Daintree...Croc Cruise

<Zeke>

We went on a croc spotting cruise on the Daintree river.

Crocs are meat eaters and will eat anything from the size of a prawn to the size of a cow.  This is why there is no swimming in any of the rivers or beaches in this area. 

 

 

 

<Asha>

On the boat on the Daintree river, we spotted the 3rd type of crocodile - a logodile!!

 

<Zeke>

On the cruise we saw crocs and other animals and birds in the wild.

 

This is Scarface. 

He is 4.5m long and weighs 450kg!  He is the boss of 10km of the river and creeks around here.  He has 15 girlfriends and has lots of babies each year.  Sometimes he fights or eats his kids!

 



This is Elizabeth - one of Scarface's girlfriends. 

She is out of the water like this to have a warm up on the bank.

These are Elizabeth's babies.  They are 1 year old.

 

Crocs lay eggs.  They bury their eggs and cover them with leaves or grass.  When the leaves rot, the rotting keeps the eggs warm until they hatch.  After the eggs hatch, the mum looks after the babies for about 2 months, then they have to look after themselves.  Each female croc lays about 50-60 eggs each year but not many live until they are 5 years old (less than one of them!).  The baby crocs are often eaten by their mum or dad or by other crocs or birds and fish.

 

This is a lucky to be alive 5year old croc.

 

<Kian>

Along the sides of the Daintree river are Mangroves (below).  Mangroves means any trees that grow between the low and the high tide.  Their roots poke out of the water to allow the plant to breath.

<Zeke>

This is a kingfisher bird (a kookaburra is also a kingfisher - the largest type).

 

<Kian>

Did you know?

Kookaburras laugh to tell other kookaburra families the edges of their territory.

 

<Zeke> 

On the cruise we saw a green tree python.

 

and a scrub python (amethystine python).  Scrub pythons are not venomous, but they are the largest snake in Australia!

  On the way back we all got to drive the boat!