Avoiding Crocodiles
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
These creatures, along with sharks, are regarded with a good deal of trepidation and outright hostility by the human race - particularly by people who have never been within a continent width of them.
Also like the shark, they sussed several million years ago that if you can grow to over 20 feet in length, have really big teeth, and a natural predisposition to snack on passing wildebeast/cattle/dumb tourists, then the whole evolution thing is really a waste of time and effort. Yup, these largely tropical creatures have stayed pretty much as they are (well maybe not pretty) since before our ancestors made it out of the trees. In an age where we are told that business/society/individuals must adapt or die, it is nice to have living proof that this is absolute hogwash.
This does not mean that sharing your beach or river with one is a sensible move. While some species (e.g. the freshwater crocs in inland Australia) are mostly harmless, others (e.g. the Estuarine or Salt Water crocodile) are not. In these enlightened times, you may regard them as a noble and fascinating reminder of the natural history of our planet. They are more likely to regard you as lunch. Or more likely next week's lunch, as they tend to let their snacks decay a bit underwater before eating to ease the digestive process
Official guidance on avoiding unpleasant encounters makes sensible points such as not swimming where there are crocs, not collecting water from the same place in a river every day, and being bloody careful when fording rivers.
If you do get into close quarters with one, unofficial guidance, provided by a nice chap at the Manly (New South Wales) Aquarium, is to run in zig zags like a rabbit. Apparantly crocs don't corner very well, and are too dumb to head you off by running in a straight line. If you end up VERY close, similarly insane advice is to sit on the croc just behind the head where the jaws can't reach you. How you get out of this situation is not clear.
Also like the shark, they sussed several million years ago that if you can grow to over 20 feet in length, have really big teeth, and a natural predisposition to snack on passing wildebeast/cattle/dumb tourists, then the whole evolution thing is really a waste of time and effort. Yup, these largely tropical creatures have stayed pretty much as they are (well maybe not pretty) since before our ancestors made it out of the trees. In an age where we are told that business/society/individuals must adapt or die, it is nice to have living proof that this is absolute hogwash.
This does not mean that sharing your beach or river with one is a sensible move. While some species (e.g. the freshwater crocs in inland Australia) are mostly harmless, others (e.g. the Estuarine or Salt Water crocodile) are not. In these enlightened times, you may regard them as a noble and fascinating reminder of the natural history of our planet. They are more likely to regard you as lunch. Or more likely next week's lunch, as they tend to let their snacks decay a bit underwater before eating to ease the digestive process
Official guidance on avoiding unpleasant encounters makes sensible points such as not swimming where there are crocs, not collecting water from the same place in a river every day, and being bloody careful when fording rivers.
If you do get into close quarters with one, unofficial guidance, provided by a nice chap at the Manly (New South Wales) Aquarium, is to run in zig zags like a rabbit. Apparantly crocs don't corner very well, and are too dumb to head you off by running in a straight line. If you end up VERY close, similarly insane advice is to sit on the croc just behind the head where the jaws can't reach you. How you get out of this situation is not clear.
