Crocodile Farms
The Kimberley is home to two types of crocodiles: ones that rarely eats anything bigger -, and one that, come dinner time, views humans as a satisfactory substitute for cow or former is the freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus iohnstoni), or 'freshy'. The latter is the sal estuarine crocodile (c. porosus) - the massive, prehistoric-looking 'salty'. The best way to view these creatures is at one of the Crocodile Farms where you will see at first hand why it is you wouldn't want to meet one in the wild - especially at dinner time!
Northern Australia's salties are the world's largest remaining crocodile species. To see these incredible creatures you are best going to the Crocodile Farms in and around Broome and Wyndham.
Male grow to an average 5m, though one has been measured at 7.3m. They can weigh up to a tonne. Just by looking at a large male you can see that, once he has reached full size he is pretty much invincible in the wild. Salties can live to more than 70 years. Reproductive age is 16; for the smallerfemale, it's 14. Breeding season is the wet. Salties - which can inhabit fresh as well'as salt water - have been known to lie in water (for example, a cow) for days, getting to know its routines. In attack, it propels itself oute with its tail and clamps its vast jaw around the cow's head. Then it goes into a death roll to topple the cow over before pulling it into the water and drowning it.
Very rarley it will do the same to people - but to keep things in perspective, in the last 20 years there has been less than one fatal crocodile attack per year.
In contrast, the freshy is, if anything, scared of people and would only cause you injury if you happened to step on it. It eats insects, birds, small fish and bats, and ocassionally may attack a dingo at the water's edge. Males grow to a maximum 3.3m. They live no longer than 50 years.
Lily Creek Lagoon in Kununurra is a good spot to see freshies. Take a high-powered tour at dusk and see hundreds of pairs of eyes glinting on the water's surface. As for salties to get close enough to get a good look at one in the wild, you're probably also close enough to a Crocodile farm in Broome and Wyndham which are a much better option.
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