Ntokozo and Sibaka Game Lodge have two crocodile enclosures.  One being where the large crocodiles are kept and the other the crocodile hatchery for the smaller ones.

Feeding time takes place every Saturday afternoon at our crocodile farm and we offer excursions for our guests to experience the feeding at the Ngwenya Enclosure.

The crocodiles kept here are the Nile Crocodile - Crocodylus Niloticus which is the only species found throughout Southern Africa.  Three other species are found in other parts of Africa these being the Slender Snouted, the Dwarf and the Pygmy crocodiles.

For crocodiles to have survived for the last 140 million years they have adapted well to nature:-

• Their hearing is acute.  Their ears are well developed, the external openings being slits behind the eyes.
• They have good eyesight including good night vision and good vision under water.  They can also see long distances.
• Their sense of smell is very good and they can locate dead animals several kilometres away.
• In order to capture prey they can leap out of the water, sometimes almost vertically, for about two thirds of their total length.
• They have immensely powerful jaws and the pressure on closing can attain 40 tons per square metre.  However, they are gentle when cracking their eggs as hatching time.
• They can also swim fast and reach speeds of up to 20 knots over short distances.
• Crocodiles can stay submerged for long periods, lying motionless at the bottom for up to an hour, and when under stress for up to 3 hours as their heartbeat slows to about 4 beats per minute.
• They have an average of 66 teeth.  Beneath each one is another ready to take its place.  This can occur 2 to 3 times a year for its entire lifespan.

Crocodiles live from 80 to maybe over a 100 years and can reach a length of up to 5m, weighing up to 600kg.  Crocodiles start breeding in captivity at 9 to 10 years of age, and in the wild they start only after about 12 years. 

Crocodiles generally mate in September with egg laying in November / December.  Hatching occurs after 90 days.  Clutch size varies and can range from 15 to 80 eggs.  Females return to the same nest year after year.  These being sited from 1 to 50 metres sometimes further from the water.