DAY 12, DARWIN TRIP, AUGUST 2014. IN THE WORLD OF THE CROCODILE
From memory, this is Stumpy, a 4.5 metre 60 to 70 year old Croc, so named as he has lost a limb in an encounter with another friendly peace loving croc. Went on the Jumping Crocodile Cruise, on the Adelaide River, truly the best value for dollar I have had on any trip anywhere. Depends on what you are interested in I suppose. These beasts are the epitome of evil, and hail from an era long past, yet have properties and abilities we would love to have today. They are in fact a sophisticated monster, a true Apex predator, perhaps the Apex. We were on the Crocodile Cruise the day after a guy had entered the river, at the Adelaide River Bridge, a kilometre or so from where we boarded the boat, to retrieve his fishing lure. That was the end of him, taken by an albino Croc known as Michael Jackson. Whatever would possess anyone to enter the water with these monsters is beyond comprehension, you stand little to no chance. Now, things we learned on the trip: Crocs have no family or friends, in fact if mum is around when you are hatching, you will likely get eaten, the big guys can stay underwater for 4 to 5 hours, basically just lurking. They can slow their heartbeat down to one to two per minute, and reduce blood flow to their muscles, how good is that. They see very well and like bright colours. If you must swim with a croc, wear black, and swim with a friend in bright colours, that you know you are faster than.Nature is a wonderful thing. I can't remember the actual temperature, but when in the egg, if that temp varies by one degree either side (I think, might be a one degree window, ie half a degree either side) the animal will hatch female, it has to remain in that window to be male, so this limits hatchlings to 20% males. Outside a 3 degree window (again unsure on whether it is plus/minus 3 or plus/minus 1.5) and the hatchling will be deformed, and an entree for a bigger croc, or other animal. During mating it is likely participants will be injured, even losing a limb or part of their tail. They close their jaws with force at up to 2000kgs per square inch. They have 66 sets of teeth, lucky that one because they have some dental issues. There was an article in the "northern territory news" while we were up there about Brutus, a 6 metre monster croc upstream a bit from where we are, dealing with and eating a 1.5 metre bull shark, with photos for proof. You can see that here mail.dahallco.com.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=df28920994384880afd... . I was reading whileI was up there that many years ago an Aussie believed that Croc blood had special properties that may be helpful in the fight against super bugs. This belief came about as crocs can lose a limb, and not even have an infection, it just heals up and they go on with their life. Some of that mud they wallow about in would surely contain some super infectious bacteria. I think they are fantastic, the true surviving, calculating cold blooded killers of the wild, no friends, no family, what they see they truly make their own, they trample the weak and hurdle the dead, well in fact they probably eat the weak and the dead.
DAY 12, DARWIN TRIP, AUGUST 2014. IN THE WORLD OF THE CROCODILE
From memory, this is Stumpy, a 4.5 metre 60 to 70 year old Croc, so named as he has lost a limb in an encounter with another friendly peace loving croc. Went on the Jumping Crocodile Cruise, on the Adelaide River, truly the best value for dollar I have had on any trip anywhere. Depends on what you are interested in I suppose. These beasts are the epitome of evil, and hail from an era long past, yet have properties and abilities we would love to have today. They are in fact a sophisticated monster, a true Apex predator, perhaps the Apex. We were on the Crocodile Cruise the day after a guy had entered the river, at the Adelaide River Bridge, a kilometre or so from where we boarded the boat, to retrieve his fishing lure. That was the end of him, taken by an albino Croc known as Michael Jackson. Whatever would possess anyone to enter the water with these monsters is beyond comprehension, you stand little to no chance. Now, things we learned on the trip: Crocs have no family or friends, in fact if mum is around when you are hatching, you will likely get eaten, the big guys can stay underwater for 4 to 5 hours, basically just lurking. They can slow their heartbeat down to one to two per minute, and reduce blood flow to their muscles, how good is that. They see very well and like bright colours. If you must swim with a croc, wear black, and swim with a friend in bright colours, that you know you are faster than.Nature is a wonderful thing. I can't remember the actual temperature, but when in the egg, if that temp varies by one degree either side (I think, might be a one degree window, ie half a degree either side) the animal will hatch female, it has to remain in that window to be male, so this limits hatchlings to 20% males. Outside a 3 degree window (again unsure on whether it is plus/minus 3 or plus/minus 1.5) and the hatchling will be deformed, and an entree for a bigger croc, or other animal. During mating it is likely participants will be injured, even losing a limb or part of their tail. They close their jaws with force at up to 2000kgs per square inch. They have 66 sets of teeth, lucky that one because they have some dental issues. There was an article in the "northern territory news" while we were up there about Brutus, a 6 metre monster croc upstream a bit from where we are, dealing with and eating a 1.5 metre bull shark, with photos for proof. You can see that here mail.dahallco.com.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=df28920994384880afd... . I was reading whileI was up there that many years ago an Aussie believed that Croc blood had special properties that may be helpful in the fight against super bugs. This belief came about as crocs can lose a limb, and not even have an infection, it just heals up and they go on with their life. Some of that mud they wallow about in would surely contain some super infectious bacteria. I think they are fantastic, the true surviving, calculating cold blooded killers of the wild, no friends, no family, what they see they truly make their own, they trample the weak and hurdle the dead, well in fact they probably eat the weak and the dead.