are reptiles that appear in **The Lion Guard**universe. They live in the **Pride Lands**, the **Outlands** and the **Marsh**.

## Appearance

### In The Real World

Crocodiles are reptiles that are typically 15-20 feet long. They have scales in various shades of green, from gray-green to bright emerald green, and a pair of long jaws with many sharp teeth. Crocodiles are often seen with their jaws wide open; they open their jaws to cool themselves because they lack sweat glands.

### In The Lion Guard

In The Lion Guard, most crocodiles have teeth that resemble an alligator's rather than a true crocodile's. Their scales are green, and their eyes have yellow sclerae with black or brown pupils, and have spikes on their back. They are most likely Nile crocodiles.

## Information

### In The Real World

Crocodiles live mainly in the water. They are ambush predators, meaning that they wait for their prey to be close to them before they attack. They eat both water creatures such as fish and land mammals. They also sometimes live in groups, known as floats, with the biggest and strongest crocodile being the leader. Crocodiles know their place and keep to it but sometimes there is trouble which can lead to fatalities.

### In The Lion Guard

In The Lion Guard, crocodiles can challenge the current leader of the float to a fight for their leadership, called a Mashindano. According to Ono, crocodiles are always violent. They hibernate during the Dry Season. Leaders of the Floats will show full determination for fights and the float won’t back down as long as their leader stays in the fight.

## History

### **The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar**

A crocodile named **Makuu** was lying half-submerged in water. While playing **Baobab Ball**, **Bunga** jumps on his snout. He lifts his torso, glares in Bunga's direction, then turns and growls at **Kion**. Another crocodile appears during the song ***Zuka Zama***. Bunga walks out of its mouth shortly before it snaps its jaws shut.

## Notable Crocodiles In The Lion King' Timon and Pumbaa & The Lion Guard

* **Pumbaa Jr.**

* **Makuu's Float**
	+ **Pua**
	+ **Makuu**
	+ **Male Crocodile**

* **Kiburi's Float**
	+ **Kiburi**
	+ **Nduli**
	+ **Tamka**

## Trivia

* If a croc's egg is incubated below 84 degrees F, most if not all of the young will be female.
* Crocodile eggs are only approximately two inches tall.
* A fully grown Nile crocodile can reach a length of up to 20 feet, but in the Lion Guard, they seem closer to 10 feet long.
* Crocodiles belong to a family of reptiles known as the crocodilians. Despite their lizard-like appearances, crocodilians are more closely related to birds than to any other reptile living today.
	+ Crocodilians and their extinct relatives are part of a group called Archosauria, which also includes birds, non-avian dinosaurs, and pterosaurs.
* Ways to tell crocodiles apart from alligators:
	+ Crocodiles usually have a pointed and angular snout, while alligators have a broad and rounded snout.
	+ Alligators have only the upper teeth visible when the mouth is closed, unlike crocodiles. (The Lion Guard's portrayal of crocodiles with overlapping jaws like an alligator is a significant error)
	+ Alligators are black or gray with a pale underside.
* Crocodiles in the Lion Guard are drawn with four clawed fingers on each hand. In real life, crocodilians have five fingers, and only three fingers possess claws (a common trait among archosaurs).
* Recent studies have shown crocodiles will occasionally eat fruit despite being carnivores.