Stumpfkrokodil [Dwarf Crocodile]

The dwarf crocodile is the smallest extant crocodilian species, generally reaching only five feet (1.5 m) long or so. Though they no longer live along the Nile River, there have been confirmed skeletons/mummies of dwarf crocodiles in the areas surrounding the sacred lakes at temples devoted to the god Sobek. 

Sobek was a frightening god to many Egyptians; he was a literal deification of the crocodile itself. This was an animal that could easily incite fear, and lived within the river that the Egyptians relied upon so heavily. According to legend, he rose out of the waters of Chaos to create the world. But in many places, that was not the important aspect; it was much more important that he was the crocodile god. People hoped that by praying and making sacrifices to him, they would be safe from harm by his minions/children.

Brehms Tierleben. Alfred Brehm, 1911.