freshwater crocs eat people !

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:38 pm

Don't they ?

Was watching 9's Excess Baggage where the contestants were encouraged to swim in a waterhole surrounded by DANGER signs, swim at your own risk etc, and the camera saw at least one croc in there.
Is it only legend that crocs eat us in these situations? Or had they been fed well, prior to shooting the scene?

Really only watchin' it as I thought I recognised one contestant, better known as Sluggo in his younger days - there is a skinnier dude inside that big fella John. Blew me away to see him like that, sorta like he has been in Eddie Murphy's prop dept !!

d_generate · Post by **d_generate** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:46 pm

From what I'm lead to believe you'd pretty much have to punch one on the snout before it bit you, even then it would rather try to run away, very timid animals compared to their salt water cousins.

niterida · Post by **niterida** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:47 pm

Only salt water crocs eat us (apparently) - but I still wouldn't want to be too close to a freshwater one !!

Johnny T · Post by **Johnny T** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:00 pm

Fact - if you see a croc in the water, its a wise choice to stay away from that water.
That is all.... :P

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:13 pm

When I was a kid living in the NT we used to swim and canoe with them - mum and dad used to try and make sure there weren't any around but you could never be sure.

I'm pretty sure though that if you kicked on it might have a snap at you but that'd be it - they're not interested in us.

And if the crew at the Malcom Douglas croc farm heard you call the estuarine croc a salt water croc they'd be right on to you. Apparently the estuarine crocs spent 90% of their time in fresh water and are usually spotted in estuaries on their way in or out of a river. They also have a gland under their tongue that extracts salt from water so they can still survive in the ocean as they move from one river to another in the hunt for food...

There's some trivia for you

Cheers

Bennie

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:56 am

Then , all this conjures up an image , 1986, Linda Koslowski ......

Wooster · Post by **Wooster** » Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:03 am

Having lived and worked extensively right across the top end, both in an out of the Regular Army where I also taught bush survival skills, a word of advise. "The only croc you need to be afraid of is the one you can't see"!,

Trust me.. I'v espotted them and signs of them in the tiniest waterholes hundreds of K's from the ocean. PS , but they are good eating

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:02 pm

steptoe wrote:Then , all this conjures up an image , 1986, Linda Koslowski ......

That's an image that's stuck in many a young man's minds... hahaha

I so wanted to be that croc

That's not a knife... THIS IS A KNIFE !!

Oh.. and to answer your question.. I never want to find out

subybrumby · Post by **subybrumby** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 3:39 pm

Freshwater crocs are normally known as Johnson river crocs. As far as I'm aware they are relatively harmless. I saw a bit of that program and like all those shows, it was a beat up.

My eldest boy waterskis at Mt Isa and they have never bothered him there and are regarded as fairly shy and harmless.

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 3:56 pm

lol Fresh Water don't attact unless really provoked!

thunder039 · Post by **thunder039** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 4:28 pm

yea freshwater crocs are unlikely. but just because they were swimming in fresh water doesnt mean there wasnt salt crocs in there. this is because although called salt water crocs they actually prefer fresher or semi salted waters such as down river streams closer to the coast

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:38 pm

Also the water ski zone here on Ross River (Read river kind of in the middle of town) has big croc signs up and there is atleast one 4m one in there they hungs around the ramp late arvo, just watching people.

Cliff R · Post by **Cliff R** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 6:20 pm

subybrumby
I dont recall anywhere in Mt Isa to swim let along water ski. I guess as a guided tourist the biggest thing to show us was the mine.

RSR
Yep, Linda, guess this is what "hooked" Paul at the time.

subybrumby · Post by **subybrumby** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 6:44 pm

Lake Moondarra...Yes, I went on the underground tour years ago...very good. (Sorry off topic)..Julian my eldest boy, often works at Mount Isa and heads out to the Ernest Henry Mine in connection with his work. They often get together and ski at Lake Moondarra just north of Mt Isa and apparently he was hesitant with the Johnson River crocs there. Locals assured him that they were fairly quiet, can give a nip but not regarded as dangerous.

FROG · Post by **FROG** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:13 pm

I spent over a decade in NT and developed a very healthy respect for our saltwater friends getting up to 20 feet long - made for a few quick "baths" in the river while camping

Had a very nice sized barra snatched from my line while fishing the Victoria River in the early nineties

was about two meters away from me took the fish with one bite and pi$$ed off - moved the swags that night

freshies never really worried me until I saw one close up in the Katherine River - he was reasonable size (6 foot) but the sharpness of the teeth were what had me a little nervous swimming after that

NachaLuva · Post by **NachaLuva** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 2:34 pm

I've only heard of 1 case of a freshie attacking a human. It was a very large dominant male who was guarding his territory & attacked a swimmer who he obviously perceived was a threat. Many stitches later, the tourist had an awesome story to tell

FROG · Post by **FROG** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:22 pm

yerp I heard that one - Kakadu I think
girls love scars

niterida · Post by **niterida** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:38 pm

I'm pretty sure they eat FROGs though

FROG · Post by **FROG** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:45 pm

niterida wrote:I'm pretty sure they eat FROGs though

Lmao - they had many a chance but missed out

many a drunken swim (yeah I know - bad froglet) in the Katherine River

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:57 pm

It not the Crocs you have to worry about in the Katherine River lol :P