Secret language of crocodiles the focus of new study, with researchers puzzled by deep

Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

Hopefully I picked the proper forum for this...

It involves research on salt water crocodiles in Australia... Apparently...they are highly suspected of communicating over distances.

It is also a story of how the salties have grown a lot in population throughout Queensland, and are expanding their ranges...in some areas. And how it is getting to be a bit problematic managing human and salties from meeting each other as a "dinner date"... for the sea going crocodile.

A bit of the text followed by the link for your reading enlightenment.

In the text below... "Douglas" is a pretty big male salty they are recording for research.

The sensitive underwater microphones have already led researchers to stumble upon a surprise finding.

Within the dense aquatic soundscapes, the microphones have picked up a curious, deep underwater booming.

"As Douglas is moving through the water, he's making this sound, it's like a 'Boom, boom, boom'," Mr Melville said.

"And then you can hear females cutting in, 'Boom, boom, boom'.

"You end up with maybe three or four individuals — it just sounded like a crocodile drum band."

Secret language of crocodiles the focus of new study, with researchers puzzled by deep booming sound

I can testify to some pretty sad, and gruesome stories from northern Queensland, and Northern Territories too...when people and hungry crocodiles meet.

For example , at the link; there is a short video of a small idealistic looking pond of water... so inviting for a relaxing swim maybe...Ha! Then, some thing happens in the tiny pond.

I am guessing, perhaps... it is a national defence strategy. Or at least part of one. (Dark humour follows)

If you happened to be a soldier of the "screaming purple people eaters" that someday might be silly enough to want to "occupy" the land down under....

Would you, that hypothetical soldier... want to invade a country that has these alligators on steroids, and a much meaner "attitude" towards people?

Add to that, all these wonderful bloody snakes we have in Oz? Have any of you ever seen a large brown snake pissed off and come after you with a good portion of its forward body "elevated" and flattened out similar to a bloody cobra!?!?!? (I thought not..Ha!)

I joke about the snakes a bit, but they are greatly affected by the current drought conditions, and are driven towards the water sources, which almost always involves human settlement areas... There have been some scary close calls with snakes recently. The fires are driving them to the cities and towns as well.

Oh yeah, the spiders too... and ants mate, bloody ants....fire ants.... green ants....red ants, black ants... red and black ants.... yellow ants, big ants, little tiny ants...everywhere.

So, obviously, if they figure how out to communicate with the crocodiles.... they will turn them into "Special Protective Ozzian Crocodile Korp" A.k.a. "SPOCK". Similar to how the Seals of the US Navy use dolphins for some of their missions....

Envision trained salties with Ozzian frogmen.... by God, that'll keep the purple people eaters from ever landing!

Live long and prosper,

Pravdaseeker

Now they know about these booms and can detect them,someone should use that to make a device to let people know when they are nearby-maybe a wearable device that beeps or vibrates when it detects the booms.
If they can only be detected in water,an ankle bracelet may be an idea.

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Better yet, stay the hell out of any water there's a chance of crocodiles inhabiting. The people who get taken by them are recipients of the Darwin Award. The amount of people taken by crocs due to retrieving a fishing lure etc is staggering but again, Darwin awards.

I live in regional eastern Victoria, not a crocodile within 1k+ kilometres thank God.

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

Bloody great idea there ... that's using your Synapse..Ha!

Some electronic signal that says basically:

"Run Douglas.....RUN. A Megalodon is nearby!"

I have a friend who was working on something similar for surfers and white pointer sharks down under. Some electronic thingy that would repel sharks away from surfers. Something mounted within the board maybe...

(He has experimented twice.... and had to stop field trials as he lost one leg in the first encounter, the 2nd leg on second product trial run....) Dark humour again... but my friend has tried to design something of that nature, but nothing works that doesn't affect the surfboards planing and etc... weighs too much.

The early warning device for impending crocodile assault could give a false sense of security, as the toothy critters are mostly "quiet" whilst stalking the next dinner on the shore, or in the surf.

Cheers,

Pravdaseeker

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

Greetings fellow Ozzian... IAMALLYETALLIAM and good logical input there.

Ha! I know what you mean.... A few years back my wife and I drove up to Daintree Rain Forest... and went for a drive on the coastal dirt highway towards Cooktown. You got to cross several little rivers etc... and trees that may have crashed down across the road etc...

There are warning signs everywhere about salty crocodiles being anywhere in the area.

As we had a nice picnic next to a river that day; a lady decided to cross the river on foot, with a walking stick. HA! My wife just about had a heart attack watching this lady wade across the river! I do suppose when she was out in the middle and a crocodile decided to come get her, she wouldn't have escaped.

After that scene, I was instructed to immediately turn around and drive back to Cape Tribulation and the bitumen highway! HA!

If you've never been there yet, I highly recommend it... bloody prehistoric Forest mate...

Cheers,

Pravdaseeker

a reply to: pravdaseeker

I know this may sound horrible but a child becoming dinner for
a croc sounds way worse. So I say calculate the impact on the food
chain and if depending on the findings? This whole idea of
preservation is fine with me. But we must take into account which
is more valuable. I don't see that if a species is having a low to no
impact on the environment. How it's worth having around at the cost
of one human life. The earth is our dominion Human Beings come first
and the adults of this world are responsible for protecting our young
No.1.

Beyond any low impact threat to the eco system or any point of scientific
study. Or maybe we just wait until the day the crocs luck out and kill a baby
Orca? Let those whales do what humans may not have the brains to do. Piss
them killer whales off and they would hunt those reptiles without mercy.

Any threat to the environment be damned and our worries about scientific
study? I can hear the laughter of whales already.

a reply to: carsforkids

Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

Hello carsforkids... thanks for your thoughts...

Mate, I don't make the rules in Oz... the elected leaders do... And yes, so far, the critters are very protected here.

A friend of mine went sea kayaking with his wife near Cairns, QLD.

He says they were a long ways from shore; and they saw a very big crocodile in the ocean.
He said that was the end of their kayaking that holiday trip! He said it was huge, and they were floating dinner for him.

Children have been taken by these crocs too. Family pets, dogs too.

At some point, something will probably happen to allow limited hunting, or occasional culls to keep numbers in check?

Don't know...I just know that when you are in the crocs country, you need to think differently around water, and you better be paying attention.

I got a mate that lives up there... never an issue with a croc. Although he has had a cranky Cassowary on his property a couple of times.Ha!

Cheers,

Pravdaseeker

a reply to: pravdaseeker

Thanks for the response I say if you need to outlaw taking a dip
in the ocean below a certain age do it. Adults have at least lived
long enough not to become distracted from the danger they put
themselves in. But kids come with to many variables to be out
there losing track of their dangerous surroundings. A little common
sense can go a long way towards preventing an unnecessary horror.

I mean gaw damn at least adults are responsible for themselves ya know?
And they've had a chance to live a while and take the consequences of
their own decisions. Kids just get out there because everyone else is.

Personally I don't go in the ocean past my knees or if on a boat. Chicken
# or good sense fifty fifty and I don't give damn which. lol

I scroll past your posts, I just cannot handle the Dear reader, etc... just ... can't.

But I imagine a crocs convo..

"I just ate Barry."
"Blimey, I just ate Steve."
"Good one.."

and they rolled their eyes..

a reply to: gallop


Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

Hello south end of north bound name sake...

Too bad you are "triggered" so easily....

"And they rolled their eyes"....good one..

Now, get over it, and yourself.

Cheers,

Pravdaseeker

"Several settlements of humans in Australia have been dated around 49,000 years ago. Luminescence dating of sediments surrounding stone artefacts at Madjedbebe, a rock shelter in northern Australia, indicates human activity at 65,000 years."

It seems if you want to know the habits of these big lizards, ask the aborigine.

originally posted by: pravdaseeker
a reply to: gallop


Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

Hello south end of north bound name sake...

Too bad you are "triggered" so easily....

"And they rolled their eyes"....good one..

Now, get over it, and yourself.

Cheers,

Pravdaseeker

I'm far from up myself or close to it. Just can't stand your pompous grandeur... You get over yourself.

signed,
not triggered, just bored by obnoxious people.....

POST PROPERLY, DINGBAT.

a reply to: gallop

Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

Yeah, I added that just because it somehow "triggers" Mr Gallop.. Ha!

Pray tell what is correct to you? The "proper" response....

Pompeous? Ha!

Post properly.. ok... I am sure if my posts were improper, or incorrect a moderator would surely inform me of such an infraction of gallops supposed rules.

Just trying to be polite when I do post.. although people like you make that into a real effort....

I don't care what you think of my posts, and I doubt seriously if any of the readers do either.

Thanks for clogging up the thread with your lovely tolerant retorts.

You're a real work of art there mate...

Cheers,

Pravdaseeker

a reply to: pravdaseeker

Absolutely idiotic but then again, these people aren't hurting anyone but themselves.

I wouldn't worry too much about gallop, he/she absolutely rates having a sook from my observations.

I'd love to get up that way and is on my list for sure.....I've never seen anywhere north of Sydney. No red dirt or desert or anything, will be a great trip when my daughters older and has a sibling.

a reply to: IAMALLYETALLIAM

Or just avoid Australia entirely. Seems as if every nook and cranny down there is occupied by deadly critters with terrible attitudes.
It's not enough that so many creatures that run, slither, swim or crawl in that country are highly dangerous. Australia is home to quite a few lifeforms that rank amongst the world's deadliest.
So, guess I'll have to be content with Google Earth.

a reply to: ChayOphan

The perception that something that can and will kill you awaits under every rock and around every corner is a massively overblown misconception.

The crocs are only in the northern part of Australia too.

I'd be much more nervous walking in a forest inhabited by bears, wolves, Cougars etc. Infact I've been to Yosemite national park at the start of spring, the prospect of a hungry bear is much more worrying than a snake that will do its best to slither off before you see it

originally posted by: IAMALLYETALLIAM
a reply to: ChayOphan

The perception that something that can and will kill you awaits under every rock and around every corner is a massively overblown misconception.

The crocs are only in the northern part of Australia too.

I'd be much more nervous walking in a forest inhabited by bears, wolves, Cougars etc. Infact I've been to Yosemite national park at the start of spring, the prospect of a hungry bear is much more worrying than a snake that will do its best to slither off before you see it

Dont say that, tell the truth man, the snakes are like the ones from snakes on a plane, they will fly through your car window as you drive along, and go straight for the jugular, especially the taipans they're sick as and kill ya in an hour if bitten, don't get me started on the browns and their acrobatics.

originally posted by: Silcone Synapse
maybe a wearable device that beeps or vibrates when it detects the booms.

Or... maybe instead of a beep...



or, maybe not... lol

originally posted by: IAMALLYETALLIAM
a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Better yet, stay the hell out of any water there's a chance of crocodiles inhabiting. The people who get taken by them are recipients of the Darwin Award.

Damn right mate,you wouldn't catch me going in the water over there.
I've been hunted by wolves when camping in the Himalayas and that was scary enough for me.
Your giant saltys are on a whole other level of terror.

a reply to: pravdaseeker
You can't put posts like this on. Crocodiles and snakes abound. Don't you know that you're supposed to feel guilty for not making these species extinct.
Well I hear crocodile and snake tastes nice, plus you can make belts, shoes, handbags etc. Job done, easy aint it.