Compared to the Nile Crocodile, the West African Crocodile is smaller: Adults are typically 1.5–2.5 m (5–8 ft) long, and maximum is perhaps 3–4 m (10–13 ft).[1] The species was named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1807, who discovered differences between the skulls of a mummified crocodile and those of Nile crocodile (C. niloticus). This new species was, however, for a long time afterwards regarded as a synonym of the Nile crocodile. In 2003, a study indicated that C. suchus was a valid species,[2] and this was confirmed by several other studies in 2011–2015.[5][6][7] Despite the long history of confusion, genetic testing has revealed that the two are not particularly close.