Stealthy and cunning, their eyes, nostrils and ears are on top of their heads to ensure that they know what’s going on all around them while their bodies are completely submerged. Saltwater Crocodiles spend much of their time in water, and contrary to the name they are often found in freshwater systems. Covered in armour, a mouth full of gnarly teeth and a powerful jaw force that can crush lawnmowers matched with a “give no F’s attitude” strikes fear in the animal kingdom. The carnivorous critters that make it to maturity become the undisputed champs of the waterways. Despite Mum’s best efforts she can’t take care of them all. Life outside the shell isn’t easy, so it’s a small miracle any of them survive their first year - being the “chicken nuggets” on Mother Nature’s menu means a staggering 99% of them will be eaten, that’s even with a whopping 40 - 90 eggs being laid. You see baby crocodiles (side note – they are the cutest things out when hatched) are often taken by predators. Sounds grim right? However, they come from a humble start in life. Crocodiles have been alive so long they are considered living fossils – that’s in the same category as Horseshoe Crabs and Keith Richards.Ĭonsequently nowadays, Saltwater Crocodiles are the most massive of all living reptiles and are the largest terrestrial apex predators in the world. When you’re the poster boy for survival, evolution likes to see how things will play out. Even when Mother Nature hit the reset button during the Ice Age, crocs haven’t had too much of a makeover. However, there is one resident older than all of these combined - the remarkable Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile, trotting the earth for more than 250 million years. With more than 50,000 years of Indigenous culture, a 500,000 years young Great Barrier Reef to the world’s oldest living Daintree Rainforest, seriously this place is like stepping into Jurassic Park. The area is full of everlasting life from long, long ago. There aren’t too many places in the world that boast awe-inspiring natural wonders that have escaped time, but exploring Port Douglas Daintree is different from anywhere else in the world. In A Land Before Time A Dinosour Survives Originally published in the Port Douglas Magazine The people here have a definite affinity for these magnificent beasts with a relationship status that says “It’s complicated” Reflective of the people who call Tropical North Queensland home, there’s a mutual resilience to what nature throws at them and both are always up for a “chinwag”, well in a much different sense. Through millions of years of existence, it’s the crocodile’s spirit that gives life and power. Seemingly immortal, their plight reminds us that life is precious and should be embraced at all costs. Crocodiles - they have long fascinated the human imagination in folklore and myths as symbols of strength, confidence and resilience.
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