Kunene River Lodge #3: Croc!!
The cache, a small camouflaged tablet pot, is hidden in this metal monster which overlooks the swimming pool at this riverside lodge.
The Kunene River has a large population of Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) which is the largest freshwater predator in Africa, and also the 2nd largest reptile and crocodilian in the world, after the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus).
It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the central, eastern, and southern regions of the continent, and lives in different types of aquatic environments such as lakes, rivers, and marshlands. Although it is rarely found in saltwater, it occasionally inhabits deltas and brackish lakes. Its range once stretched northward throughout the Nile, as far north as the Nile delta.
On average, the adult male is 3.5-5 m long weighs 225-750 kg. However, some may grow to 6.1 m and weigh up to 1,090 kg. Sexual dimorphism is prevalent, and females are usually about 30% smaller than males.
They are opportunistic and very aggressive apex predators and take various prey - mostly different species of fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. As ambush predators they can wait for hours, days, and even weeks forthe suitable moment to attack.
They are relatively social crocodiles sharing 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 primary access to food and the best basking spots. Crocodiles tend to respect this order; when it is infringed, the results are often violent and sometimes fatal.
Like most other reptiles, they lay eggs which are guarded by the females. Hatchlings are also protected for a period of time, but hunt by themselves and are not fed by the parents. It is one of the most dangerous species of crocodile and is responsible for hundreds of human deaths every year.
Some interesting croc facts:
They the strongest bite in the animal kingdom with a force up to 8x more powerful than that of a great 
white shark and 15x more than a Rottweiler. However they have only small, weak muscles for jaw opening and a person could hold them shut!
Female crocodiles are great mothers and use their massive jaws to transport newly hatched young to a ‘nursery pool’ where they guard them from predators.
Sex of hatchlings depends on the temperature at which the eggs incubate. At 30ºC or less they will be mostly female; at 31ºC they will be mixed; and at 32ºC, they will be mostly male.
They are the most vocal of reptiles. Among at least 5 different calls are the deep, vibrating bellow of courting males and the ‘peeping’ of babies inside the egg which encourages the female to 
excavate the nest.
Large crocs swallow stones, known as gastroliths which act as ballast, helping them to balance their body underwater.
They normally dive for only a few minutes, but can swim under water up to 30 minutes if threatened, and if they remain fully inactive, they can hold their breath for up to 2 hours!
Smaller ones can gallop, and even larger ones can show surprising bursts of speed, briefly reaching up to 
14 km/h. They can swim much faster by moving their bodies and tails in a sinuous fashion, and they can sustain this form of movement much longer than on land, with a maximum known swimming speed 30-35 km/h - over 3x times faster than any human.
See here for comprehensive details of this mighty beast.
See here for video of a crocodile in the Kunene river and here for a full-length documentary, which while somewhat 'dramatisised' is entertaining, comprehensive and has some great footage.
Thanks to lodge management for permission to place the cache.