Crocs & Gators

I don't need Google , I asked the question , therefore I know the answer, I want you to tell me what the prominent difference is ,

WARMER

Short, wide snout for gators, longer narrower snout for crocs.

right area, wrong answer

I know a good orthodontist. And anyways crocs live in the South and Gators in the North - eveyone knows that.:))

Grrr!!!

A bloke was explaining the differences between the freshie and the salty to us some time ago.

He said- " The freshwater crocodile's main diet is fish, it has a long skinny snout.

To the saltwater crocodlie, however, everything is edible until proven otherwise"
The snout of the salty is wider than the freshie, and a lot stronger.

66 sets of teeth on the out side of the mouth ....OUTSIDE Mmmmm something snappy here

A Freshie's throat is small and generally won't attack or swallow more than it can chew.

That is a difference between a Freshie and a Estuarine Croc a Estuarine croc is not designed to chew, as opposed to grab rip tear and swallow.

Cheers Steve.

Estuarine crocodile, 4 to 7 metres northern Australia, southeast Asia saltwater, but survives in freshwater rivers far from the sea The most dangerous of the crocodiles, the largest and heaviest , as you would most certainly know,

CRIKEY ! ! ! !

Biggest one I have ever seen was close to 6.5 mts, I was in a 3.5 mt dingy at the time.

The place was Shady Camp on the Mary River, It has the most amount of Estuarine Croc any were in the world.

Cheers Steve.

PS I didn't google my answer. Lol

Steve
That's ok I didn't Google the question, I have a book on Crocs, well I did have , I think the Daughter has it in Orange, Huh she said about an hour ago the frost was on the cars already in Orange, stuff that,

The pressure of an Estuarine Croc dropping his jaws on your leg is equivalent to dropping a Greyhound bus on it.

They had a TV programme once called "That's incredible", The Ozzie version was "Well, I'll be F@#%ed".

On one show they raced a Ferrari and a horse over 100mts, the Horse won.

A Estuarine Croc can bring down a horse over 50 mts.

Why do I call them Estuarine Crocs as opposed to Salties?

Because European's relate salties with salt water, then freshies with freshwater, Salties actually prefer Fresh water.

Cheers Steve.

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damm :)) I stay away from them, big time.

It seems every time I go into croc country, about 12 months later I hear of someone being taken in the area where I was. Don't rekkon I'll be invited back :((

An old buff shooter once told me that I'd be ok with crocs, if I remembered that their main aim in life was to eat me ! Silly statement ? Well, I'm still here :))

Steve from Top End Explorer Tours posted this followup

"A Estuarine Croc can bring down a horse over 50 mts. "

Only if the horse is swimming ;-)

Nice place that Shady Camp if you want to fish or see crocs. I have heard that over the last few years they have had to relocate quite a few crocs from Shady, last time I was there they hired out tinnies with bus loads of tourists in them about 6 or so to a boat to take pictures of crocs. Most had normal little dig camera's and needed the boats about 2mtrs from the shore and the crocs to get a good pic.
No wonder the crocs get pi**ed off and only escape is past the (can of sardines) :-) I have been fishing on the causeway at night and had a 16ft croc come out of the upstream and go into the lower level. Thats why you always fish with someone else... 50% chance it will take him LOL

Steve

Thanks for the reminder. I used to know all of that once.....lol

I have some croc stories in the pipe line for my website. Just gotta get my arse into gear and finish them.

Cheers

Hey awill4x4

I have seen a Croc chase a pig on land, No problem.

Hey Blaze.

They didn't relocate crocs at Shady Camp, they shot some 200 as a cull about 4 years back.

I used to run those tours on the boats, Please let me tell you the facts.

Fact 1 the boats were 3.5mt Barra boats, that were in survey.

Fact 2 4 persons per boat.

Fact 3 These tours were conducted properly and professionally.

Fact 4 these tours were conducted under strict supervision.

Fact 5 I never saw a Croc get bleep off.

Fact 6 You were probably in more danger than us standing on the causeway, In fact I used to tell those tourist to have there camera ready,in order to capture a Croc taking one of those Dip Sticks standing on the causeway.

I used these tours over a 13 year period without incident.

I have always thought it would be a good idea to get your facts right before posting.

Cheers Steve.

Hi Steve,

Not sure where talking the same time frame, if we are I stand by what I said above. I was at Shady Camp 15 yrs ago when I seen the boats with tourists in them, can't say they were your boats or not. All so I guess I have to ask if there was never any danger with tourists in boats why would they have
"they shot some 200 as a cull about 4 years back."

Would have thought they would only do this if there was a croc problem, but as you say I don't know and never said I know the FACTS.

Just to clarify when I said I used to run the tours, I meant I was one of the guides that worked for the operator.

I started with the operator 14 years ago and there were to operators one that used small tinnies and the other had a larger boat 25 seater.

You could not fit 5 people in these tinnies let alone 6 it was not possible, not only that, it was illegal to put more than 4 persons per boat.

The company at the time had a excellent record with professionalism, I know the guides would not harass the crocs,.

The cull was because of over population some 2000 crocs in an area of 10 km of river.

As for the facts, I just dot pointed your remarks with correct answers, I also believe it would be a good idea to post responsibly with the facts.

Cheers Steve.

Well I guess we are talking about different companies, because these didn't even have guides, didn't even ask people using the boats if they had Boat or car licences. I know this part as fact because 2 of us hired a boat for a day to fish the S's etc, were never asked about Licences etc, just the cash LOL

Steve you also mentioned that the boats you used were

"Fact 1 the boats were 3.5mt Barra boats, that were in survey."

"I used these tours over a 13 year period without incident."

Then you say: "I used to tell those tourist to have there camera ready,in order to capture a Croc taking one of those Dip Sticks standing on the causeway."

Question: How many Dip Sticks (including me) have been taken off the causeway at Shady?

I have seen people taking more chances at Shady launching and recovering boats.

There are only 2 permits to operate a boat tour a Shady Camp, Yes these boats did have a guide.

You don't need a licence to operate a boat in the NT, You can even drink and operate a boat in the NT, Just don't get caught driving home( I do not support this behavior).

Is there a risk putting boats in the water? Yes but that goes for any river with crocs in it.

Would I stand on the causeway and act like a target NO.

As I Said YOU CAN'T FIT 6 PEOPLE IN A 3 METER TINNIE, THEY JUST DON'T FIT!!!

As for your statement below about herding cattle across the causway, they put a fence up.

Yes things have changed there are approx 2000 croc in that part of the river.

If you saw 6 people in a tinnie doing croc tours unguided you were not at Shady Camp.

End of Story

Steve.

Just a couple of photo's showing how it really is, as you can see there is not 6 people in the boats and you can also see you could not fit them in.

!MPG:15!

!MPG:16!

!MPG:17!

!MPG:18!

!MPG:19!

!MPG:20!

You can also see how they harras the crocs Lol

Cheers Steve.

Good pix Steve, thanks for sharing :)

Please note that the photo's were taken by one of my pax Ian Colly, I was given permission to use them.

Steve.

Not going to debate any further with you Steve, bit I know what I seen and I also believe that it would have had a stop put to it because it was dangerous when we seen it, (again it was a long time ago), back then they didn't put up fences either to move stock, (seems someone would have to walk on the Causeway to put the fence up anyway wouldn't they)?

I did believe that to drive a boat in the territory you needed a current car licence but I may be wrong and will stand corrected if I'm wrong...

I may also be wrong about it being the right Shady Camp, even though I have fished the Territory at least 20 of the past 25 years, I do seem to recall finding 3 Lost Cities in the Territory LOL, so another Shady Camp other than the one on Harold Knowles Road Mary River 12.28.893 S 131.43.476 E we fished on quite a few occasions is possible.

I don't think calling people on here Dip Sticks just because they go fishing in certain places is warranted, I know I'm not the only member to have fished from this point.

My very last comment would have to be if the river was over-populated withy Crocs, what would have happened 200 years ago, would the local indeginous communities killed off 200 with spears? I don't see taking 200 crocs out of a population of 2000 from a 10klm piece of water would have achieved to much as there would have been 200 Crocs evey klm and now there are 180.

By the way the pictures are good thanks for posting them, lets some members who think you can't go in a river with Crocs and survive.

Barnesy

Its pretty scary stuff. Big crocs can be 2 metres wide. I have had a few close encounters with crocs over the years and have a very good repsect of their capabilities.

A croc name "Sweetheart" is featured in the NT Museum in Darwin. It bit the motor off a tinnie once. It was drowned while being captured.

Cheers

2 metres wide!!

That was a typo right Willem?

Cheers
Jo

There is one in the back waters at Yellow water they call him Circumference he is definitely bigger than 2 meters across.

Steve.

Bloody Hell!!!!
stuff that mate, you won't be getting me near areas now where crocs are known!!!!!
I'd like to have my legs to drive out of there!

Cheers
Jo

Eeerrr ....umm ....Hmmmm ... LARIMAH

Hi Auntie,

I don't believe the silly tourists were that silly walking across the causeway unless its a lot worse than it was when I was last there (about 15yrs). I have been there when they drove about 200cattle across that causeway, without any crocs jumping up and taking any of them or the Stocky's or their nags.
I believe we all need to respect Crocs and be aware of them but when you look at how many people now travel to area's accupied by Salties and the amount of attacks their is more probability of crashing your vehicle on your holiday.

Hey Kim

Crocs don't have a attitude problem, Humans have a stupidity problem.

What Buffalo??? Remember the BTEC program 25 years ago, 300,000 buffalo shot where they stood, By the way 1% had a problem with BTEC.

Cheers Steve.

Totall agree with most of what you wrote here Auntie, probably the safest time to cross the causeway as the crocs were probably full of beef LOL. I agree with what some have been saying here if the people you are referring to are standing at the edge with their backs to the water, whenever we fished this area or any like it we always had 2 or 3 of us with half fishing upstream and the others down stream. I will also add that I wouldn't fish or cross this causeway if it had 2foot of water running over it. I guess as you have inferred its common sense...