 Females become sexually mature when about 1 @.@ 6 to 2 metres ( 5 ft 3 in to 6 ft 7 in ) long and males at about 2 @.@ 5 metres ( 8 ft 2 in ) . Eggs are laid about 14 days after mating . In the northern population , breeding takes place during the dry season between August and October . A floating nest composed of vegetation is made in a shallow water location such as in an overgrown channel , at the edge of a lake , on a scroll <unk> or beside a stream . A clutch of between 22 and 45 eggs is laid and covered with further vegetation . In the southern population , the wet season is chosen for reproduction . The nest is sometimes built in a similar locations to the northern nests , but is more often on land , and a smaller number of rather larger eggs is laid . In both populations , the mother stays near the nest during the incubation period , which lasts about 80 days . When the eggs start to hatch , the emerging young are quite vocal , and both male and female crocodiles have been observed transporting hatching and newly hatched young to open water , carrying them delicately in their mouths . 
