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Crocodile (subfamily Crocodylinae) are large aquatic tetrapod’s that live throughout Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. They are reptiles and like most reptiles, are cold-blooded. They have incredibly strong teeth and have the strongest bite of all animals in the world. They are very fast over short distances and they are very vocal creatures. They have good night vision and they are nocturnal. Experts believe all Crocodile can see colour.
The Nile Crocodile is one of the most dangerous species of Crocodile and is responsible for hundreds of human deaths every year. It is common and is not endangered.
It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the eastern, southern, and central regions of the continent, and lives in different types of aquatic environments such as lakes, rivers, swamps and marshlands. Although capable of living in saline environments, this species is rarely found in saltwater, but occasionally inhabits deltas and brackish lakes. The range of this species once stretched northward throughout the Nile River, as far north as the Nile Delta. Lake Rudolf in Kenya has one of the largest undisturbed populations of Nile Crocodile. The Nile Crocodile is a quadruped with four short, splayed legs, the adult male Nile Crocodile is between 3.5 and 5 m (11 ft 6 in and 16 ft 5 in) in length and weighs 225 to 750 kg (500 to 1,650 lb). However, specimens exceeding 6.1 m (20 ft) in length and 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) in weight have been recorded. It is the largest predator in Africa, and may be considered the second-largest extant reptile in the world, after the saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus Porosus). Size is sexually dimorphic, with females usually about 30% smaller than males. The Crocodile has thick, scaly, heavily armoured skin.
Adult Nile Crocodile have a dark bronze colouration above with faded blackish spots and stripes variably appearing across the back and a dingy off-yellow on the belly, although mud can often obscure the Crocodile’s actual colour. The flanks, which are yellowish-green in colour, have dark patches arranged in oblique stripes in highly variable patterns. Nile Crocodile have green eyes. The colouration also helps to camouflage them. A similar tendency in coloration change during maturation has been noted in most Crocodile species.
Nile Crocodile are opportunistic apex predators; a very aggressive Crocodile, they are capable of taking almost any animal within their range. They are generalists, taking a variety of prey, with a diet consisting mostly of different species of fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. As ambush predators, they can wait for hours, days, and even weeks for the suitable moment to attack. They are agile predators and wait for the opportunity for a prey item to come well within attack range. Even swift prey are not immune to attack. The bite force exerted by an adult Nile Crocodile has been shown by Brady Barr to measure 22 kN (5,000 lbf). However, the muscles responsible for opening the mouth are exceptionally weak, allowing a person to easily hold them shut, and even larger Crocodile can be brought under control by the use of duct tape to bind the jaws together, that is unique among all animals. Sharp, conical teeth that sink into flesh, allowing a grip that is almost impossible to loosen. They can apply high force for extended periods of time, a great advantage for holding down large prey underwater to drown.
Nile Crocodile are relatively social. They share basking spots and large food sources, such as schools of fish and big carcasses. Their strict hierarchy is determined by size. Large, old males are at the top of this hierarchy and have first access to food and the best basking spots. Crocodile tend to respect this order; when it is infringed, the results are often violent and sometimes fatal. Like most other reptiles, Nile Crocodile lay eggs, these are guarded by the females and males, making the Nile Crocodile one of few reptile species whose males contribute to parental care. The hatchlings are also protected for a period of time, but hunt by themselves and are not fed by the parents. Juveniles are grey, multicoloured, or brown, with dark cross-bands on the tail and body. The underbelly of young Crocodile is yellowish green. As they mature, Nile Crocodile become darker and the cross-bands fade, especially those on the upper-body.
Today, Nile Crocodile are widely found in, among others, Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, the Central African Republic, the DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Angola, South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sudan, South Sudan, Botswana and Cameroon. The Nile Crocodile’s current range of distribution extends from the regional tributaries of the Nile in Sudan and Lake Nasser in Egypt to the Cunene River of Angola, the Okavango Delta of Botswana, and the Olifants River in South Africa.
Planning carefully is the key to a good Crocodile taxidermy job. When tanning and oiling the hides, the best chemicals and methods in the world are used to make sure they will last for generations. At Lifeform Taxidermy, we carefully choose our forms to make sure they fit well, and we’ll even custom make the forms according to any instruction, you may have in mind, at no extra cost. Full-mount trophies come with standard natural habitat bases that are made just for them. We use only the best materials and our 40 years of experience in the field to give your trophies new meaning. The finished trophies look life-like. When repair is needed, every effort is made to repair cuts and scrapes while keeping bullet damage to a minimum. Skin preparation and storage tips for a flawless Crocodile trophy.
Take care of your trophy before you bring it to the taxidermist – field preparation is the most important start. As soon as you take the hit on your trophy, it starts to rot, and the heat of Africa speeds up the decaying process. The hunter must not drag the body of the animal from the site where it was shot to the waiting hunting truck. The trophy should be protected from the hot metal bed of the hunting truck with a thick layer of cut grass or leaves.
So that nothing goes wrong, the skinning needs to start right away. Remove all of the meat, fat, dirt, and blood from the skin. Clean the skin well. After that, allow the skin to drip dry for a short time, it should then be salted. It is recommended to soak the skin in a salt solution for at least five hours and ideally overnight. Use about 20 kg of salt per 100 litres of water. After taking the skin out of the solution, salt it while it is still flat and flesh side up on a clean surface. To get the full effect of the salt, it needs to be absorbed into the skin all over, into all the crevice’s, especially around the facial features. Put the skin in the shade with a layer of salt on it. After 24 hours, dry the cape. Fold with the hair and ears in when it’s dry. To stop insect damage, pesticides must be sprayed on the skin and in the storage area.
It’s safe to say that the Nile Crocodile is one of the most unusual African trophies. These enormous, carnivorous reptiles inhabit nearly all of Africa’s major rivers. The Crocodile is a slow-growing, ancient-looking creature that lives for a very long time.
Even though the Crocodile looks lazy and uninterested as it sunbathes on the riverbank, don’t be fooled. Crocodile are shy, wary, and very careful. They are quite tough to get within a respectable shooting distance on foot.
If the Crocodile is allowed to flee back into the water after being shot, the trophy is likely to be lost. You can only successfully anchor your Croc into the spinal column directly below the skull.
It is recommended that Crocodile be hunted from a blind and shot from a stable lying stance. You’ll need a rifle of at least .338 calibre to penetrate his thick hide and the exceptionally strong bone protecting his head. Always shoot with expanding soft-point bullets that have been tested for quality control. Due to the difficulty in controlling the recoil of rifles with calibres greater than .375 when shooting from a resting position, such weapons should be avoided. In all seriousness, a 4-power quality scope is a must-have.
How you choose an Crocodile taxidermy mount depends on things like your budget, wall space, and personal taste. When it comes to the creation of a full mount, we find that considerable discussion with the customer yields the best results. This is due to the fact that each form is given a distinct shape and arrangement.
Life-Form Taxidermy will make an exact copy of the skin as soon as they get all of your mounting instructions. All of the skins are tanned and oiled with high-quality products and methods to make sure they are preserved for years. Each skin is put on a manikin to make sure that it fits well. After the eyes and ears are expertly placed, the skin is sewn by a professional. Before making any last changes, the taxidermist waits until the animal is dry. They put the trophies in crates, and the shipping company hired by the client brings them to the client.
Every year, dust the mounts with a soft brush or compressed air to fluff up the hair. Trophies should be protected from common pests by spraying a light mist of normal aerosol surface pesticide around them. Think about preserving your trophy with Mount Medix Africa. This is a product that Life-Form Taxidermy offers.
Keep trophies in a cool, dry place. Daylight makes the mounts fade over time, so artificial light is better. If there’s too much humidity, open the windows or turn on a fan. Due to salt and tan residue, hair can make moisture beads when the humidity is high. Using a tissue that soaks up water will also soak up the salts.
The pricing of any trophy is subject to the costing stipulated per taxidermy order, quantity of trophies and preferred mounting options, along with additional requirements.
Should you wish to receive a quotation prior to the hunt, the taxidermist can generate such for you. Please contact [email protected]
Taxidermy is an art form that involves a complicated step-by-step process to make sure that each trophy looks just right and is of a high enough quality that it will last your whole life.
The time it takes a taxidermist to mount an animal might range from days to weeks, and possibly several months, depending on the quantity of trophies per taxidermy order, the display preferences, and volumes of client trophies to be produced, simultaneously, per production schedule.
This depends largely on the “what, how, when” factors. A taxidermy order also only becomes available for production scheduling upon receipt of the required deposit and trophy mounting instructions.
