- 8/23/2024
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TVTranscript
00:00Come on then, Charlie. Come on, boy.
00:04Whoa!
00:05This is the saltwater crocodile, largest crocodile on the planet.
00:10We're going to take you on an adventure up into Cape York Peninsula,
00:13into the drying waterholes of the Normanby River,
00:17to look at Australia's unique species, the freshwater crocodile.
00:21They're completely harmless to man, beautiful animals,
00:25unlike these large, predatory animals.
00:28Come on, Charlie.
00:29Come on then, boy.
00:31Come on, boy.
00:35Whoo! Isn't he a beauty?
00:41I'd better move back from the water's edge.
00:43Very dangerous.
00:45Unlike the freshies, salties, whack!
00:48They hit several tonne per square inch jaw pressure.
00:51Whoo! They're wild.
00:53I can't wait to get up with the freshies.
00:55They're so cute, you want to squeeze their cheeks.
00:58Trouble is, they'll bite you.
01:29Freshwater crocodile is uniquely Australian.
01:33They're found nowhere else in the world,
01:36and the quickest way to identify them is with their long, narrow snout,
01:41much thinner than the other Australian croc,
01:44the deadly saltwater crocodile.
01:46When we reach the last waterholes of the outback,
01:49you'll see how the freshwater crocodile survives
01:53and competes for water in a harsh, dry environment.
01:57We're going into the water with them,
01:59into their territory, where they're the top predator.
02:03We witness amazing natural behaviour,
02:06rarely, if ever, seen by humans.
02:09I get the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do,
02:13dive with the harmless freshwater crocodile.
02:16But our journey starts here,
02:18with our breeding program at Australia Zoo.
02:21What? Buddy?
02:24Come on. There you go.
02:28This is a yearling freshwater crocodile.
02:31Now, even at this size, he'll be a little bit defensive.
02:34Freshwater crocodiles are not known to attack something human-sized,
02:38but they're very brave and stoic,
02:40and even a little one, if something gets in the way, whammo,
02:43he'll latch on to it.
02:45Now, the freshwater crocodile needs to be conserved in the wild
02:49because they're a very special, small, unobtrusive croc
02:52that doesn't worry people,
02:54so our research is very important to the species.
02:57Now, every day I come to this tank,
03:00make sure that the water is clean
03:02and that each individual crocodile is healthy and happy.
03:05OK, now I'm just going to go ahead and put him back in the water.
03:08I hope he lets go of me.
03:15There you go, buddy.
03:18Now, this is going to take more time than I thought.
03:21Now, the reason I don't want to panic or pull away
03:24is because I can hurt his very delicate little teeth.
03:27He's got over 64 very sharp teeth
03:29and they're designed to catch little food items
03:31like insects, fish or small crustaceans.
03:34If I just pull my hand right out of his mouth,
03:36I'll remove a lot of teeth and cause him a lot of pain,
03:39so I'll just go ahead and endure a little bit of a pinch
03:42and a little bit of discomfort
03:44in order to let him let go on his own time.
03:46I'll try it again.
03:48There you go.
03:50You can let go now.
03:52You've got me. I don't have you.
03:56Ow!
03:57Oh!
03:59How's that jaw slap?
04:01There she goes. Isn't she cute?
04:04And I've got a rat for you too, sweetheart.
04:06There you go.
04:08Want another one?
04:10And here's a fish.
04:13You don't want the fish.
04:15Isn't she darling?
04:16We've nicknamed this one Terry.
04:18She's got a cute little bottom, just like my wife.
04:20And she's got a beautiful head structure,
04:22absolutely streamlined,
04:25very light in colouration
04:27and she has about 15 to 17 eggs every year.
04:30She's gorgeous.
04:32Are you full now, sweetheart? You're a good girl.
04:34I'll give you a little scratch on the bottom.
04:36How's that?
04:38Out in the bush, there's no way I'd try and caress a freshie like this.
04:42They'd swing round, bang!
04:44They'd have no choice but to bite.
04:46That's nature's way.
04:48Here at our Australia Zoo, we get a lot closer to them
04:50than we normally would in the wild.
04:52And you can do things with a freshie
04:54that you couldn't do with a saltwater crocodile
04:56under any circumstance.
05:02It's lunchtime, and make it snappy.
05:05Come on, then.
05:07Why crikey, they strike fast.
05:09Come on then, little girl.
05:13Oh!
05:20Here you go.
05:22Here you go, buddy.
05:24No, no, no, you can't.
05:26You're a rat.
05:28Here in captivity, we mimic their natural diet
05:31with fish, crustaceans, small mammals and occasionally chicken.
05:36To start our expedition to the last waterholes of the outback,
05:40we head north along the tropical east coast of far north Queensland,
05:44a unique place where the rainforest of the wet tropics
05:48meets the coral of the Great Barrier Reef.
05:51Our journey takes us inland from this lush landscape
05:54into the dry tropics of Cape York Peninsula,
05:57harsh, outback country where the rains come only once a year.
06:01The wide, full rivers of the coast give way to narrow streams
06:05that are drying out fast.
06:07Barren floodplains wait for a wet season that is still months away.
06:12Before long, many of the rivers of the dry tropics will stop flowing
06:16and some will evaporate into a series of disconnected waterholes.
06:23The dry tropics of the Great Barrier Reef
06:27Wow, I've got to show you this.
06:29This is a brown tree snake.
06:31Now, they're a beautiful native Australian species,
06:35however, they've made it onto the island of Guam
06:40and they've become a pest species.
06:43They're not only a pest,
06:45but they're also a threat to the environment.
06:48They're not only a pest,
06:50but they're also a threat to the environment.
06:53And they've become a pest species.
06:56He's got a parasite on his neck, and it's a tick,
07:00and I'll have to try and get it off.
07:02You see the little tick there? That's a parasite.
07:05Go on, mate.
07:09Do you think you can get your fingernails in there, sweetheart?
07:12There we go. There it is, just there.
07:15That's the go.
07:18That's it. Nearly.
07:20Got him. Now pull.
07:22Great stuff.
07:24There you go, little boy.
07:28I left a mark.
07:30Yeah.
07:45Over here, mate.
07:48What are you doing out here on the road?
07:52This frill-necked lizard was right in the middle of the road
07:55and was in danger of being run over.
07:57He was catching the last rays of the sun to heat up.
08:00Now, we're going to move him off the road so he doesn't get hurt,
08:03but notice his great big frill.
08:05Usually you can't see the frill out like that.
08:07He's got it all tucked in,
08:09but he puts it out as a defense mechanism,
08:11making him look much larger so nobody's going to eat him.
08:14Now, when we let him go, he could very well go right up a tree
08:17because he's got this long tail and beautiful long claws
08:20and he's really designed for climbing.
08:22Yeah, we'll let you go.
08:32We've left the coast behind and we're heading north
08:35into the great wilderness of Cape York Peninsula.
08:38In the dry season, this is a place of heat and fine dust
08:42that penetrates everything.
08:44As usual, Suey's along for the ride.
08:47She's everywhere and loves every minute of it.
08:50The native kangaroos and wallabies
08:52have adapted well to the harsh climate of the dry tropics,
08:56but the introduced cattle are showing the signs
08:59of a long season without rain.
09:04It's a place of extremes.
09:06When the dry breaks, the power of the wet season can be savage.
09:10Dry gullies turn into powerful rivers.
09:13Erosion chews away at the roads and bridges are engulfed in water.
09:22When it's this dry, we can only imagine
09:25how so much water flowed through here to smash the bridge
09:28and turn the edge of the road into a crumbling cliff.
09:32You never know what you'll encounter in the outback.
09:35Delays like this can cost half a day or more
09:38as you find another way around.
09:44Oh!
09:54Sometimes the dry season works in our favour.
09:57These swamps and wetlands would be impassable during the wet season.
10:07By crikey, it's dry.
10:13The rivers stopped flowing many months ago.
10:18And up here is a continuous stretch of water.
10:21But as the dry conditions continue,
10:24the heat will evaporate all of the moisture
10:27until the waterhole breaks up into a series of smaller billabongs.
10:35And here's our destination, or at least the start of our real journey.
10:40The river where we'll spend the rest of the dry season
10:43investigating the lives of the freshwater crocodile.
10:56Because this area is so isolated,
10:59it's the perfect place to study these incredible animals.
11:03The water is still alive with fish and other food sources,
11:07but more importantly, very few people reach this remote river
11:11to interfere with the natural rhythms of the crocodile's pattern of life.
11:17This is a typical habitat for freshies,
11:20an inland stream well away from the coastal estuaries.
11:31The freshwater crocodiles aren't always true to their name.
11:35They can also be found living for short periods in saltwater.
11:39In fact, just because you see freshwater crocodiles
11:42doesn't mean the saltwater croc wouldn't be lurking in the same territory.
11:50An azure kingfisher.
11:52That little head movement helps him locate the exact position of his prey under the water.
11:57When we're so quiet, it's amazing how close the wildlife allows us to come.
12:06The animals have seen so few humans around here
12:09that most of them don't feel threatened.
12:12Many of the crocs ignore us completely.
12:14They're so well camouflaged that they're not used to being seen.
12:18Even if they are seen, they're the top predator in the territory
12:21and believe they have nothing to fear.
12:24Keeping still is part of their hunting behavior.
12:27They just wait for dinner to swim past, and then they snap.
12:31We pass a turtle trying to look like a log,
12:34and we spot a freshie in a typical nesting area.
12:37She's sitting high above the water level on a bank of nice, soft sand.
12:42Wow, have a look at this.
12:44Here's a little female.
12:46Up there, I'd say she's scratching up,
12:48preparing and testing the soil, the sand.
12:51This one.
12:56Whoo!
12:58Whoo!
13:00What they call that is a gallop, where they're up there high,
13:03whoo, straight down into the water.
13:09In this part of the river, the sandy banks stretch for a long way,
13:13and the water here seems like it's deep enough to stay permanent
13:17right through the dry.
13:19That makes this a prime breeding and nesting region.
13:24There are probably dozens, maybe even hundreds,
13:27of freshwater crocs in this immediate area.
13:31These freshies have amazingly efficient lifestyles.
13:35They don't move unless they have to.
13:39When you approach, they don't panic or waste their energy.
13:43They just submerge by exhaling their breath
13:46and sinking out of sight with barely a ripple.
13:50Steve is sure he's seen a croc trailing something behind it,
13:53something wrapped around its head.
13:55I can still see it.
13:58Where abouts?
13:59It's just dead ahead. I've still got it.
14:01See it?
14:02I can just see it. I can just see it.
14:05Anything wrapped around a croc's head would be life-threatening.
14:10Now I'm going to have to keep my wits about me
14:12because I've entered into their territory, where they're the boss.
14:16And you don't want to disturb them
14:18because that's one way that you could get bitten.
14:20They have razor-sharp teeth.
14:22And in their water, they are the rulers.
14:30Whoa!
14:31Didn't even know that one was there.
14:33And that's how easy a mistake could happen.
14:35Luckily enough, I touched the tail end.
14:38Steve has to keep surfacing for air
14:40as he searches for the croc that may be in trouble.
14:44They are so in tune with their environment,
14:46they know exactly where I am at all times,
14:48and they're right on it.
14:52The freshies are able to stay underwater
14:54for up to an hour without taking a breath.
14:58These crocodiles have amazing hearts.
15:00They can shut down one heart chamber whenever they like
15:03to conserve energy and make oxygen last much longer.
15:11The aquatic environment here is incredibly rich,
15:14supporting a fantastic variety of marine life,
15:17even in the height of the dry season.
15:19But still no sign of the croc we're searching for.
15:27Have a look at this.
15:28This is a saw-shelled tortoise, or turtle, freshwater turtle.
15:33You can tell she's a saw-shell
15:35because of these sharp, serrated edges
15:37she's got on the back of her shell.
15:39And it's a female, I can tell,
15:41because she's got a short little tail.
15:44Look at it. Very cute.
15:46They've got webbed feet,
15:48so they can paddle through the water really quickly.
15:51In fact, they're quite acrobatic in the water.
15:54You're gorgeous.
15:56Have a look at her, mate.
15:59What an honour to share territory with these aquatic animals.
16:03Absolute honour.
16:05Luckily enough, freshwater crocodiles
16:07don't see humans as a food source.
16:09We're just too big and intimidating.
16:12Sui keeps an eye out all the same.
16:14She has trouble differentiating fresh and wet.
16:17She's got to be careful.
16:19She's got to be careful.
16:21She's got to be careful.
16:23She's got to be careful.
16:25Sui has an eye out all the same.
16:27She has trouble differentiating freshies
16:29from the dangerous salties.
16:36Now here's one fella who loves the dry season.
16:39The pheasant cuckoo takes advantage
16:41of all the insects running around
16:43and swoops down for an easy meal.
16:46The dry season is also when eggs are laid,
16:49incubated and hatched.
16:51It's part of a regular cycle of survival
16:53that's evolved over millions of years.
16:56Like all crocodiles, the freshies are survivors
16:59from the age of dinosaurs.
17:01They're also known as fish crocodiles
17:03or Johnston River crocodiles
17:05after the name of the person who provided
17:07the first specimen for scientific study.
17:11Here's a great couple of slides.
17:14Straight up the bank.
17:17Look at this, they go straight up here.
17:24Belly mark there, tail, straight up here.
17:27Watch out for any mummy crocodile.
17:30Here's another perfect
17:32freshwater crocodile nesting scenario.
17:35We've got a permanent billabong down there
17:37and we've got freshwater croc tracks
17:39coming all the way up here,
17:41along the sand, heading along here,
17:44way up out of flood level.
17:46Look at these fresh tracks and these divots.
17:50These are where the crocs have been digging test holes
17:53and then I'd say this one here,
17:55where she's been laying,
17:57she's actually got eggs buried down in here.
17:59There's hatchlings all over the paddock.
18:01We're bound to see more freshies
18:03nesting, hatching, maybe even defending.
18:11Have a look at this.
18:13A freshwater crocodile nest
18:15where the babies have successfully hatched out
18:17and escaped predation.
18:19Now the freshwater crocodile will lay
18:21about up to 20 eggs in a nest
18:23and she builds her nest different
18:25than a saltwater crocodile.
18:27The salty builds a big compost pile
18:29and lets the vegetation incubate the eggs.
18:31Whereas the freshwater crocodile
18:33is a little bit more like a turtle.
18:35She digs down into the sand
18:37and buries her eggs about one foot deep
18:39and lets the sun incubate them.
18:41Now these guys have passed their first hurdle
18:43but only about one out of a hundred
18:45will survive to sexual maturity in the wild.
18:49This is the way to see wildlife.
18:51Nice and peaceful, tranquil,
18:53just glide along.
18:55And the freshies,
18:57although they've probably
18:59never ever seen people before,
19:01they're still intimidated by our presence.
19:03Nighttime is the best time to see freshies.
19:05With our head torches and spotlights
19:07we can sneak up on them
19:09and see what they're up to.
19:11They're not afraid of us.
19:13They're not afraid of us.
19:15They're not afraid of us.
19:17With our head torches and spotlights
19:19we can sneak right up to them.
19:21We're trying again to find that croc
19:23Steve saw earlier
19:25with something wrapped around its head.
19:27It's vital for the animal
19:29that we find it as soon as possible.
19:31Paddle at it, paddle.
19:37Some of the few people
19:39who make it into these remote places
19:41are fishermen.
19:43And they can end up killing
19:45most fish.
19:47I can't see it.
20:03There it is.
20:05And that's definitely a fishing net
20:07wrapped around its head.
20:09He doesn't know we're here to help
20:11and once again he gives us the slip.
20:15OK.
20:25Even wrapped up in fishing net
20:27he's faster than Steve
20:29and the only way we can catch him
20:31is an ambush from above.
20:45I got him.
20:59You alright?
21:01Yeah, I got him in.
21:03OK, hang on a minute.
21:05Don't worry, I got him over his eyes.
21:07He's pretty freaked out.
21:09Can you swap over to this side?
21:11Yep.
21:15OK.
21:17You alright?
21:27OK, sweetheart, you're going to have
21:29to get him up from the boat there now.
21:31You alright? Yep.
21:37Around this way.
21:39I've got the head.
21:41I'll tell you what,
21:43he's tired too.
21:45He's really tired.
21:47One of our wings has been cut and serrated for him.
21:53Can you just hold that tight?
21:55No, no, here we go.
21:57Here we go.
21:59That's good.
22:01Now, if I can just cut this loose,
22:03I can move that little bit in his mouth.
22:05OK.
22:07Cut that off.
22:09Throw that in the boat.
22:11OK.
22:13Right, I've got him by the head, mate.
22:15Now, I'll pull forward as you push forward.
22:17OK, let me tell you when I'm in position.
22:19Righto, I'm going to keep weight on.
22:21OK.
22:23Right, go.
22:25Now, next one, all the way.
22:27Ready, steady, go.
22:33Woo!
22:35Unreal.
22:37Good stuff.
22:41Without our help, this crocodile
22:43certainly would have died.
22:45This is one of the biggest bonuses of our entire life,
22:47saving the life
22:49of a very special predator.
22:55The vegetation line around the edge
22:57of the billabongs show us how far
22:59the levels dropped since the last wet season.
23:01But even with so much
23:03of the water evaporated by the heat,
23:05stretches like this can make you feel
23:07there's still plenty of water left
23:09to sustain life.
23:11It's only when you see it from above
23:13that you realize how far it is
23:15between billabongs.
23:17Birdlife that would normally be spread
23:19over miles of the outback
23:21are concentrated around the ever-diminishing
23:23water supply.
23:25Magpie geese, herons,
23:27and a variety of ducks are forced
23:29to share space that would be home
23:31to no more than a dozen birds
23:33during the wet season.
23:35Pinnacles of eroded clay
23:37show how much water we can expect
23:39to flow when the wet eventually
23:41does arrive.
23:51This little dragon is gravid,
23:53which means she's got a belly full of eggs.
23:55Now dragons and other reptiles
23:57somehow instinctively know
23:59when the wet season is going to come.
24:01Before the wet, during the dry
24:03is when she'll lay her eggs.
24:05In the far north
24:07of Australia, this time of the year
24:09is known as the pre-wet.
24:11It's sort of a sub-season of the
24:13dry, and it's prime time
24:15for crocodile nesting.
24:17From our lookout on the cliff, we've spotted
24:19a female croc who's displaying
24:21her classic nesting behavior.
24:23This is a time to be really
24:25careful. One of the few occasions
24:27a freshwater crocodile will attack
24:29defending her young,
24:31a female freshie will fight to the death
24:33to protect her eggs
24:35and her potential babies.
24:37As I move down the cliff,
24:39I'm sure she can sense the vibrations
24:41of my footsteps, but she's not
24:43moving.
24:45And the tracks in the sand,
24:47the position of the crocodile
24:49and her behavior tells me
24:51she's already laid her eggs.
24:53And this big fly
24:55takes advantage of that, biting her
24:57on the soft nose and eyes.
24:59A little
25:01blood-sucking fly.
25:13Wow.
25:15Look at this girl.
25:17You alright, sweetheart?
25:19She must have laid her eggs last night.
25:21This is beautiful,
25:23a very rare sight. I've never seen
25:25a female freshie attack
25:27a person before. She's guarding
25:29her eggs. She must have laid them
25:31last night somewhere in this sand.
25:33Her mouth's open, she arches her
25:35back up. Stay away from my eggs
25:37or I'm going to bite you.
25:39You're a good mummy crocodile.
25:41She's pretty intimidating, but
25:43unfortunately, pigs,
25:45foxes, dingoes are always
25:47digging up freshie eggs.
25:49I'm going to leave her to her job.
25:51You're doing a good work there, girl.
25:55Music
26:09Even on the best
26:11stretches of river, there is now more
26:13sand than water. At this
26:15stage, we can't even call it a stream.
26:17There's no flow in the water whatsoever.
26:19The water holes
26:21are narrowing right down,
26:23and as we head further into the outback,
26:25we have to pick up the boat and carry it
26:27for increasing distances from one
26:29section of the water to the next.
26:41This is beautiful.
26:43Some nice, fresh crop tracks
26:45as they are.
26:47As that water hole dries out,
26:49they just continue back into the
26:51deeper one.
26:53It's amazing how every living thing,
26:55even the insects, are moving in
26:57on what's left of the water.
27:03As the water recedes, the animals
27:05get thirstier and thirstier.
27:07All species of animals,
27:09including insects.
27:11Here's a swarm happening right here,
27:13and it's a combination of native bees
27:15which don't sting,
27:17hornets and wasps,
27:19which for their size at only half an inch long,
27:21pack a fair sort of a wallop.
27:33Where there's life, there's death.
27:35There's plenty of hatchlings,
27:37lots of freshies congregating.
27:41But here's one that didn't make it.
27:43The skin's actually dehydrated
27:45onto the skull.
27:47Poor little devil.
27:49He's obviously got way too dehydrated.
27:51Maybe he left his run too late
27:53and he's cooked out here in the sun.
27:55Pity the wet never came a bit sooner.
27:57Check out the slide.
27:59They're all heading up this way.
28:03This water's still holding its own.
28:05It's not stagnating yet.
28:07So I'd reckon while they're walking up this way,
28:09they're able to come in here,
28:11cool down,
28:13maybe get a bit of a refreshing drink,
28:15absorb a bit of water,
28:17and then head up again.
28:19You can see these slides coming right up here on the sand,
28:21all the way up here.
28:27Freshwater crocodiles
28:29utilize the shade from the trees
28:31as they move up the dry riverbed.
28:33They have to escape the dried-up water hole
28:35in order to seek more permanent water.
28:37Now, when they do that,
28:39often they leave little tell-tale signs behind.
28:41This is classic evidence
28:43of the freshwater crocodiles' travels.
28:45A little bit of scat here
28:47contains fantastic evidence of yabbies.
28:49The yabbies are one of their favorite things to eat.
28:51And as the water level drops,
28:53they're a little bit more easy to forage for.
29:05As the river shrinks,
29:07the mud around the banks
29:09slowly bakes in the heat
29:11and becomes dry and barren,
29:13just like a desert.
29:15We can see the rough surface
29:17where feral pigs have dug into the earth.
29:19But even those champion scavengers
29:21would now be lucky to find
29:23anything worth eating.
29:31It's over 40 degrees Celsius,
29:33which is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit,
29:35and it's dry.
29:37It's the peak of the dry.
29:39Have a look at this.
29:41These are pig rootings.
29:43This is normally a really wet area.
29:45It's like rock.
29:47We're in a Melaleuca swamp,
29:49which is known as paperbark.
29:51You can see this flaky bark.
29:53Dry! Peak of the dry.
29:55Dry as a dead dingo in the Simpson Desert.
30:01When the billabongs dry out like this,
30:03it's a mixed blessing for the crocodiles.
30:05On the one hand,
30:07the water they need to survive
30:09is disappearing fast.
30:11But at the same time,
30:13their food sources are more and more
30:15concentrated as every species
30:17of bird in the outback
30:19flocks to the billabong.
30:21And the aquatic life is jammed
30:23into a decreasing volume of water.
30:25It makes for easy picking.
30:27The red-tailed black cockatoo
30:29is fairly common in northern Australia.
30:31And although water is vital to them,
30:33the dry is no real threat.
30:35When this waterhole dries up,
30:37they'll simply fly to the next one.
30:41In the dry, places like this
30:43are close to being crocodile heaven.
30:45A waterhole that's deep enough
30:47to last them until the monsoon rains arrive
30:49and plenty of food to choose from.
30:55The head and the snout of the crocodile
30:57is a highly developed
30:59hunting mechanism.
31:01Dimples on the skin near their teeth
31:03are pressure-sensitive devices
31:05that can tell them exactly
31:07the movements of their prey.
31:09And anything goes too close,
31:11snap, they'll grab it in a heartbeat.
31:13And these birds better
31:15watch out or they're going to get eaten.
31:19Most of a freshie's food is barely
31:21bite-sized, but birds are
31:23high on the list of bigger prey
31:25that they'll take if they can.
31:29Freshie's teeth are fine and sharp,
31:31designed to hold small prey
31:33until they can be swallowed whole.
31:35The lotus bird,
31:37which hops around on floating plants,
31:39takes a big risk.
31:41The next lily pad is just as
31:43likely to hide a hunting crocodile.
31:53A cattle farmer
31:55at a nearby property has heard
31:57there's a river in the area and he's come
31:59to ask our help with a freshie
32:01that's ended up in the wrong place
32:03at the wrong time.
32:05He pumped out one of his drying water supplies
32:07and found the poor old crocodile
32:09sitting at the bottom with nowhere to go.
32:11In the wet, the freshies
32:13travel anywhere the land goes under
32:15and when it dries out again,
32:17they find themselves
32:19where the water sits last.
32:27Jeez, he's a big one.
32:31So what I'll do is, I'll try and
32:33get myself around into position
32:35and if you can throw the bag over when I cue you.
32:37But I'll tell you what, mate,
32:39if he swims around, he grabs hold and I'll just grab him by the tail
32:41and pull back so I can swing around and get on his head.
32:43He looks like he's in good condition
32:45because he's been chewed up. Look at his tail.
32:47Do you reckon?
32:49How you doing, buddy?
33:07You've got the great bag.
33:13Watch this, mate.
33:19He's a big one.
33:37There you go.
33:39Jeez, he's in good condition.
33:43I just can't have him maneuver at all in this mud.
33:45It's a bit of a worry.
33:49There you go.
33:55Alright?
34:03I've got a nice canopy going up.
34:11Okay.
34:19Okay.
34:23Let's go up.
34:29Let's go.
34:33Okay, let's go up.
34:35I can't move my legs.
34:43Up.
34:49Up.
34:55It was a good, quick capture
34:57and only a short drive to the river
34:59where we can release him back into his normal habitat.
35:03Crocodiles have brilliant night vision
35:05and they're one of the many nocturnal predators
35:07that inhabit the Billabongs.
35:13The slightest movement is intensified by the still of the night.
35:19Oh!
35:21Got him.
35:25Oh, look at that.
35:27Beautiful.
35:29This is a pygmy python.
35:31Actually, it's a children's or spotted python
35:33and these species
35:35are one of the smallest pythons
35:37in the entire world
35:39and they're constrictors like all other pythons.
35:41I tell you what,
35:43swimming around out here,
35:45here's freshwater crocodile food.
35:47Let's put him to the shore.
35:49Can you hang on to me?
35:51Got him?
35:53Aren't they gorgeous?
36:05Here you go, little fella.
36:09Just put him up here out of harm's way
36:11on those nice, warm rocks.
36:17There you go.
36:25And then we spot something truly incredible.
36:27A female freshwater crocodile
36:29right in the act of digging her nest
36:31and laying her eggs.
36:37This is a time to be as cautious as we've ever been
36:39on the whole expedition.
36:41If we interrupt her,
36:43we could accidentally chase her off the nest
36:45and then defend the nest.
37:03Even though it seems like
37:05it should be obvious to the croc
37:07that someone's near,
37:09she doesn't know we're this close
37:11because she's in a trance.
37:13She's focused on her maternal instincts.
37:15Freshwater crocodiles
37:17have a homing instinct
37:19and this piece of riverbank
37:21is probably very close to where she herself hatched
37:23at least 10 years ago.
37:35This is the first time
37:37in my entire life
37:39that I have had the honor of sharing space
37:41with a female,
37:43freshly laying eggs.
37:45She's in a trance-like state.
37:47She's just staring straight ahead.
37:49The eggs are plopping down.
37:51What a beautiful thing.
37:59The eggs will be buried in the sand
38:01for about 90 days
38:03before the babies emerge
38:05and the sex of the hatchlings
38:07will be decided by natural variations
38:09of temperature.
38:11Whether they're male or female
38:13literally depends on the weather.
38:21This is a world's first.
38:23Freshly laying eggs.
38:25And we've got it.
38:27Filming it.
38:29She's decided on this exact spot
38:31very carefully.
38:33First she'll dig a test hole in the sand
38:35checking the moisture, the heat,
38:37the flood levels,
38:39and after burying the eggs
38:41she waits for a short time before leaving them
38:43to incubate in the sun.
38:45While female freshers stay close by in the water
38:47they usually don't guard the nest
38:49and a lot of the eggs
38:51maybe as many as 60%
38:53will become food for other predators.
38:59What's really surprising
39:01is how gentle these crocodiles behave
39:03when they're nesting.
39:05Look at the careful way
39:07she's sliding the sand back over the eggs.
39:11Amazing to think
39:13a dinosaur can be so gentle.
39:19I'm going to leave it right here.
39:25You little ripper.
39:27A piece of history.
39:35Here he comes.
39:41The tranquility of the billabongs
39:43is an overwhelming sense
39:45of peacefulness.
39:47And then
39:49while scanning the scrub
39:51I spot a group of pigs
39:53foraging for something.
39:55What are they up to?
39:59The feral pig is an introduced
40:01species through Australia
40:03and I've got a sneaky suspicion
40:05that they're up to no good.
40:07They're so intent on what they're doing
40:09they don't even know that I'm getting
40:11closer and closer.
40:13And then
40:15it dawns on me.
40:17Get out of there.
40:19Go on. Go on.
40:21Go on.
40:25Oh no.
40:31What a shame.
40:33I don't have trouble with pigs
40:35as a species but here in
40:37Australia they're non-natives
40:39and they destroy our native wildlife.
40:41It's not quite their fault
40:43but by crikey they're really hard on the environment.
40:45They've eaten all of these
40:47eggs and it's been totally devastated.
40:49Further into the outback
40:51the waterholes in the parched riverbed
40:53are now as much as two miles
40:55apart. Tiny patches
40:57of water are separated by
40:59long stretches of sand,
41:01caked mud and dry stony
41:03ground.
41:07The good waterholes
41:09are more and more crowded and the crocodiles
41:11are living much closer together
41:13than they ever like to be.
41:15Territorial fighting sometimes
41:17happens even in good conditions
41:19but aggressive frontal attacks like this
41:21are pretty unusual.
41:33Crocs don't like feeling
41:35they've been caught on dry ground
41:37but there isn't much choice now.
41:39They're forced to move overland to find
41:41enough water to last out the rest of the drive.
41:43For the crocs who
41:45haven't established themselves in permanent water
41:47it's a life or death race
41:49against time.
41:59Have a look at this.
42:01Look at the way
42:03they climb. His waterhole's
42:05dried out. He's got no choice.
42:07He's got to move on.
42:13Whoa!
42:15There's that typical freshwater crocodile
42:17gallop.
42:37They can travel a lot of ground
42:39pretty quick and they go into a high walk
42:41they can climb the banks
42:43they'll slide down the other side
42:45and look at them gallop!
42:47Woo! Straight into the new water.
43:07Have a look at this little tacker.
43:09Only about three feet long
43:11probably only about three or four
43:13years of age. He's got a lot of
43:15learning to do if he can survive
43:17the dry.
43:19He's got himself in a waterhole
43:21that's just about dried right out
43:23and he's got at least
43:25a mile and a half, maybe more
43:27to get to the next permanent waterhole.
43:29If he doesn't make his move soon
43:31he's gonna cook.
43:39By now
43:41the crocs are down to the very
43:43last of the waterholes of the
43:45outback.
43:51This one's
43:53been lucky enough to find a good
43:55home for the rest of the season.
43:57Unless the wet fails, he'll survive
43:59for another year.
44:01With the world's changing and unpredictable
44:03weather patterns like the El Nino
44:05effect, there's no guarantee of a good
44:07wet and if that happens
44:09there'll be a terrible death rate among the
44:11freshies. This one's
44:13caught between waterholes.
44:15He slowed down for a rest and it
44:17could be a fatal mistake.
44:19They don't have
44:21to worry too much about big predators
44:23but when the freshies keep still
44:25for too long they can become
44:27victims for the most unlikely
44:29creatures. Carnivorous
44:31ants. Green ants.
44:33They swarm all over the crocs and
44:35find the most vulnerable places
44:37and bite, bite down hard.
44:39They attack the eyes.
44:41It must be excruciating pain
44:43and once a croc loses its sight
44:45that's the end of it.
44:47It's always difficult
44:49to let nature take its course
44:51but as we move off the little
44:53crocodile recovers and bolts for the permanent
44:55water. You beauty!
45:01We've occasionally seen dark
45:03clouds come and go as we explore
45:05the last waterholes of the outback
45:07but this time it looks as if the
45:09monsoon is about to break the dry
45:11season. As the rain clouds
45:13gather we hear the squeak
45:15of hatchling freshies
45:17and as we scan the riverbank
45:19at a known nesting site
45:21we're gonna wait. Maybe
45:23we'll be lucky enough to see
45:25the hatchlings emerging from their
45:27sandy nest site.
45:34We can hear them
45:36but we can't see anything.
45:38They're deep in the moist
45:40warm sand where their
45:42mother deposited the eggs
45:4490 days ago.
45:51Just keep watching babe
45:53they're gonna come out soon.
46:04It's quite a struggle
46:06for the little freshies.
46:08Right on their nose tip
46:10they've got an egg tube.
46:12They penetrate the eggshell
46:14and struggle and push and get their way
46:16out through the egg and then
46:18they've got the battle of going up
46:20through the sand and emerging
46:22and running down to the water's edge.
46:26For the first few days of life
46:28these hatchlings will survive
46:30the monsoon.
46:32These hatchlings will survive on what's left
46:34of their egg yolk that they've drawn
46:36inside their bodies.
46:38Then it's a fight for survival that will see
46:40more than 90% of them die
46:42in the first year.
46:48They've been lucky to get even this far.
46:50More than half the eggs laid
46:52don't even get to hatch.
46:58And our wait pays off.
47:00Replicas of their mother
47:02these tiny little dinosaurs
47:04make a bolt for the water
47:06the safety of their new environment.
47:14Wow aren't they cute.
47:16We just got the timing perfect.
47:18A little bit of rain coming over
47:20wetting down the sand
47:22and they just start hatching.
47:24This is amazing.
47:26Among the new hatchlings
47:28it's the less obvious ones
47:30the guys with a natural flair for camouflage
47:32who'll beat the survival odds.
47:40Wow it's like
47:42crocodile kindy
47:44where all the little babies that have hatched out
47:46congregate, mumble to each other
47:48and play.
47:50It's like crocodile kindy
47:52where all the little babies that have hatched out
47:54congregate, mumble
47:56be around here somewhere
47:58she can't feed them, they've got to feed themselves
48:00and they're basically insectivorous
48:02and they may pick off the odd
48:04fish and small crustacean.
48:06The hatchlings have
48:08made it into the water just in time.
48:10Anything that hatches from now on
48:12has very little chance at all of
48:14beating the odds. There just won't be enough
48:16time to establish themselves in the
48:18water before the floods of the wet season.
48:2895% of this
48:30year's rain is about to fall
48:32and in a matter of hours
48:34the last water holes of the
48:36outback will be joined together
48:38in the rebirth of a massive
48:40tropical river.
48:42Woo!
48:44This is it!
48:46The start of the wet.
48:48What every animal, what every species
48:50has been waiting for.
48:52The monsoon.
48:54And so this incredible life cycle
48:56begins again.
48:58Look at this.
49:00Woo!
49:12Music
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