MANGROVES and CROCKS

                              Beware of a Crocodil
        I’ve seen many mangroves and snorkeled for a short time in one in Belize, but I’d never seen any as tall or as big as some we saw in Australia.

Mangroves protect 70% of the tropical shore around the world. As much as 70% of the mangrove roots are above the surface. A filter at the bottom of each root filters salt out of the water. Mangroves in that area grow 30-50 feet tall. Mangroves grow in brackish areas.

Our skiff captain kept up a steady commentary as we moved slowly along. Thornton Peak, 1300+ feet, towered in the background. That mountain range collects the rain clouds and then sends the rain to the valley and coast. The normal rainfall is about 60-inches a year. The estuary we were floating in contained 20 of the 69 known mangrove varieties.

After awhile the captain started talking  about crocodiles. Crocks prefer temperatures of at least 30 degrees C. Female crocks are territorial and  can grow 14 feet long. Males, reach 23-27-feet long and can weigh up to two ton! Males wander in and out of territories. It is possible for them to live 80-100 years. Crocks eat mud crabs, wallaby, and mud pigs among other things. Capable of slowing their heartbeat, they can stay submerged in the water for an hour.

Crocks breed December to April. They lay 30-80 eggs in a nest and the gestation period is 6-8 weeks. Mama monitors the nest for the first 90 days and then uncovers it removing the 10-inch hatchlings to the water.  The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the egg, 85 degrees is good for a female, 90 degrees for a male. While laying her eggs the crock goes into a trace-like state, afterward she returns to her vicious self.

 A baby crock is 4-5 years old before it is safe to be on its own. Survival rate is a half percent! Crocodiles have been protected since the 1970s and there is a fine for those caught poaching.

These cold-blooded reptiles can swim up to 20 miles an hour and run 11-mph but cannot zig zag. A crock has no tongue and cannot swallow under water. It has piercing, but no grinding teeth. The growth rate is about a meter every ten years. Its brain is in its head between the eyes. They thermo-regulate through an open mouth.

We spotted a baby crock close to the water’s edge, and later a large crock sunning on the river bank. They look pretty harmless when sleeping, but beware of this predator’s strong jaws!