Crocodile Spotting
By Kate Loveday
Many Australians have never seen a crocodile. Except in a zoo. Or a crocodile farm. But they are out there. In the wild.
A crocodile plays a small but important part in my book Inheritance
We are all fascinated by crocodiles, the primeval monsters that are Australia’s most feared predators. Films and television series have made us familiar with them. Macho young men like to imagine themselves as Crocodile Dundee or The Crocodile Hunter. Perhaps wrestling with them, always winning, of course!
Reality is different.
A few years ago we were in Daintree, Far North Queensland, 115kms north of Cairns. Our mission – spot a croc. And try to learn a bit about them.
The Daintree River is recognised as being one of the main habitations of the estuarine or saltwater crocodile. Daintree Village sits on the bank of the river. It is a small village which offers accomodation, restaurants, arts and craft shops, souvenirs and information centres. These provide information on all tours and attractions in the area.
It is a starting point for Daintree River Cruises. These are under the guidance of a local naturalist who gives information on the flora and fauna encountered as you cruise. We booked for a one and a half-hour cruise leaving the next day at 9.30am.
Our tour guide was Dean. “I came from Brisbane 14 years ago,” he told us. “I was on a trip around Australia but I didn’t get very far. I got to Daintree and I have been here ever since. I suppose I’ll finish the trip someday.”
We set out on the Daintree River. “Crocs are not that easy to spot,” Dean told us. “They are wary and usually stay underwater when people are near. You see them easiest in the winter. This is because the water is colder then and they come out to lie in the sun to raise their body temperature. The bumps on their backs act like solar panels collecting the heat to warm their bodies. Their lives are ruled very much by their body temperature, which needs to be 33 degrees. In the summer the water is warmer, it can reach about 29 or 30 degrees. This is sufficient to keep them warm and so they can stay submerged.”
Our trip took us down the river which is lined with mangroves and rainforest. We had not been going more than a few minutes when Dean stopped the boat and pointed out a large green tree snake curled around a limb high in a tree on the edge of the water. He had good eyes! It took the rest of us a while to spot it. Its camouflage was effective.
We soon found that his eyes were able to spot things we could not. A little further along he pointed out a small crocodile, “Only a baby,” he said. About a metre long, it was sunning itself on a branch protruding above the water. Again almost invisible to untrained eyes.
As we cruised along we found plenty of interest in the birdlife and thick, pristine rainforest with its diverse trees and vines and in Dean’s informative commentary. But it was crocs we wanted!
Soon he stopped the boat again and drifted towards the bank. This time it was a two-metre croc he pointed out. Its head rested on a log and its body was submerged but still partly visible under the water.
We turned from the main river into Barratt Creek, a smaller waterway branching off. Here the jungle seemed to press closely. “We sometimes find them in here,” said our guide. We were all alert.
Time passed. Suddenly, “Straight ahead, over to the right.” Even from a distance we could all see this one. Dean brought the boat as close as he could without risking disturbing it. We gazed in awe. What a monster! About four to five metres was the estimate. There he lay, most of his body in the sun, lazing on the riverbank.
Cameras clicked. We spoke in subdued voices, full of respect for this impressive example of a species which has survived with little change from pre-historic times.
It was with reluctance that we left its presence. As the boat turned we saw another, smaller croc. Very close by, on the opposite bank. “This is his mate,” said Dean.
On the return trip we learned more about crocodiles. They play an important role in wetland environments. They are the key predators in their habitats. Young crocodiles, however, are eaten by other larger inhabitants. As both predator and prey they help keep a healthy balance in the complex ecosystems.
Large crocodiles are extremely dangerous to humans. They can kill or seriously injure people. We are rightly afraid of them. They are more aggressive in the breeding season, September to April, we learned.
“ They are opportunistic feeders,” said Dean, “however, they are really not large eaters. They prefer to take small animals. It takes them a lot of energy to tear apart large animals to get the smaller pieces they eat.”
We remembered the monster we had just seen. I don’t know that any of us were really convinced by these words. As the cruise ended we were all adamant that we would continue to treat them with wary respect. At a safe distance.
THE END
