Another croc caught

[Cockney_Red]

Gordo, the only thing I have reservations with, Is who decides which are the problem animals, and as far as trophy hunting goes, It wont be long before the big fellas are all shot out, and lets face it, we all want to see the big fellas...

 

[thoma1234]

i agree with cockney

 

[SteveNT]

Unbeknownst to many there has always been active culling of big "problem" (i.e cattle eating) crocs on pastoral leases. The really big guys along the Mary River and Hardie's Creek all quietly disappeared in the 90's sanctioned by the then CLP government. Parks never said boo.
My understanding is that this still happens all very quietly when those who should be looking are having a day off.

You only see the really big guys now on the South and East Alligator, Finnis, Flora and Daly Rivers. When I got here in 75 there were monsters everywhere but you couldn't get near them (gun shy).

With trophy hunting the guide (in the proposed case up here- a traditional owner) choses the target not the hunter.

 

[mmafan555]

You only see the really big guys now on the South and East Alligator, Finnis, Flora and Daly Rivers.

What about the Adelaide River?

What about for Queensland? Is their a particular river or rivers in Queensland that you know of that have big crocodiles

 

[longqi]

Probably too many crocs in the Adelaide for the really big ones to show up regularly in the popular areas
But plenty around the 4 to 4,5metre range
More heavily fished than Kakadu so bigger ones are quieter

Qld has quite a few big ones in the Eastern Gulf rivers and from there right round Cape York to South of Cairns
They took a 4.5metre from Townsville Beach recently and a 4metre from Aerlie Beach in the Whitsundays
Dont know too much about Southern Gulf rivers as I seldom fished them

 

[SteveNT]

What about the Adelaide River?

What about for Queensland? Is their a particular river or rivers in Queensland that you know of that have big crocodiles

The biggest I've ever seen are in a billabong on Ringwood Station on the Adelaide River floodplain. There was an abatoir there that operated for 50 years until it closed in the 80's. All the leftovers were shovelled down a chute to the crocs waiting below. These guys are 6 meters but FAT. Once they reach that 5 1/2 meters they expand sideways.

On the Adelaide itself I havent seen any really big ones for a couple of decades, again victims to discreet culling.

The little known and mostly inaccessable Flora River still holds huge buggers that are shocking to see on the banks on cool dry season mornings. The primal response kicks in just seeing them, even from a distance.

 

[mmafan555]

Probably too many crocs in the Adelaide for the really big ones to show up regularly in the popular areas
But plenty around the 4 to 4,5metre range
More heavily fished than Kakadu so bigger ones are quieter

Qld has quite a few big ones in the Eastern Gulf rivers and from there right round Cape York to South of Cairns
They took a 4.5metre from Townsville Beach recently and a 4metre from Aerlie Beach in the Whitsundays
Dont know too much about Southern Gulf rivers as I seldom fished them

Thanks for the info...


I was never under the impression that Kakadu had particularly big crocs... I always thought that the Daly, Mary, Adelaide etc had bigger crocs than Kakadu...Thanks for the information...I would love to go out to Darwin and Kakadu and see some big crocs...The Alligator rivers are the best place in Kakadu to see big crocs?

Aren't the alligator rivers in a protected national park(Kakadu)? If thats the case...culling should not even be up for debate...A national park is the crocs turf


I had heard that Queensland had some big ones in the wenlock river area on cape york...Do you have any experience with that area?

The biggest I've ever seen are in a billabong on Ringwood Station on the Adelaide River floodplain. There was an abatoir there that operated for 50 years until it closed in the 80's. All the leftovers were shovelled down a chute to the crocs waiting below. These guys are 6 meters but FAT. Once they reach that 5 1/2 meters they expand sideways.

On the Adelaide itself I havent seen any really big ones for a couple of decades, again victims to discreet culling.

The little known and mostly inaccessable Flora River still holds huge buggers that are shocking to see on the banks on cool dry season mornings. The primal response kicks in just seeing them, even from a distance.

Thanks for the info

 

[kawasakirider]

The biggest I've ever seen are in a billabong on Ringwood Station on the Adelaide River floodplain. There was an abatoir there that operated for 50 years until it closed in the 80's. All the leftovers were shovelled down a chute to the crocs waiting below. These guys are 6 meters but FAT. Once they reach that 5 1/2 meters they expand sideways.

On the Adelaide itself I havent seen any really big ones for a couple of decades, again victims to discreet culling.

The little known and mostly inaccessable Flora River still holds huge buggers that are shocking to see on the banks on cool dry season mornings. The primal response kicks in just seeing them, even from a distance.

Too bad you didn't get photo's, I'd love to see a 6m croc!!!

 

[chilli-mudcrab]

my favourite fishing spot, Dalywoi bay has a resident big boy not huge by N.T standards maybe 4.5 or 5 but for what ever reason, tanin water or algae it is almost pitch black, very freakn scary. at night when we pull the boat out we have two people on torch duty just scanning the water ,as it is clear,quickest boat recovery ever! last year took the missus and kids there and was too rough to reef fish so hung out in the bay, we had 5 small crocs eating every bait and the big boy watching from the bank.
Awesome to feel part of the food chain

 

[mmafan555]

my favourite fishing spot, Dalywoi bay has a resident big boy not huge by N.T standards maybe 4.5 or 5 but for what ever reason, tanin water or algae it is almost pitch black, very freakn scary. at night when we pull the boat out we have two people on torch duty just scanning the water ,as it is clear,quickest boat recovery ever! last year took the missus and kids there and was too rough to reef fish so hung out in the bay, we had 5 small crocs eating every bait and the big boy watching from the bank.
Awesome to feel part of the food chain

A 5m croc is quite a big wild croc by( likely) any standards..Most are not anywhere near that size.

Too bad you didn't get photo's, I'd love to see a 6m croc!!!

A 6m croc in the wild would be absolutely huge.....I would love to see such a huge animal but it is probably exceptionally hard to see one that size anywhere( Australia/Africa/Pacific etc) nowadays.

I am not completely sure I believe a 7m+ croc exists nowadays at all in the wild anywhere on the globe...Certainly not 9 or 10m...and 7-8m seems extremely unlikely

 

[Cockney_Red]

Reckon the only places where crocs, hit 6m in this day and age, is Niles, in the Grometi, Mara, and a couple of other rivers in Africa, and in Madagascar...if even there!

 

[SteveNT]

Reckon the only places where crocs, hit 6m in this day and age, is Niles, in the Grometi, Mara, and a couple of other rivers in Africa, and in Madagascar...if even there!

Do ya homework cobber, C. Porosus is bigger than all the rest, Niles included and by a fair whack too. And the 6 meter boys are still around but very cagey, they remember being shot at. Try floating down the Flora River in an inner tube, you'll find one!

 

[longqi]

Mmafan
A 5metre croc is a bloody big animal by any standards
Not just as wild one
Most are definitely not that size
YET
Australia is the only country the protects crocs
The number of 4/5 metre crocs is scary
So in about 15 years you will be able to find a few too many around the 6/7 metre range
Most seem to stop at about 5metres and just grow wider
But just like snakes and people there are always a few that will keep on growing

Cockney you might be correct about the Mara one day, because Kenya has made a very well run wildlife reservation/park there, but not so sure about the Grometi as the Serengeti is getting emptier every year
Madagascars wildlife is in a mess and getting messier from recent reports

 

[zack13]

An awesome read if anyone is interested.
World’s Biggest Crocodile – report by Rom & Nik Whitaker ? Conservation Footprints

 

[mmafan555]

Reckon the only places where crocs, hit 6m in this day and age, is Niles, in the Grometi, Mara, and a couple of other rivers in Africa, and in Madagascar...if even there!

Yeah East Africa looks to have big *** crocs...The Mara and the Grumeti definitely..mostly Ethopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya etc.

The Tarcoles River in Costa Rica also has some big boys.

Mmafan

Cockney you might be correct about the Mara one day, because Kenya has made a very well run wildlife reservation/park there, but not so sure about the Grometi as the Serengeti is getting emptier every year
Madagascars wildlife is in a mess and getting messier from recent reports

The Mara River is the sight of the famed Wildbeast and Zebra migration.... The crocs in that area are huge and well fed/protected.

Crocs from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethopia seem to be the biggest in Africa.

You are wrong about the Grumeti...I have been their and the crocs are huge and well fed and for the most part protected very well... The great migration passes through the Grumeti and the Mara and thus both rivers have huge crocs.

Do ya homework cobber, C. Porosus is bigger than all the rest, Niles included and by a fair whack too. And the 6 meter boys are still around but very cagey, they remember being shot at. Try floating down the Flora River in an inner tube, you'll find one!

Yes this is definitely true for the most part....I do personally believe that in some areas of Africa( particularly in east Africa and near the equator) that the Niles are about the same size as Salties....but thats just a hunch and elsewhere in Africa they are smaller.

Try floating down the Flora River in an inner tube, you'll find one!

How exactly would you get to the Flora River? Also is it far enough away from people so that not many crocs have to be relocated?

 

[SteveNT]

"How exactly would you get to the Flora River? Also is it far enough away from people so that not many crocs have to be relocated?"

The Flora is accessed from the Victoria Hwy, 100km west of Katherine, then 50km dirt track. It is spring fed, 3-400 meters wide, 20 m deep and crystal clear. It runs through limestone country and has many waterfalls and tufa dams, which combined with extremely high cliffs make it very hard to access by boat. 15 hp is the largest allowed and your tinny has to be winched 40 meters down to the water and up again.

There is one small Indigenous Community nearby but not on the River. There is no relocation here, it's just too hard to access. The Park is not well signposted and not marketed to tourists, thus scarcely visited. Most people can only access 3 km of the river. I have done mineral exploration along the full length (happily nothing there!) which is how I know it is one of the last bastions of the big fellas. And it is also fish soup, a super healthy river system. If you get a chance check it out, it is one the Top End's many gems that few even hear about.

(dont forget you're inner tube!)

 

[Cockney_Red]

Do ya homework cobber, C. Porosus is bigger than all the rest, Niles included and by a fair whack too. And the 6 meter boys are still around but very cagey, they remember being shot at. Try floating down the Flora River in an inner tube, you'll find one!

On paper, they are bigger, cobber, but certainly not by a fair Whack, unless you have some proof, I'll stick by my opinion that there is not a 6m croc in Oz...

Longqi, their is a BBC doco called "Here be Dragons" If you can find it, you will see the biggest crocs on the planet, and that is the Grometi . Madagascar has plenty of crocs, and reputedly the largest Niles.

An awesome read if anyone is interested.
World’s Biggest Crocodile – report by Rom & Nik Whitaker � Conservation Footprints

Top read Zack, I saw the Doco of this, I'm a big fan of Rom Whitaker, a reptilian realist...

 

[SteveNT]

"Here be dragons" is a great doco but they're still not as big as our big boys. Check any saurian reference material you like. Same answer.

 

[Cockney_Red]

Got most of the references, been and seen crocs up top, but nobody can prove to me the existence of a 6m croc in Oz, or anywhere else for that matter...tape and scales...

 

[SteveNT]

anyway, went (bank) fishing on the Wilton River last night. 1 x 75cm + 2 x 65cm barra. 1 x 4m croc fat as a station wagon.

And this morning starting the 800km drive to Darwin (home) I met this bhp. Very handsome and always sparks the day.