Africa is home to the nile crocodile and white rhino. The nile crocodile spends the day lazily floating in the water, waiting for a meal to appear, while the white rhino grazers on the lush grass. If we were to pit these two extraordinary animals against each other, crocodile vs rhino, who would win?
Nile Crocodile vs White Rhino Animal Fact Sheet
| Nile Crocodile | White Rhino | |
| Size | weight 225 – 450 kg length 3 – 5 m | weight 2300 – 3600 kg length 3.7 – 4 m height 1.7 – 1.8 m |
| Speed | on land 20 mph in water 18 – 22 mph | 25 – 30 mph |
| Attack | bite force 5000 psi | bite force 1000 psi horns |
| Defence | thick skin | size thick skin |
| Special Abilities | can continually grow new teeth | great hearing strong sense of smell |
| Habitat | South Africa & Madagascar rivers & swamps | South Africa savanna |
| Diet | Carnivore | Herbivore |
| Lifespan | 40 – 80 years | 40 – 50 years |
| Predators | Humans | Humans |
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Nile Crocodile vs White Rhino Size
The nile crocodile weighs 225 – 450 kg (500 – 1000 lb) and can grow 3 – 5 m (10 – 16 ft) long. White rhinos weigh 2300 – 3600 kg (5000 – 8000 lb) be 3.7 – 4 m (12 – 13 ft) long and measure 1.7 – 1.8 m (5.5 – 6 ft) at shoulder height. The white rhino is heavier than the nile crocodile weighing as much as ten times more.
The white rhino has the weight advantage.
Nile Crocodile vs White Rhino Speed
The nile crocodile is an excellent swimmer as they have a thick muscular tail to propel them through the water. They can reach a top speed of 18 – 22 mph (28 – 35 kph) in the water. They can run at 20 mph (32 kph) on land but only for a few seconds as they are not built for speed out of the water. The white rhino can charge at 25 – 30 mph (40 – 48 kph). The crocodile has the speed advantage in the water as rhinos can not swim.
On a speed comparison, it is a draw as the crocodile has the speed in the water, whereas the rhino is faster on land.
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Nile Crocodile vs White Rhino Attack
The nile crocodile has a bite force of 5000 psi, one of the strongest in the world. Their mouth has 62 – 70 teeth that are 13 cm (5 in) long. Crocodiles are lazy hunters. They wait in the shallows by the water’s edge for an unsuspecting animal to come down for a drink.
The crocodile then launches itself out of the water, bites hold of the animal, and drags it into the water to drown it. They then perform a death roll spinning their prey around using their powerful jaws to rip chunks of flesh off to eat.
The white rhino, when threatened, will charge head-on with its horns. They have the strength to flip over cars. Their horns can grow to be 1.5 m (5 ft) long. They are not bone but keratin, the same material that hair and nails are made of.
The white rhino has the strongest bite force among the five species of rhino at 1000 psi, but as it has the teeth of a herbivore, they rely on its horns to ram attackers. Because they are so heavy, they can also stomp on smaller predators like hyenas.
The crocodile wins as it has the high bite force.
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Nile Crocodile vs White Rhino Defence
The crocodile is covered in thick scales that act like armour. If a crocodile finds itself threatened on land, it will make a haste retreat back to the protection of the water. A white rhino’s vast size means predators usually know better not to mess with them. If they do, the rhino will see them off with its horns. The rhino has a thick skin of 5 cm (2 in) in most places on its body.
The white rhino has the better defence.
Nile Crocodile vs White Rhino Special Abilities
All crocodiles can regrow back lost or damaged teeth over a lifetime. They can grow 4000 teeth. The white rhino has excellent hearing and sense of smell to compensate for its poor eyesight.
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Nile Crocodile vs White Rhino What Are The Differences?
The differences between two animals can make a big difference in who wins a fight. The most significant difference between the nile crocodile and the white rhino is that the nile crocodile is a perfect swimmer, whereas the white rhino can not swim and could easily drown if it went too deep into the water. The rhino is taller and weighs more than the crocodile. The crocodile is short in height but long and has a strong tail.
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Nile Crocodile vs White Rhino Who Would Win In A Fight?
The battleground will help decide who the winner is in a crocodile vs rhino fight. If they fight in the water, the crocodile will win, whereas the rhino can have the upper hand if they fight on land.
If the crocodile waits patiently in the water for the rhino to get close enough, it could then grab the rhino and pull it deep enough into the, and it would drown. But the crocodile would have to be huge as rhinos are extremely heavy.
On land, the rhino can use its speed advantage to quickly charge the crocodile and toss it around like a ball with its powerful neck muscles. The rhino could just as easily trample the crocodile to death with its heavy weight.
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