A Most Wicked Reptile
Mean and bitey things
If you’re fascinated by animals that can and will, in a heart beat, kill and consume you. A measure of respect, surely, makes sense?
Thus, whenever I come across people who claim that they know crocs, or sharks - or whatever, and who minimise the risks such animals pose, I have now dubbed this as: The Treadwell factor.
Timothy Treadwell got himself and his girlfriend killed through his “love” and stunning disregard for the unpredictability of the Bears he had spent time with - presuming they accepted him.
He seemingly thought he was part of their clan, that they ‘knew’ him. The old cliché of familiarity breeding contempt come to life - as they very well might have “known” him, but they ate him and his girlfriend just the same. The audio of which can still be found online.
It’s horrific, and I’ll not be posting it here.
Not to protect you from such realities - but because, frankly, I can’t deal with hearing it again - look it up yourself if you’ve the stomach for such things.
It’s sickening - you’ve been warned.
Crocodiles enthral me - they are, IMO, one of the most highly evolved predators on the planet.
Which is why I try my best not to be anywhere near them without the advantage of a boat, or at the very least having the security of dry land beneath my feet. However, photographing and spending time around crocs is for me a great pleasure, and even a privilege.
I named this croc - chainsaw, and he’s massive - but it’s not just his size, he’s also staggeringly imposing. No more so than when you realise he’s taken a somewhat unhealthy interest in you …
One morning conducting a tour, I got a little closer to this guy than is recommended …well, in truth - he got close to me. Waiting for my group to be dropped off from their river tour back to me to continue our day. I stood, a sane distance from the water’s edge and took in the vista.
The water was calm with a barely perceptible downstream flow - when I noticed the smallest of ripples running across the tide … a fish - maybe even a bull shark. I mused.
I watched as the ripples continued to approach the gravel boat ramp I was standing on - until the ripples softened and stopped.
You know that feeling? - that prickly, tingly sensation ya get when something just isn’t quite right?
Yeah, well - I got that feeling and decided it would be prudent to take one or two steps back.
Sure enough, as I did so, the tip of a snout and a pair of glittering golden eyes emerged from the murky water.
The pic above is not the same croc - hell, It’s not even the same river! But I’ve added it for a bit of dramatic effect, (artistic licence and such, right?).
Anyway, Chainsaw and I simply observed each other for a minute or so before, with a tangible air of quiet menace, he languidly turned and swam off.
This isn’t the closest I have come to an extremely unpleasant interaction with a croc, (a story for another day) but looking into those intelligent eyes and knowing that I was in the rarest of positions for a human - that of being considered food. Well, let’s just say that there’s nothing quite like such an experience to focus the mind, (not to mention tighten the sphincter).
Still, all’s well that ends without dismemberment and foamy violent bloodshed - right?
How to safely annoy crocodiles
If you’re planning a bit of an adventure to the tropics of FNQ, and would like to get a tad up-close and personal with our dinosaurs, here are a couple of *recommendations for your consideration.
Bruce Belcher’s Daintree River Cruises
If a walk on the truly wild side isn’t your thing, there is also the option of visiting a zoo/crocodile farm at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures and, should you feel the need to, you can get in the water next to a croc here: Wildlife Habitat.
I took the above pic as Jo was enjoying some time with Tonne on her birthday, (Jo’s birthday - not Tonne’s).
You can, and very well might, see crocs in the wild on your own. There is even a viewing platform over the Mowbray river, just south of Port Douglas, for that very purpose - and it’s free! Yay! But I would highly recommend a tour etc. - for the full experience.
And finally, one last pic of yet another fierce and dastardly river “monster”.
Hey, fierce and dastardly are relative terms - to a tiny fish or an insect, this guy is the stuff of nightmares! And, in fact, messing with baby crocs is an almost sure fire way of having bits of you removed by their aggressively protective mothers. Pays to bear that in mind …
So dear friends, readers, onlookers and passers-by, keep yourself safe, imagine how absurdly beige the world would become without you in it?
Take Care - Bear X
*The links in this post are not sponsored in any way … and isn’t that bloody refreshing!
However, I am considering doing some reviews down the line of places, tours and business that I might recommend. What do you think? Let me know if you’d be into that - cheers.