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How to Tell a Male From a Female Crocodile

The crocodile is a carnivorous reptile of the crocodilian family; several subspecies are found in freshwater and saltwater. The crocodile, which splits its time between land and water, has a long body that it uses to propel itself through the water. This meat-eating animal feeds on fish, small mammals, reptiles, crustaceans and birds. Although there are physical and behavioral differences between a male and female crocodile, some are noticeable, but others require close inspection of a crocodile's body to recognize.

Instructions

Instructions
- 1
  Measure the length of a crocodile. The most obvious sign that a crocodile is male or female is body size: males grow larger than females. The extent to which the sexes vary in size depends on the subspecies --- for example, the male saltwater crocodile can be double the length of a female, but a male Nile crocodile is usually only 30 percent larger than a female.
- 2
  Find the sexual organs. Locate the cloaca, a small vent on the underbelly of a crocodile. Gently use forceps on either side of the cloaca to open the cloaca. If the crocodile is female, a clitoris will pop out. If the crocodile is male, the penis will be found inside the cloaca.
- 3
  Study the crocodile's behavior during mating season. The male crocodile bellows loudly, slaps its snout in the water, blows water out of its nose and makes a variety of noises to get a female's attention.
- 4
  Measure snout size. In some species of crocodile, females have a thinner snout and slenderer body than males.
- 5
  Look to see if a crocodile has laid eggs after mating; only female crocodiles lay eggs. A female will lay between 20 and 40 eggs once a year in a nest near a river bank. If a crocodile is seen fiercely protecting a nest, the crocodile is most likely female; she will guard the nest until the eggs hatch and then carry her babies to the water to feed.

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