niger) was found to have a notably broader and heavier skull than that of a Nile crocodile measuring . However, despite their robust skulls, alligators and caimans appear to be proportionately equal in biting force to true crocodiles, as the muscular tendons used to shut the jaws are similar in proportional size. Only the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) (and perhaps some of the few very thin-snouted crocodilians) is likely to have noticeably diminished bite force compared to other living species due to its exceptionally narrow, fragile snout. More or less, the size of the tendons used to impart bite force increases with body size and the larger the crocodilian gets, the stronger its bite is likely to be. Therefore, a male saltwater crocodile, which had attained a length around , was found to have the most powerful biting force ever tested in a lab setting for any type of animal. Size The Nile crocodile is the largest crocodilian in Africa, and is generally considered the second-largest crocodilian after the saltwater crocodile. Typical size has been reported to be as much as , but this is excessive for actual average size per most studies and represents the upper limit of sizes attained by the largest animals in a majority of populations. Alexander and Marais (2007) give the typical mature size as ; Garrick and Lang (1977) put it at from . According to Cott (1961), the average length and weight of Nile crocodiles from Uganda and Zambia in breeding maturity was and . Per Graham (1968), the average length and weight of a large sample of adult crocodiles from Lake Turkana (formerly known as Lake Rudolf), Kenya was and body mass of . Similarly, adult crocodiles from Kruger National Park reportedly average in length. In comparison, the saltwater crocodile and gharial reportedly both average around , so are about longer on average, and the false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) may average about , so may be slightly longer, as well. However, compared to the narrow-snouted, streamlined gharial and false gharial, the Nile crocodile is more robust and ranks second to the saltwater crocodile in total average body mass among living crocodilians, and is considered to be the second-largest extant reptile. The largest accurately measured male, shot near Mwanza, Tanzania, measured and weighed about . Size and sexual dimorphism Like all crocodiles, they are sexually dimorphic, with the males up to 30% larger than