Saltwater Crocodiles
Don’t go near the water.
In Australia, we have many poisonous and deadly creatures, the great white sharks, the more aggressive bull sharks, the highly dangerous box jelly fish in northern waters, the eastern brown snake which is responsible for most snake bite fatalities, it will rear up, so back away gently. The Sydney funnel web spider and the widespread red back spider, always check under the toilet seat, both spider bites can be fatal, although no deaths have occurred since the introduction of antivenom. Having said all that, you have more chance of dying in Australia crossing the road.
However, we do have the saltwater crocodile in northern parts of Australia, also called the estuarine crocodile, they live in many waterways and in seawater, on average males grow up to 5 metres long, weigh up to 450 kilograms, are related to the dinosaurs, and they are the animal most likely to eat humans.
They have what is thought to be the most powerful bite force, used for biting through the tough shells of crabs and turtles. If caught in its jaws fight back with full force, attack its eyes and if you escape its jaws, run! Crocodiles can run on land at up to 10km/hour but not for long, so keep running.
Saltwater crocodiles, Crocodylus porosus, the world’s largest reptile, have eyes on the top of their heads, and hunt animals on land by keeping just submerged at the waters edge, they can then lung out, grabbing their prey.
This is often associated with a barrel role, to subdue the prey before dragging it under water. So, it is best to keep well back from the waters edge in northern Australia.
Crocodiles have lower jaw teeth that fit into notches on the outside of their upper jaw and are visible when their jaws are closed. Alligators have upper teeth which hang over the lower jaw teeth and can’t be seen when their jaws are closed.
In adult saltwater crocodiles the snout is broad, the tail is muscular and is their means of propulsion in the water.
They live to about 70 years of age, build nesting mounds close to water in which the females lay eggs during the wet season, the female will guard the hatchlings for the first two months.
Crocodiles in Australia have been heavily hunted for their skins through the 1940s to 1960s, putting them at risk of extinction. In the 1970s legislative protection was given to the saltwater crocodile and since then, their numbers have increased to a present population estimated at about 100,000.
Their main threat now is habitat destruction and interference by pests such as feral pigs eating their eggs. Also climate change variations in rainfall causing flooding and washing away of eggs.
In World War 11, during 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army captured Ramree Island off the coast of Burma. Being strategically important for the Allies in order to establish air bases, the British attacked the Japanese forces holding the island and after a difficult campaign, forced 1,000 Japanese into a mangrove swamp at one end of the island.
Despite appeals from the British to surrender the Japanese refused. At night the British soldiers heard panicked screams and gunfire but didn’t know the cause of the shouts of terror, only later discovering the Japanese soldiers had been attacked by many saltwater crocodiles. Out of the 1,000 Japanese soldiers, only 520 survived.
But back in present day Australia, come and visit when we are all able to travel again, we don’t have that many saltwater crocodiles attack each year, just remember when in northern Australia, read the signs and don’t go near the water.
References:
Australian Saltwater Crocodile (2020) Australian Saltwater Crocodile — Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio
Fisheries Fact Sheet Estuarine Crocodile (2012) fact_sheet_estuarine_crocodile.pdf (fish.wa.gov.au)
The Vintage News (2016) An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. (thevintagenews.com)
