---
title: "Nile crocodile vs saltwater crocodile — size, weight and speed"
description: "Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on weight — about 1.4×. Compared on 3 measured properties, with the full range and a source for each."
url: https://atoneplace.net/vs/nile-crocodile-vs-saltwater-crocodile/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Nile crocodile vs Saltwater crocodile

**Nile crocodile vs saltwater crocodile: Saltwater crocodile is larger on weight**

Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on weight — about 1.4×.

A Nile crocodile and a saltwater crocodile can be compared on 3 measures. The figures below are typical adult or full-size values, with the larger of the two in bold.

## Side by side

*Larger value in bold. Ranges reflect genuine variation, not uncertainty.*

|  | Nile crocodile | Saltwater crocodile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weight | 225–750 kg | 76–1,300 kg |
| Length | 2.4–6 m | 2.5–6.3 m |
| Typical lifespan | 45–80 yr | 65–100 yr |

## What the numbers say

- Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on weight — about 1.4×.
- Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on length — about 1.1×.
- Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on typical lifespan — about 1.4×.

*Weight compared.*

- Saltwater crocodile: 76–1,300 kg
- Nile crocodile: 225–750 kg

## Nile crocodile

Africa's largest crocodilian and, by most counts, the animal responsible for the most human deaths on the continent.

## Saltwater crocodile

The largest living reptile and the animal with the hardest bite ever measured.

> This is a comparison of published measurements, nothing more. It describes how two things differ on measures that have been recorded; it does not predict how they would fare against each other in any situation.

## Common questions

### Which is bigger, Nile crocodile or saltwater crocodile?

Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on weight — about 1.4×. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.

### How do Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles compare on length?

Nile crocodile: 2.4–6 m. Saltwater crocodile: 2.5–6.3 m. Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on length — about 1.1×.

### How do Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles compare on typical lifespan?

Nile crocodile: 45–80 yr. Saltwater crocodile: 65–100 yr. Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on typical lifespan — about 1.4×.

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## Sources

- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/)