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One of the memes out there about Australia is just how many creatures there can kill a human being. Yes, there are a lot of poisonous spiders and snakes. Swimming in the ocean, yeah, there could potentially be a Great White Shark, or a Tiger Shark, or a Bull Shark, or a Box Jellyfish, or...you get the idea. But walking and hiking around we generally felt quite safe, and didn't worry about the poisonous critters. But if there's ONE creature that will put the fear of god into you and have you thinking twice about your situation out in the wild...it's these guys for me.
A creature that 1) can potentially grow to 20-feet long and weigh over a ton, 2) has an immense snout full of teeth, and 3) has absolutely NO problem including human beings on their dinner plate is a creature that deserves some respect (and a touch of fear!). It doesn't help that everywhere near the water in northeastern Australia has crocodile warning signs. And for good reason!
One evening we took a river cruise from Port Douglas, looking for crocodiles and other creatures. The weather wasn't great while we were in Port Douglas. It was cloudy and (for them) very cool, so the river boat captain said he didn't expect to see crocodiles out of the water. But we were pleasantly surprised to see an adult crocodile laying in the mud on the river bank! It's one the captain was familiar with. He said it appeared it had been caught in a fish trap or something and had to struggle to get out. It had a huge gash that had clearly torn open part of its left front foot, and it also had some damaged scutes around its head (see head photos down below).
We took another coastal/river cruise the next day, and saw a smaller crocodile in the water as well. And thankfully, those are the ONLY crocodiles we saw! Even walking the beach at Port Douglas in the mornings while birding, I admit I stayed a GOOD ways back from the water, given that who knows what could be watching from there! Such amazing creatures, and very glad we got to see them in the wild.
Click here to return to home page for Australia trip photos
Click on photos below for a higher-resolution view
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June 6th, 2019 |
June 6th, 2019 |
June 6th, 2019 |
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June 6th, 2019 |
June 6th, 2019 |
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