Stampriet Croc Still a Mystery
10 February 2010

From The Namibian


ENVIRONMENT officials are still investigating how a Nile crocodile ended up in the Auob River in the South.

Acting chief warden Elton Kuruseb told The Namibian that they had various leads after collecting information from members of the public, but were still double-checking the information.

Three weeks ago a Nile crocodile was found at farm Osterode, around eight kilometres south of Stampriet on the Gochas road, after it had attacked two sheep.

It was killed by nature conservation officials since it would have been too costly to relocate it to Kunene or Kavango.

Nile crocodiles, which usually grow up to five metres, are found in the Kunene and Okavango rivers.

Kuruseb said they searched the area for three days and, although initial reports suggested that there could be two or three more crocodiles, they found nothing.

The skin of the Nile crocodile is used to make shoes, handbags and belts, while its teeth and claws are sold as souvenirs to tourists. Crocodile meat is a delicacy in some Namibian restaurants.

It's amazing that the croc was that far from permanent water since that river is seasonal.

That area around Gochas reminds me of home. The only trees are in the bottom of the dry riverbeds and around the farm houses.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
It's amazing that the croc was that far from permanent water since that river is seasonal.

In actual fact, crocs don't need permanent water.

Theres a population in northern Africa somewhere that basically lives in desert conditions. The main river in the area is seasonal and it puzzled researchers what happened to the crocs in the dry season.

Eventually it was found that they tunnel deep into the sandy banks of the water course, and basically "hibernate" until the rains come and the river flows again.

The local tribe in the area worship the crocs, and its thought they introduced them to the area hundreds of years ago...

Regards,

Peter

We hunted crocs on the Kwando River in the Caprivi Strip, and there were plenty in the Chobe River along the Botswana border. Big crocs can exist in very small creeks.
This is a Saltwater croc causht in a tiny billabong from Australia, hundreds of miles from saltwater:

I saw that Animal planet program on the desert crocodile found in the desert mountains of Ethiopia and possibly Libya. They were much smaller and darker.

In India & Sri Lanka the Mugger crocodile gets up to 12+ feet and it also burrows into the mud banks and stays there during the dry season.

Nakihunter:
The Nile croc is found in most of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile River drainage in East Africa.
Ethiopia has plenty of big crocs, but Libya has none to my knowledge.
The salt-water croc is found from India over to Australia and some of the South Pacific Islands.
There is also a very small Forest Crocodile found in the Congo drainage.
You are correct about the mugger.
The American croc can grow to huge sizes, but seems remarkably placid compared to the Nile and salt-water varieties.

In 1997 a farmer along that river had a foot long Croc in behind his concrete dam. Now 13 years later during the rainy season, a big Croc is discovered there in the river next to the farm.

Quite a coincidence.