Thursday, January 20, 2011

Fatal crocodile attacks are no crock

Crocodiles kill more people each year than any other predator.
They are brutally efficient killing machines. They grab hold of prey in their powerful jaws, pull their victims underwater and drown them.
The saltwater and Nile crocodiles are the most dangerous, killing hundreds of people each year in Southeast Asia and Africa, according to Wikipedia. But the article, like most on the subject, lacks citations.
The most newsworthy crocodile attack last year was the one that killed South African outdoorsman Hendrik Coetzee. He was killed by a croc while leading a kayaking expedition through Congo’s Lukuga River on Dec. 7, 2010. (Read an account of his death by ABC News.)
On April 28, 2010, a 25-year-old New Jersey woman snorkeling in the waters near Radhanagar Beach on Havelock Island, one of India’s Andaman Islands, was killed by a saltwater crocodile. (See AOL News report on the attack.)
More typical crocodile attacks are like these reported in Kuching, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo; and in Tamil Nadu, India.

Photo: A 16-foot-long saltwater crocodile lunges at Israeli traveler Novon Mashiah during a fishing trip in 2008 in Australia’s Northern Territory. (See Mirror article.)

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