Hey guys, Chandler here!
And I want to take a minute to show you guys
how crocodiles hunt in the wild! It's going to be a really cool episode.
Let's get into it.
So the first step to crocodile success in the wild...
is how they're able to stalk undetected.
You can see along their back, they have these things called scutes.
Now, what those do is
they create currents and counter-currents which cancel each other out.
So a 15 foot crocodile can move through
knee deep water without even making a ripple.
Now, what that does is it allows them to get right up close to the water's edge
and wait for something
like a wallaby or a bird to come down really close for a drink of water.
And then all of a sudden they'll strike from the water's edge.
When a crocodile decides to put on a strike,
they get all their power from their tail and they're able to strike
from the tip of their nose to the base of their tail.
Now, for a big crocodile
that's about four or five meters back from the water's edge.
Another amazing thing about crocodiles is that...
they have these little vibration sensors called
integumentary sense organs that pick up on vibrations
around the water's edge.
So when you see us in the crocoseum, you'll see a stomping around and stepping...
And by doing that, the crocodiles can detect our exact location
based on those vibrations.
You can see as crocodiles move through that crystal clear water,
they can move by bottom walking, which is a tactic they use
where they walk on the bottom of the pond, as the name implies.
Now, you can also see in deeper, more open water.
They also get all that power from their tail
and they can swim at the cruising speed of a dolphin.
Once a crocodile is in position, ready to strike, that's when you know it's on.
They can actually hold their breath for over 7 hours...
Remaining completely still, completely patient, waiting for that ultimate opportunity.
Another tactic crocodiles will use when they decide to put on a hit for food
is called a tail walk.
They'll plant their feet on the bottom, wait for the exact right moment,
and then use their tail to come straight up out of the water.
They have the strongest jaw pressure of any animal on planet Earth.
It's over 3,000 PSI of closing jaw pressure.
To give you an idea...
that's more pressure than those machines that squash up your cars into a cube
at the recycling plant.
More pressure than that.
*Loud jaw pop*
Now here in Australia Zoo, our tactics are quite unique.
You can see us down by the water's edge, getting crocodiles really excited for food
and putting on those big strikes because it's good for them.
These are tactics that Steve pioneered in the crocodilians world
and that allows crocodiles to get plenty of exercise, mimic
that wild behavior that they do out in the natural world.
And also get some food too.
Even though they're striking at us, getting food,
they're happy getting their exercise and mimicking that wild behavior.
We're also showing people how easy it is to stay safe around crocodiles.
You can see we have that
crystal clear water so guests can see how crocodiles operate.
However, we also have a more murky water pond
that the crocodiles absolutely love.
Now, this is an idea that Steve pioneered for an environment to keep crocodiles
where they are just as happy as can be now because the water is murky,
you have no idea where a crocodile is until they pop up
to have a look at you on the surface of the water.
And even then, it's only their eyes, their ears and their nose
that are exposed in an area about this big.
We just love crocodiles here at Australia Zoo.
If you haven't noticed,
and we want our guests to experience just how amazing these animals are.
They've been around since the dinosaurs and are still on the planet today!
We have the world's largest living reptile
right in our backyard here in Australia and it's something to be proud of.
Even if you don't love crocodiles, we hope that you can appreciate them
from experiencing them right here
at Australia Zoo or through our YouTube channel
because they are awesome animals and we just love them.