• they can hold their breath underwater for up to one and a half hours
• they have a lingual gland at the back of the throat that removes salt from their body
• their brain is only the size of a walnut but it still allows enough 'processing' to take place to enable the animal to make a decision about whether to attack or not
• crocs replace their teeth by growing new ones inside old ones which eventually fall out
• the stomach of the crocodile is only about the size of a basketball and contrary to legends and 'old wives' tales', crocs do not store their food - they eat it right away
• of 23 species of crocodiles worldwide, ours is considered the most aggressive
While this powerful animal can easily tear a large animal apart, it also exhibits the gentlest behaviour with its offspring. The croc builds a mound to incubate its eggs (like the megapodes, the Scrub fowl and the Brush Turkey) and when its 50 or so eggs have hatched and the young have climbed to the surface, the female picks them up in her mouth and carries them carefully down to the water. Males can be predators of their own young but females are very protective and stay close to the mound during the three months the eggs are incubating (November to March).
Photographed by Micheal CermakThe best and safest place to see crocodiles might be at a fauna park. There are river tours which feature the estuarine crocodile as a draw card, but it is dependent on the time of year as to whether wild crocodiles can be seen. The wet season temperatures are usually too hot so the crocodiles submerge to the river bottom during the day. However, in the cooler winter months, crocs bask on the banks of some rivers. After decades of hunting, however, many crocs have become wary of the sound of boat motors so even the winter visitor might only see the tell-tale "slide" on the bank instead of the animal (slides are the tail and footprint impression left on the muddy bank after a crocodile has darted into the water).
In Cairns, a crocodile removal program is in progress for all areas except the mangrove wetland system adjacent to Trinity Inlet (Cairns harbour). All Estuarine crocodiles are trapped and relocated to remote areas. While this trial program reduces the likelihood of a human-croc encounter in the Cairns area, it also involves a research component so that we can learn more about the crocodile's ecology and survival rates once moved.
• they have a lingual gland at the back of the throat that removes salt from their body
• their brain is only the size of a walnut but it still allows enough 'processing' to take place to enable the animal to make a decision about whether to attack or not
• crocs replace their teeth by growing new ones inside old ones which eventually fall out
• the stomach of the crocodile is only about the size of a basketball and contrary to legends and 'old wives' tales', crocs do not store their food - they eat it right away
• of 23 species of crocodiles worldwide, ours is considered the most aggressive
While this powerful animal can easily tear a large animal apart, it also exhibits the gentlest behaviour with its offspring. The croc builds a mound to incubate its eggs (like the megapodes, the Scrub fowl and the Brush Turkey) and when its 50 or so eggs have hatched and the young have climbed to the surface, the female picks them up in her mouth and carries them carefully down to the water. Males can be predators of their own young but females are very protective and stay close to the mound during the three months the eggs are incubating (November to March).
Photographed by Micheal CermakThe best and safest place to see crocodiles might be at a fauna park. There are river tours which feature the estuarine crocodile as a draw card, but it is dependent on the time of year as to whether wild crocodiles can be seen. The wet season temperatures are usually too hot so the crocodiles submerge to the river bottom during the day. However, in the cooler winter months, crocs bask on the banks of some rivers. After decades of hunting, however, many crocs have become wary of the sound of boat motors so even the winter visitor might only see the tell-tale "slide" on the bank instead of the animal (slides are the tail and footprint impression left on the muddy bank after a crocodile has darted into the water).
In Cairns, a crocodile removal program is in progress for all areas except the mangrove wetland system adjacent to Trinity Inlet (Cairns harbour). All Estuarine crocodiles are trapped and relocated to remote areas. While this trial program reduces the likelihood of a human-croc encounter in the Cairns area, it also involves a research component so that we can learn more about the crocodile's ecology and survival rates once moved.
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