Crocodile symbolism and meanings include primordial wisdom, efficiency, stealth, and other powerful associations. Because crocodiles exist throughout the world, including the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australia, they are the subject of mythology and folklore in many of these regions’ cultures. In addition, the crocodile spirit animal is present in s number of these cultures’ spiritual belief systems.
In this post, you’ll learn about common crocodile symbols, as well as the meanings associated with them in the mythology of various cultures. Plus, you’ll learn about the crocodile spirit animal and totem.
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If you’re curious about alligators (who are in the same zoological order as crocodiles, but who are slightly different), pleases visit my post on alligator symbolism, meanings, and the alligator spirit animal.
Crocodiles have inhabited the Earth for over 80 million years, and they have changed very little over that time period. They also have long lifespans, with some living beyond 100 years of age. For these reasons, like snakes and dragonflies, crocodiles are symbols of ancient wisdom. They have a sense of the Earth before human time began.
As ambush hunters, crocodiles quietly sneak up on their prey. They have excellent nighttime vision, which gives them an extra advantage. Plus, they can detect pressure changes in the water, which enables them to more easily locate their prey. Thus, crocodiles are symbols of stealth, discretion, and the surprise attack.
Unlike alligators, who are mainly found in freshwater, the crocodile has special glands that enable them to exist in both fresh and saltwater environments. In addition, they live on land. So, these skillful hunters can find food in both land and water environments. And, when they catch their prey, they barely chew it, often swallowing their prey whole.
Thus, crocodiles are important symbols of efficiently going after what you want – and getting it.
Crocodiles are considered to be far more aggressive than their alligator cousins. While an alligator may attack if they’re hungry or threatened, crocodiles are known to attack even when they’re not provoked.
The crocodile is therefore a symbol of not only fearlessness, but aggressive ferocity.
It’s not as easy to see an alligator’s teeth. When their mouth is closed, only their top teeth are exposed. This is not the case with crocodiles. Even when their mouth is shut, their big sharp teeth – both the top and bottom rows – stick out over their lips.
So, without even trying, the crocodile exudes their power. As apex predators, they are the bosses of their domains. Thus, like lions and sharks, they are symbols of power, authority, and sovereignty.
Unlike wolves, who are extremely social and reliant on their packs, crocodiles are solitary hunters. They may bask on a bank in the sunshine with other crocodiles, but they lead independent lives. Because of this, crocodiles are symbols of rugged individualism and independence.
You may have heard psychologists talk about the “lizard brain” when describing the part of the human brain that’s focused only on survival functions: breathing, eating, sleeping, sex, and fight or flight. The crocodile personifies the “lizard brain.” They don’t display the level of emotional intelligence that elephants, dolphins, or your cat companion do. Instead, crocodiles symbolize our gut, or basic, instincts. The crocodile doesn’t get into analysis paralysis about anything. They go for the jugular.
Crocodiles have eyes on the tops of their heads, so they can see happenings on land even when their bodies are submerged in water. In addition, they have the capacity to go into a state called unihemispheric sleep, in which one part of their brain goes to sleep, while the other is still awake. On top of this, they can sleep with one eye closed and the other open and alert.
These special traits are why crocodiles are symbols of a hyper or psychic awareness. In addition, like turtles, crocodiles are creatures of both water and land environments. In mystical symbolism, land represents your conscious awareness, while water represents your subconscious or superconscious awareness. Thus, crocodiles are symbols of supernatural or psychic awareness.
Crocodiles have lived on Earth for over 80 million years, thus they are subjects in the mythology and folklore of many cultures around the world. Here are some examples of crocodile symbolism:
Native Americans revere nature and animals. They view the crocodile as a powerful being who is also feared.
Ancient Native Americans who lived in what is now the Ohio River basin in the 1st and 2nd centuries told stories of a fierce underwater panther who ate people. The underwater panther, whom the Ojibwe called Mishibijiw, was considered a supernatural being. He governed the water in the way the Thunderbird governed the air.
Archaeologists and anthropologists surmise that the underwater panther was most likely based on a crocodile.
In fact, there is a mound in Granville, Ohio that was built by Native Americans sometime between 800 to 1200 AD. It’s referred to as the Crocodile Effigy Mound, or similar names. Some historians believe this mound was built in honor of the underwater panther.
The crocodile totem represents fierceness, authority, and the power of the water element. As described in the section on the Crocodile Power Animal below, the crocodile totem is emblematic of confidence, protection, and sovereignty over your domain.
The northern Native Americans, as well as the Aztecs and the Mayas, believed that the Earth was formed by a giant crocodile, turtle, or other reptilian creature who floated on an endless sea. For the Aztec and Mayas, this creature was a monster with crocodile skin and teeth. They called it Tlaltecuhtli. While the creature was neither male nor female, she is often described as a fearsome fertility goddess.
The problem was, she was insatiably hungry and even had extra mouths on her elbows and knees. Naturally, she also demanded sacrifice.
Fearing her power, the two gods Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl transformed themselves into giant serpents to battle her. In the battle, they split her in two, throwing half of her body into the cosmos. They used the other half to create the Earth.
The other gods and goddesses were appalled at what Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl had done. So, they insisted that all life on Earth should thus spring from Tlaltecuhtli’s body, including the rivers, flowers, grass, and more.
The Aboriginal People of Australia tell the tale of why the crocodile rolls.
There was once a grouchy woman named Min-na-wee who complained incessantly. One day, one of the men in the village got sick of her complaining, so he tried to restrain her. The two got into a big fight and fell to the ground. Min-na-wee was so incensed about being controlled that she shapeshifted into a crocodile. She then began to roll and roll to subdue the man. This is how Min-na-wee won the fight and this is why crocodiles roll to this day when they capture their prey.
In Africa, the elders tell a tale about how the crocodile got his rough, scaly skin.
There was once a crocodile who had beautiful smooth golden skin. His routine was to stay in the river all day and only come out to the river bank at night. One evening, he fell asleep on the river bank and was still there by the morning. As the other animals came down to the river to drink, they saw the beautiful crocodile in the sunlight and admired his beautiful golden skin.
Enjoying the admiration, the crocodile began to come out of the river more often during the day. More and more animals came to compliment him on his beautiful golden skin. The crocodile couldn’t get enough of the compliments, so he stayed on the river bank longer and longer.
Eventually, the hot African sun began to take its toll on the crocodile’s skin, which grew tougher with each passing day. As the crocodile’s skin became hard and covered in scales, the other animals became less interested. And so, the crocodile returned more often to the river. (This is also a proverb about wearing your sunscreen. :o)
The ancient Egyptians revered animals, including cats and snakes. They also had great respect for the crocodiles who lived along the Nile River. The Egyptians held crocodiles in such high regard that they even had a crocodile deity named Sobek.
Equipped with a crocodile head, Sobek was one of the Egyptians’ oldest deities. He was not only the lord of crocodiles, he was also the creator order in the Universe. In addition, Sobek was a fertility god who also protected the military.
It shouldn’t be surprising that archaeologists have found numerous mummies of crocodiles of all ages buried in ancient Egyptian tombs. In addition, there was an ancient Egyptian crocodile cult and crocodiles were allowed to roam freely in their temples.
Based on the Egyptian deity Sobek, the Greeks had their own crocodile god, whom they called Suchos. The ancient Greeks kept a large crocodile named Petsuchos, whose name meant “He Who Belongs to Suchos,” in a temple dedicated to the god in Fayyūm province. The Greeks considered Petsuchos to be an incarnation of Suchos.
In the Bible, crocodiles symbolized the reign of the Pharaohs of Egypt, which God would destroy. In Ezekiel 32, God says, “You consider yourself a young lion among the nations, but you are like the sea monster! You thrash about in your rivers, you roil the waters with your feet, and you muddy your rivers…”
Then, God goes on to say how he will “bring an end to Egypt’s pride.”
The Chinese tell the story of a mythical creature named Jiaolong. Shaped like a dragon, Jiaolong was unique in that he lived in the water. Thus, many historians believe that dragons are based on crocodiles and alligators.
The Indonesians tell the story of a great battle between a crocodile and shark, who were the strongest and most powerful of all the animals. The two beasts battled so fiercely that they eventually called a truce. They agreed that the shark would inhabit the water and the crocodile the land. However, one day, the shark entered a river estuary to hunt. This infuriated the crocodile, who believe that rivers were part of his land territory. So, he drove away the shark. This is why crocodiles patrol rivers to this day.
A crocodile and a shark are symbols for the city Surabaya in Indonesia. The name Surabaya is derived from the words “suro,” which means shark, and “boyo,” which means crocodile.
In Hinduism, there is a crocodile-like deity named Mahara. Not only is Mahara the guardian of gateways and thresholds, he also carries the river goddess Ganga on his back.
The Hindus also tell the tale of an elephant king named Ganjendra. One day Ganjendra leads his herd of female elephants to the river to bathe. A crocodile in the river is annoyed by the intrusion, so he bites Ganjendra’s leg and doesn’t let go. Crying in pain, Ganjendra prays to Vishnu to come and help him. Vishnu answers his request and kills the great crocodile.
If a crocodile rivets your attention, whether in real life, art, literature, or the media – pay attention. There are no coincidences. The crocodile spirit animal could have special messages for you.
According to Native American traditions, you don’t necessarily choose your spirit animal. Rather, they choose you during a vision quest or another powerful experience that changes the course of your life. In Native American and other spiritual beliefs, your spirit animal serves as a guide who can help you as you navigate your soul’s journey.
If the crocodile captures your attention in a powerful way, you could be remembering a past life experience. Or it could mean that you should embody some crocodile traits in order to more successfully handle life’s challenges. When you understand crocodiles and what they symbolize, you can summon that powerful energy.
Only you can truly know if the crocodile is one of your power animals. You may have been intrigued with crocodiles your whole life. Or you may be someone who never thought much about them until suddenly one captured your attention in a powerful way. It crocodiles intrigue you, by all means explore what these fierce reptiles can to teach you!
If you’re curious about other animals who might be your spirit guides, you can take UniGuide’s spirit animal test in my post about spirit animals.
As an apex predator, the crocodile possesses enormous power. They are confident, skillful, and strong. Thus, the crocodile power animal can be a helpful symbol to meditate on in situations where you need more courage and skill.
Meditate on the Crocodile Power Animal when you:
Crocodile dream meanings can be interpreted in a number of ways, and the answer is unique for everyone. What’s important is to consider the emotions you felt in your dream.
Crocodile are frightening symbols to many people. So, if the dominant emotion you felt in your dream was fear, it could mean you need to face some conscious or subconscious fears in your life. In a way, you must become the crocodile – facing fears, threats, or insecurities with confidence and fierceness.
The emotions you feel in your crocodile dream can guide you into understanding what your subconscious is grappling with. Then, your conscious mind can help you to make sense of it. Once you identify your feelings in the dream, consider the different meanings applied to crocodiles. Hopefully, this will provide you with insights into how to approach an issue in your life.
If you’d like more details on what your dream could mean, be sure to check out my dedicated post on crocodile dream meaning.
A crocodile tattoo can be a very empowering symbol because of the potent abilities of these primeval reptiles. After all, like sharks, these animals have changed very little from how they were tens of millions of years ago. Essentially, when they were created, the mold was broken.
A crocodile tattoo shows the world that you have primordial wisdom, you go by your instincts, and you have a fiercely independent nature. If you are pondering a crocodile tattoo, hopefully what you have learned in this post will imbue it with even more significance in your life.
While crocodiles look like they can protect themselves, they are actually threatened. Some species are listed as vulnerable while others are critically endangered. Because they are apex predators, human beings often feel threatened by them, so they hunt and kill them.
Crocodiles are also exploited for their skin, so people can make shoes and accessories out of it. Habitat loss that impacts wetlands and rivers is one of their biggest threats. If you care about crocodiles and the ecosystems they support, please do what you can to protect them. Here are some organizations that are doing so:
You might like these other articles on UniGuide:
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18 Responses
Hello. I’ve never asked anyone else to interpret a dream before. I had the crocodile dream last night, after bringing out a memory meditation stone. I was having a hard time remembering details of my dreams since the eclipse season. I can only remember flashes of the dream in bits and pieces.
I was in the water at the beach. It was day time and good weather. Usually in my dreams, there are other sea life like dolphins or whales, etc. In this dream, the crocodile was in the water, which was smooth and glassy. I could see the eyes above the water and made eye contact with it. As soon as our eyes met, it started coming towards me. Its mouth was open, but I knew it was a crocodile because of the teeth sticking out of its mouth no matter what;; open or closed. I punched it in the face, like around the nose area to deter it from me. Similar to a shark when you go surfing. It wouldn’t back off, so I grabbed the front of its jaws and closed its mouth. I swung around it and subdued it from behind.I don’t remember how it ends. I think I just wake up after that. The place where I used to go surfing had a tiger shark that used to cruise around, no problem. This thing was unprovoked aggressive. I believe in almost every perspective being a more spiritual and less religious person. I appreciate any thoughts. We have the same first name, so I figured that was also a sign to ask for your interpretation lol.
Thank you.
Hello Fellow Kristen! For some reason, as I read this – it just popped into my mind that the crocodile is a part of you that you are working on, and successfully overcoming. While I mainly focus on the positive aspects of animals on UniGuide, I know they have a lot of negative associations too. Of course, the crocodile is primordial and scary.
I am guessing they crocodile represents egoistic aspects of your personality, which we all have. They don’t call it the lizard brain for nothing! :o)
I have been thinking a lot about ego lately for myself. That ego isn’t just – Oh, I’m the greatest! – in a narcissistic way. It’s also the little lies we tell ourselves, the denials, the excuses, etc. – all the negative thought patterns and behaviors that keep us from realizing our true potential.
I feel like – you are spiritually in tune, comfortable in the water (your subconscious and your spiritual self) – you’re at peace with many aspects of your personality (at peace with the other sea animals in dreams and reality (the dolphins, the whale shark) – but this crocodile represents the parts of yourself that you are still working on and your wrestling with. And you are prevailing. So, that’s my take! Take it or leave it! :o)
THANK YOU so much for that. Totally agree. I love that’s kinda what i felt like after reflecting more after posting. Definitely been doing the end of year reflection of this past year and the re-direction for next year. Lots of shadow work and feeling good about it. Kinda heavy stuff, but I’m a Scorpio and it’s all good.
THank you again for replying. Take care! xoxo
My pleasure. And, strangely, I have been having recurring crocodile dreams lately! More work to do on myself too!
I had a dream of Crocodile being with me on pick of huge and tall Rever the pick of huge River was between 2 Rivers that I can see like Mountain
Crocodile and I see we can see Water below us we were high up on the top of the pick.we both were Calm I wanted to take a picture but the Crocodile was hide at my cellphone it was leaning to me not to take picture we was coming down at the high pick slowly until we reach the bottom of River it was the water at bottom of the tall pick of 2 Rivers. I wake up because my cousins come. The point is I was not infear of
Crocodile I was feeling Secure around the Crocodile. What is the meaning of Crocodile to my dream? Is it being with Crocodile is a
good sign?
I think that’s a positive sign. It’s interesting that there were two rivers – it’s sort of life a decision was in front of you, yet you had confidence. I think the calm amidst such a powerful and dangerous animal shows you have an inner certainty, or confidence in yourself, like at a soul level, you know you are on track. Cool dream!
I found this website because I was trying to figure out what this dream was about. I have no idea what to think.
In my dream a bunch of things kept going wrong and I mean really wrong. My husband and I had moved into our RV in our dream. We just bought a brand new generator recently and it caught fire while my husband was at work. I tried to use a fire extinguisher but it actually made it worse! I went to some child for help. The child told me he was a hybrid. I should mention I’m a believer in God and Christ. I figure it has a lot to do with my dreams at times.
The child could see things people couldn’t and he told me I angered a god but he didn’t know what it was. He described it as enormous, eccentric, and frightening. He told me he has never seen anything like it. I asked what I had done and he said it keeps saying, “I will take everything and scatter them among the world!”.
I left and all of a sudden I could see an invisible crocodile charging me. It was entirely see through but I could see this out line around the crocodile. I prayed and it was pushed back. I tried to tell my husband and he looked concerned. I ended up praying for him to see and all of a sudden he could see it charging and being knocked back by prayer. I was terrified of what would happen if it reached me and wasn’t sure my husband was safe. I then prayed to see it’s real shape because this didn’t seem that enormous (as the child described) and it morphed all of sudden. I was looking into the sky and it kept getting larger. I really freaked out and ran. We had to rent a house or something. We got there and tried to leave shortly after, I opened the door and seen only black. My husband acted like everything was normal and stepped out before I could stop him but he was fine. I told my husband what I was seeing. I did see something besides black, where the ground was suppose to be was these large symbols. They looked a bit Egyptian but they weren’t. The symbols spread as far as I could see and went under the house. I put one foot out the door and my foot went through the supposed ground. My husband freaked out at that sight. I seen a large group of some type of entities charging us. It wasn’t a huge crocodile but about fifty reptile, wolf, human creatures. They were running on all fours to move faster and spread out as they got closer. I yelled for my husband to get in and explained after. My husband was walking around looking for his guns or something.
I kept saying it doesn’t matter because I have to jump but he didn’t like that at all. I was about to jump and my husband woke me up in real life.
I hope I left enough detail for some help. The crocodile was the size of three school buses wide and about one or so tall. The reptile/wolf/humanoids we’re blackish grey, had scales, long claws, elongated snouts like a wolf, human shape bodies. I couldn’t see much else about them. They freaked me out too but not like the crocodile.
Wow! There is a lot to unpack here. What struck me first is that despite the fear and stress in the dream, you have your soulmate (your husband) present, even waking you up from the dream to bring you back into the material world, and your faith (and power of prayer) was also present in your dream. It seems that there was a lot of”shapeshifting” going on in that dream – the “hybrid” child and the creatures – their sizes, shapes, clear/unclear, combination human/animal – like they were purposefully confusing and elusive to you – and you were trying to get a handle to understand them but they kept shifting on you. Even the fire extinguisher didn’t work as it should, and the floor didn’t either – you put your foot through it! Then the symbols, which should say something, but were cryptic.
When I write these posts, I try to steer away from saying things like – a crocodile dream means x, y, or z – because people can have different feelings about crocodiles. So, I try to share traditional symbols and mythologies to help visitors come to their own realizations, hopefully triggering their own intuition so they have an “aha” moment. Still, reptiles are not mammals like we are, so they are scary to a lot of people. I love all animals, no problem with sharks or spiders, but crocodiles terrify me. So, I can see why they would be horrifying in your dream too.
Your dream was so vivid and complex that I am reluctant to try to analyze every detail. For instance, is it a reaction to stresses, fears, and anxieties in the “real” world / material world or on a spiritual level (we all need spiritual protection every now and then!) – or a combination of both. But it seems to me that above all, despite every type of monster, confusion, and things not working as they should – you have these two lights in your life: your faith and your husband. I’m sure you know this already – but this dream sounds like an extra powerful validation of that!
Thank you, you definitely pointed out a few things that I hadn’t thought about. I still haven’t had an “aha” moment, but if I do I will let you know. I’ve only had a couple dreams so vivid. I had a dream when I was a teenager about my mother and my baby sister (who is sixteen years younger than I). I was sixteen then and my sister was a baby but I dreamt that she was much older, I was leaning over a cliff holding one in each hand. In my dream, I was slipping further over the longer I held them both, my mother kept saying let her go and save my sister. I eventually let my mother go, I closed my eyes and grabbed my sister with both hands and I woke up. It would take several years before I realized what it meant or what I take from it now.
I believe it was a warning that I would have to choose between all three of us falling or taking my sister from my parents. My husband and I ended up raising my sister most of her life. Our parents got on drugs really bad and they made very bad decisions. I actually hadn’t thought of that until I told my husband about that dream years later. He doesn’t remember his usually but I say he’s lucky.
Now I wonder if this dream is important or just a normal dream. You thought of things I hadn’t about all the combinations going on in my dream. I do love all animals too and never thought I was scared of crocodiles, until that dream. 😂
Thanks so much!!!
It sounds like you do have psychic abilities, so I would suggest honing those special gifts! I know that meditation and prayer are a big factor in that, but also, there are a lot of resources online and books that can help you do this! Your little sister is so blessed to have you in her life!
Kindly interpret my dream. Thanks!
5/26/2022
I have seen 2 people throwing dead people in the river. They didn’t notice me because I hide in a mountain nearby. In the distance, I saw a crocodile emerged in water. I was anxious to the two people going to the direction of the crocodile. I thought they will be killed but I don’t see if they were being attacked. That time I was in hiding again because of fear with the approaching crocodile. I just turned my back and hoping that crocodile will not see me and thinking that crocodile will go to the river to eat the dead people being thrown there. Then, I woke up in my dream.
Hi Arnold, Without knowing more, it seems you’re experiencing some anxiety! And it seems like you’re having anxiety about some things that you can’t control – such as worrying about the two people and what the crocodile will do. But then you turn your back on the crocodile, which is probably not the best thing to do! Dead bodies are going to disturb almost anyone. That’s natural. For some reason, the two people were disposing of them in a river. It sounds to me then like the crocodile has plenty to eat! So, why would he waste his energy trying to hunt the living people? My first take on this: the things you feel anxious about in real life that you can control, or you have the power to influence, you need to face head-on and deal with. And the things in life that can’t control, you need to let them be and try not to worry about them as much. For example, you are worrying about a well-fed crocodile! He’s the one you don’t have to worry about! We only have so much time and energy in this lifetime, so focusing on what you can control and influence is the best way that you can fulfill your purpose here on Earth. I hope this helps!
Africa is a massive continent and crocodiles are found in many regions across many cultures. Specify to which culture group you are referring when you say “African elders”. That phrase alone is extremely deductive an perpetuates western biases that African culture in monolithic. Additionally, Egypt should not be in a separate section from Africa,
Thank you for pointing that out. I do understand and will keep this in mind on the next revision of this post!
Thank you for this article.
Crocodiles and alligators have fascinated me since my childhood.
Recently I have felt that bond again rather strongly, so I am reading and rereading the associated myths and legends again. I like the way you structured them into the different properties that crocodiles represent.
Also it makes me glad to see that there are others with a similar affinity to them in this day and age. 🙂
Thank you for your comment! They are like living dinosaurs – worthy of our respect, even though they can be scary to some!
Thank you for your article, I had a dream last night with a crocodile and I knew I was being asked to look at the spiritual meaning of this animal, I felt totally calm being in the water with it knowing it was here to help me and had a message. I have been recently receiving more spiritual insights and a knowing I am being downloaded with more knowledge and spiritual gifts so it makes sense when I look at the meanings of this spirit animal, interesting article, thank you
Hi Corinne, Thank you for your feedback! I am so happy to hear that someone appreciates crocodiles! :o) Not everyone does! And that you were calm in the water in your dream – very cool. I am fairly convinced I had a run-in with a crocodile in a past life. They are the only animals who truly make me feel uneasy. So, it was a therapeutic process for me to write that article. Best of luck to you as you broaden your spiritual horizons!