Crocodiles Part 1:
We visited the Malcom Douglas Crocodile Park in Broome during our stay (MDCP). What a lovely experience. We learned a lot about them and gained a better understanding of those fearsome reptiles who are actually very interesting and fascinating. We saw freshwater crocodiles, alligators, and even saltwater crocodiles( Estuarine Crocodiles). They were all here because they had had been very mischievous.
Salt Water Crocodiles:
Habitat:
Saltwater crocs, or "salties," as they are affectionately known among Australians, have a vast range, inhabiting brackish and freshwater areas throughout eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.
Hunting and their diet:
They wait patiently beneath the surface along the water's edge for possible prey to stop for a drink of water, as opportunistic predators do. They'll eat anything, including water buffalo, monkeys, wild boar, and even sharks, if they can get their teeth on it. With a swish of their muscular tails, they leap from the water, grab their target, and drag it back in, holding it under until the animal drowns.
Breeding Behaviour:
Males reach sexual maturity at about 17 years of age and at a length of approximately 3.3m. Females are capable of breeding when they are around 12 years of age and approximately 2.3m long.
The female constructs a mound of vegetation and soil along the banks of a watercourse, usually within 10m of permanent water.
After mating, the female deposits between 40 and 70 oval-shaped eggs, about 8cm long, into the mound.
The rotting vegetation incubates the eggs inside the mound, and the temperature and duration of incubation determines the sex of the young.
Throughout incubation (approximately 90 days) the female crocodile protects the nest from predators such as other crocodiles, goannas, feral pigs and humans.
Weighing about 70g and measuring 30cm in length, the young crocodiles are fully developed and are able to break out of their eggs.
Unhatched eggs may even be rolled around inside the mother's mouth to help the young emerge.
Once out of the mound, the mother may gently carry the young in her mouth to the water's edge.
Here, the hatchlings form a créche and remain under their mother's protective care for up to five weeks before beginning to disperse.
Lifespan in the wild is unknown, but estuarine crocodiles are expected to live for 50 years or more.
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