Barrett DSC_6318
Allow me to introduce you to Barrett (named after Barrett Creek in the Daintree). He is a big Alpha male at least 4.5 m long and somewhere around 50 years old. If you look closely, you will see that Barrett is missing the end of his tail so is longer than the estimated length.
Crocodiles are solitary animals and they don’t have friends. There are two alpha males in this stretch of the Daintree, Barrett and Lumpy. Lumpy caught a cow for dinner. He left it submerged in the river. Crocodiles clamp down on prey with their massive jaws, crush it and then swallow the prey whole. They cannot chew or break off pieces. So when they take a large animal that can’t swallow whole, they leave it submerged to rot and break down.
However, Barrett decided he couldn't resist a free meal he didn’t have to work. So, he stole the cow while Lumpy wasn’t attending his catch and took it down the river. A crocodile’s sense of smell is extremely well developed and they can smell rotting carcasses from a great distance. Lumpy, as angry as a crocodile can be, went looking for Barrett to retrieve his kill.
He found the culprit.
A fight ensured.
Lumpy got his cow back and Barrett lost the end of his tail.
Barrett DSC_6318
Allow me to introduce you to Barrett (named after Barrett Creek in the Daintree). He is a big Alpha male at least 4.5 m long and somewhere around 50 years old. If you look closely, you will see that Barrett is missing the end of his tail so is longer than the estimated length.
Crocodiles are solitary animals and they don’t have friends. There are two alpha males in this stretch of the Daintree, Barrett and Lumpy. Lumpy caught a cow for dinner. He left it submerged in the river. Crocodiles clamp down on prey with their massive jaws, crush it and then swallow the prey whole. They cannot chew or break off pieces. So when they take a large animal that can’t swallow whole, they leave it submerged to rot and break down.
However, Barrett decided he couldn't resist a free meal he didn’t have to work. So, he stole the cow while Lumpy wasn’t attending his catch and took it down the river. A crocodile’s sense of smell is extremely well developed and they can smell rotting carcasses from a great distance. Lumpy, as angry as a crocodile can be, went looking for Barrett to retrieve his kill.
He found the culprit.
A fight ensured.
Lumpy got his cow back and Barrett lost the end of his tail.