- 1 day ago
Mike searches for one of Australia's deadliest creatures, journeying down the Adelaide River to hunt crocodiles. After wrestling the wild crocs onboard, Mike assists a scientist, who pumps their stomach and studies their vomit.
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00:00My name's Mike Groh.
00:02This is my job.
00:05I've made a mess in all 50 states, a big one.
00:08Now, I'm packing my bags for Australia,
00:11land of kangaroos.
00:12Look at me.
00:13I'm over here.
00:14And didgeridoos.
00:17But I'll be doing more than cuddling koalas.
00:20Oh, her bum is soaking wet.
00:21I'll be getting dirty down under.
00:26I'm still trying to get my head around what I just saw.
00:30Coming up on Dirty Jobs Down Under.
00:33Ah, .
00:35It's bugs, boats, blood.
00:37You just cut through your nails, doctor.
00:41We're going croc hunting.
00:43He just like pissed off.
00:45Not for food.
00:46Are we gonna eat it?
00:47But in the hopes of making a croc vomit.
00:50Oh, jeez.
00:51Yeah.
00:52For science.
00:56Oh, my.
01:00Someone's got to do it.
01:10Australia is diverse, from endless barren landscapes
01:13to lush vegetation.
01:15The creatures are unique.
01:17I think you just rubbed a scent plant on me.
01:19I've been marked.
01:21And the traditions are ageless.
01:24You guys getting hungry?
01:26But it's here, in northern Australia, that you'll find a unique, prehistoric creature of
01:31the water.
01:31The infamous saltwater crocodile, which is why we've come to the city of Darwin.
01:39We're here.
01:43Here at Crocodilus Park, they've got over a thousand fresh and saltwater crocs for research
01:49and study, ranging from hatchlings all the way up to Eric.
01:56This Zoptic Beauty is over 14 feet long and just loves a good bucket of chicken.
02:03Let's grab a bird.
02:04Yeah.
02:05Come on.
02:07Charlie Manolis is a park zoologist.
02:09He's going to help me give Eric a light breakfast snack.
02:16Come on.
02:17Probably best to leave that door open.
02:19That's it.
02:20Grab that.
02:21Just wait for him to come up.
02:23Oh, yeah.
02:24Keep an eye.
02:24Always keep an eye on him.
02:28Stand back a little.
02:29Come on, Eric.
02:30I got a chicken.
02:31So why are we feeding Eric chickens?
02:34Oh, we got two chickens.
02:36Come on.
02:37Well, aside from the fact that he's hungry, we want to get an up-close view of a saltwater croc.
02:41Can he hear us?
02:42Can he see it?
02:42He can, he knows we're in here.
02:45He can feel.
02:46He can't see you because he's got his eyes closed under water.
02:50So he's come up now to look at you.
02:52His eyes are going to open.
02:56Chicken.
02:57Come on.
02:59Come on.
03:00Let's go.
03:01Back.
03:01Back.
03:02Back, guys.
03:03Back.
03:03Back.
03:04Right back.
03:05Back out.
03:06Yeah.
03:06Yeah.
03:07Out.
03:07All right.
03:07Now, you can throw that just in front of him now.
03:09Yeah.
03:10Quick.
03:14Just get to come back.
03:16Grab a second one.
03:19But just be real careful.
03:20Yeah.
03:21Get ready to go back, boys.
03:22He's going to move fast.
03:23Okay.
03:23Go anywhere.
03:24Okay.
03:26That's it.
03:30Oh, Eric.
03:32Just back a little bit there, Mike.
03:34That's it.
03:35Two chickens.
03:36You're right.
03:37Five bites.
03:39Two swallows.
03:42Wow.
03:42You probably got one more there if he wants.
03:45Okay.
03:45Eric, you want another chicken?
03:47Three's a charm.
03:50See if he'll come up for you.
03:51Come on.
03:52Just beat it on the ground.
03:54Let's see.
03:55Mmm, I got a chicken.
03:57I got a chicken.
04:01Now.
04:13Oh, my God.
04:16That's such a big animal.
04:18Yeah, he would weigh probably, you know, 1,300, 1,500 pound.
04:25Wow.
04:26He'd probably keep eating if you let him.
04:29Just an accomplice.
04:31Beautiful.
04:32Now, we could feed caged crocodiles, chickens all day.
04:37But the real reason we're here is for science.
04:39We're going to study what crocodiles eat, which means we've got to catch one and make it vomit.
04:46So, off we go.
04:51The crow and I hit the road destined for the Adelaide River in the green Northern Australia
04:56territory just around the bend from Crocodylus Park.
05:02Go, Ash.
05:02Quick.
05:04Let's get you in, huh?
05:06The estuarine crocodile is the animal we're looking for.
05:09And the estuarine crocodile is, without question, the largest living reptile on the planet.
05:14Also known as the saltwater crocodile, these great survivors of the dinosaur age have been
05:19known to grow up to seven meters in length.
05:21The salt he inhabits coastal rivers, billabongs, flood plains, sometimes the open sea.
05:26It's considered to be the top end's most dangerous predator.
05:29In 1971, the saltwater crocodile became a protected species in the Northern Territory.
05:34Since then, their numbers have increased steadily.
05:36I know all this, of course, because it says so right here.
05:41Very helpful.
05:43We've got to go, guys.
05:44This is my boat?
05:45Yeah.
05:46So, should we hop in?
05:50Heading north.
05:52Adelaide.
05:53Adelaide River.
05:55The Adelaide River winds its way through Australia's Northern Territory for hundreds of miles,
06:00before eventually dumping into the Gulf near the Indian Ocean.
06:03Today, I'll be traveling with Charlie and the crew during the last hours of sunlight,
06:08because the best way to catch these monsters is in the dark.
06:13So, the odds of us seeing them during the day are fairly slim?
06:17With this high tide?
06:18Yeah.
06:18Very, very, because I'll be in amongst the mangroves.
06:21But even so, it's so hot that any crock-worthy salt's in the water.
06:27Yeah.
06:28I see the crock coming out to see us.
06:29Look.
06:30There it is.
06:30There he is.
06:31Look.
06:31That's why you're here, Mike.
06:32Yeah.
06:34There you go, look.
06:35So, he's a modest size, it seems?
06:37He's only small.
06:41There he goes.
06:41And then he goes under.
06:42They don't let you get too close.
06:44The really interesting thing is that the average size of crocodile has changed.
06:49In 1980, when I first came up to the territory and started work on crocks,
06:53the average size was maybe, you know, a bit over a meter.
06:57Yeah.
06:57Now, they're, like, closer to 12 foot.
06:59Yeah.
07:00So, there's just bigger.
07:01They're getting bigger.
07:02Bigger crocks, and the bigger crocks are killing the little crocks.
07:04Do they have a natural predator?
07:06The biggest predator on crocks is other crocks.
07:11Keep an eye out for any more crocks.
07:14The cold-blooded crock reserves its energy during the day.
07:18They're lethargic.
07:19They seem slow, but don't be fooled.
07:21They're capable of great explosive speed and power.
07:24They attack prey as big as water buffalo and sharks.
07:29Charlie and his crew are here to regulate the crock population to keep Australians safe.
07:36Crocodile back there.
07:38And these guys will go to great lengths to do it.
07:41It's slow.
07:48Just in here, look.
07:49Oh, yeah.
07:50See him sitting there?
07:50Sure.
07:52Only a little while.
07:55What do you reckon, Brett?
07:56Eight?
07:57Eight footer?
07:58Eight and a half.
07:59Eight and a half.
08:01Okay, here we go.
08:02All right.
08:05Just here.
08:08See if we can get him, even if we just look at him.
08:11Yeah.
08:13Right.
08:16So this has got a little harpoon head.
08:18Uh-huh.
08:18You see that, right, with a couple of barbs in it.
08:19We don't have to come your side now.
08:21Uh, yeah.
08:22Go wherever you have to go.
08:23Well, you just move on behind him, mate.
08:25Yeah.
08:25Those, the croc skin's so thick that those little hooks just go in and they stay.
08:31And all it does is hook him and you've got like a big fish.
08:33Yeah.
08:34But we'll have to just keep a little bit quiet as he comes in, right?
08:36Yep.
08:38See if we can get him.
08:39Have a look at him.
08:52Holy smokes, you got it.
08:54Wow.
08:54Wow.
08:55Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:56Let him go.
08:57All get all tangled up, Charlie.
09:00You're losing me, too.
09:00Crap, Rhett.
09:01You really threw that thing.
09:03Okay.
09:04All right, now that's the part I didn't anticipate.
09:06Hang on.
09:07Hang on.
09:07Ah, ash, ash, ash.
09:08Back, back, back to Rhett.
09:10Rhett, what are you doing, brother?
09:11That's it.
09:12We're all right.
09:14Seriously?
09:14Just watch your head on the branches, guys.
09:17See, what's happened is he's gone behind the vegetation.
09:22Yeah.
09:22Okay, come in now and we'll pick him up.
09:25Because once they get tangled, it makes it hard to bring him in.
09:28I'm thinking more about Rhett right now, way steep in mud.
09:31Hey, we're nearly out of rope here.
09:33Yeah, I know.
09:33Have you got a float on it?
09:34No, mate.
09:36You got a fair bit of line out there, Rhett.
09:40Okay.
09:41Rhett, that's a big move.
09:44Is that the kind of thing you had in mind for me this evening?
09:47No.
09:49Yeah, because the whole leaving the boat in the dark and the mud.
09:52That was opportunity.
09:53That was opportunity.
09:53That was opportunity.
09:54And you, so we'll have a look at this one anyway.
09:57So he's still attached.
09:59At night time.
09:59Oh, yeah.
10:00Oh, he's like 100 meters out there on all your rows.
10:02Yeah.
10:03For you, we'll try and get one at night where they don't see you quite so closely.
10:06I'm still trying to get my head around what I just saw.
10:09You're right.
10:10You're right.
10:10The boy just dove out of the boat.
10:11You just keep going straight, mate.
10:12We'll pull him up.
10:13In the mud that was way steep.
10:16That was, uh...
10:18Is Daniel's side there?
10:19Yeah, put it.
10:20Do you want...
10:21Do you want to...
10:22All right, here you go.
10:23Yeah, that would be him right here.
10:24Uh, so you come on up here, mind?
10:26Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:27What's this line?
10:28Uh-huh.
10:29If someone's got to get bitten, it's got to be you, bro.
10:31Right, that seems reasonable.
10:32I believe he's under the boat.
10:33The talent.
10:34We can afford to lose talent.
10:35Anything we want to watch.
10:36We don't want to put too much pressure on that.
10:38We don't want to pull the...
10:39But the barbs haven't gone in real good.
10:41Yeah.
10:41You can smell him now.
10:44Actually, that's me.
10:45You might want to change your underpants.
10:48I've been on the road a long time, gentlemen.
10:50I don't know what I smell like anymore.
10:52Yeah.
10:52I'm past the fish hole.
10:53All right.
10:53I'm glad your pants are brown or with that car key to start with.
11:02The hard part during the day is they can see you getting the snout right up.
11:04They see you coming up.
11:05Yeah.
11:06See you now.
11:06At night time, you can keep the spotlight on their eyes, and they don't see you.
11:10The moment he comes up and he sees us, he's going to go berserk.
11:13Berserk.
11:17Oh, there's the snout.
11:18All right, look at that.
11:19Oh.
11:23Oh.
11:24There he is.
11:29Oh, I see what you...
11:33Okay, Brett, let me work this so it looks like I...
11:35Okay, just gently tap, Toby, when I saw it.
11:37Gently tap his nose?
11:38Yeah, I know.
11:40Oh, it's in his mouth.
11:41That's probably bad.
11:42Tap him, tap him, tap him.
11:46Nearly had it.
11:46You just got to tap him when you get his mouth open, just that little bit...
11:50Oh, there it is.
11:51That little bit more.
11:53Yeah.
11:59Come on, buddy.
12:00Come on.
12:02You can do it.
12:03So if I tap him on the nose, he opens his jaws, typically.
12:10That's it.
12:11He's all yours now.
12:12He's all mine?
12:13Good, good.
12:13Yeah.
12:14So you've got him just around his top.
12:17Yeah, it's just the top jaw.
12:18It'll...
12:18If you put it around both jaws, they're closed.
12:21He'll just slide off.
12:22It slides away.
12:23Right.
12:23There's nothing to hold on.
12:25The top jaw, that's it.
12:26It's the strongest part of their body, the neck.
12:30What we've got to do now, just...
12:32Yeah, that's it.
12:35Some of you may notice a big pole with a tiny camera on the end of it.
12:39You'll see it coming in and out of the shot from time to time.
12:42That was meant to give you a stunning, up-close, in-depth look at this croc that we're filming.
12:49Unfortunately, Doug, our cameraman, he forgot to press the on button.
12:55So you get...
12:57You get bit by one of these things.
12:59Aside from the damage just to the bite, what about all the stuff in his mouth?
13:03Oh, man, there's certain bacteria on there that are not real good.
13:08And what happens is when they do bite you really well, the tissue dies, bacteria get in.
13:14Yeah.
13:14They've now learnt here at the hospital, if you get a croc bite, you don't stitch it up.
13:21Yeah.
13:22Leave it open.
13:22Yeah.
13:23Because that's the last thing you want, because you create a little incubator for all these bacteria.
13:27I mean, man, these are a great easing machine.
13:30This is a dinosaur.
13:33Man, this is the last of the dinosaurs.
13:34Yeah, that's exactly right.
13:36So the idea here is to close those jaws, that's it, and then tie him off.
13:41And tie him off again.
13:42Now, don't get your fingers caught, because if he rolls, he'll take your finger with you.
13:44If he rolls, he'll take your finger with you, right?
13:46And that's up to a motorbike.
13:46That's it.
13:48Yeah.
13:48So, around again.
13:49Yeah, just do it like that.
13:52Man, he's got some kind of breath on it.
13:55That could be breath.
13:58Now, if you just lift him up.
14:00Okay.
14:00Pull his head up above the snap.
14:02There.
14:05That's it.
14:05Bend him down.
14:06Bend him down.
14:07Yeah.
14:08That's it.
14:08That way we can tape him up.
14:10So we're going to be doing this in the dark.
14:12Well and truly secure.
14:13This is the plan in the dark tonight.
14:15Yeah.
14:17Couldn't have worked better, aren't I?
14:18You've seen it all during the day.
14:22Ready, Brad?
14:23Yeah, pull.
14:23Okay.
14:24Yep.
14:25Pull.
14:31Okay.
14:32This is all according to plan?
14:34Uh-huh, uh-huh.
14:35Hop on him, Mike.
14:36Hop on him.
14:36Hop on him, like so.
14:37Sit on him.
14:37Sit on his front.
14:38Sit on his front?
14:39Yeah, just sit on him.
14:40Sit on him, sit on him, that's it.
14:42Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:42Watch his head, doesn't come up, because he'll use your ghoulies, right?
14:45Uh, I got plans for the ghoulies.
14:47Okay, so you hold, don't let that go, whatever you do.
14:49Don't let what go?
14:50This go.
14:50That one.
14:51That's it.
14:52I'll just tape, actually.
14:54Hold on, a quick word about the harpoon, since I'm looking at him right now.
14:57Just under the skin, didn't go into the meat.
14:59No, no, it just goes in under the skin.
15:01The hooks are only, you wouldn't see it when you get out of them.
15:05And you can catch hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of these guys.
15:08And that doesn't affect them.
15:09What we want to do is cover his eyes, because once their eyes are covered, they'll tend to
15:15quieten down.
15:17You just go in, just sort of pull the skin up so that hook comes out.
15:22Mm-hmm.
15:22Done.
15:23Not even a drop of blood.
15:24Let me have a look at this.
15:25This is no blood.
15:26Not as scary.
15:27Are we going to eat it?
15:30It's important to know that now.
15:31Are we going to eat it?
15:32Yeah.
15:32No.
15:33No.
15:33Okay.
15:34What are we going to do now?
15:35We're going to give you a little bit of a training run, Mike.
15:40So your goal, we're going to just put this in the water somewhere.
15:43I'll show you the harpoon in a second, though.
15:45The object is to try and hit him in the neck.
15:48Just bring your pole up, if you can, Mike.
15:50Mm-hmm.
15:50Just get comfortable.
15:52With my pole?
15:53With your pole, yeah.
15:54Right-handed, left-handed.
15:55Either way.
15:56So you guys stand up here when this happens.
15:59So I've got to figure that's his head looking at me right now, right?
16:01That pointy part is actually his nose.
16:04The pointy part is the front of his nose.
16:06So he's looking the other way as we're coming up on him.
16:09Ah, I see.
16:10So I'm going to hit him right in the meaty part of the neck.
16:12Yeah, towards the back of his head.
16:14That's it.
16:14Ready, set, go.
16:16Now.
16:17Oh, .
16:18Okay.
16:20Not as easy as it looks.
16:21It's, uh, you've got to be...
16:23I don't think I made that look easy, to be honest.
16:25You hesitate.
16:26The croc goes past you.
16:28Yeah, and you...
16:28That whole opportunity is lost.
16:30Styrofoam ball?
16:32Yeah, that net there should have been that.
16:33There we go.
16:33Okay, let's try on this styrofoam ball.
16:35Hit it as hard as you can now.
16:38Power.
16:38Yeah.
16:38Now, go, whack.
16:41Like so.
16:44You can't let go of the rope, though.
16:46I can't let go of the rope.
16:47Wait, you whacked it?
16:48I just think it's impressive that I got the ball.
16:50Let go of that rope.
16:51All right.
16:51Let go of that rope.
16:54Careful.
16:56Oh, jeez.
16:57Uh-oh.
16:58You're right.
16:58Once you go by him, you buy him.
16:59No, once you buy him, don't even bother.
17:01I'll be standing here behind you.
17:03We'll be coming in about this fast.
17:05Coming through like this.
17:06I'll be keeping it on his head.
17:08Yeah.
17:08And you'll be going...
17:10Wah, bang.
17:12Uh-uh.
17:13That's it.
17:14I'm still...
17:14I'm just not...
17:15You're not hitting him dead on.
17:16All right, so I've had enough practice to prove that if I get one,
17:18it'll just be blind luck. But I've relied on blind luck most of my career, Charles.
17:25As the sun sets on the Adelaide River, there's not much to do but wait for the crocs to stir.
17:32We ready the crew and assemble some blinding spotlights and wait.
17:39Even the gator in the boat is becoming anxious.
17:44Here you are.
17:44Let's get the fist.
17:46It's okay.
17:46What'd you do to it?
17:49Make sure it worked.
17:50It worked earlier, but you know.
17:52But the crocs aren't the only things that come out at night.
17:55Covered. Absolutely covered with mosquitoes.
17:57Just covered.
17:59Covered.
18:02There's one right there.
18:03Look at that. Look at the eyes jumping right at us.
18:05Straight at us there.
18:06He's just been sitting.
18:07So these two guys have probably been sitting there the whole time while we've been
18:10waffling on about mosquitoes.
18:13You can really see the eyes on that one.
18:16You better get right behind the light if you can.
18:20Good grief, they are out in force.
18:23Can you see its eyes?
18:25There you go right there.
18:26Oh, that's okay. Just come in slowly.
18:30Look at that. Those eyes are red.
18:37I think we've got a boat problem.
18:45I think there's a problem with the engine.
18:48I think there's a problem.
18:49So with one boat dead in the water, we make a very simple plan.
18:53John, Charlie, and I, along with the camera gear, will all go onto the working boat.
18:58How do we fit the entire crew and all the gear onto two boats?
19:02Well, we don't.
19:03Which means that we'll just have to leave a few of our folks behind.
19:07True, they'll have no working engine.
19:10And yes, there are hungry crocs everywhere, but they should be fine, as long as they remain
19:14perfectly still in the inky blackness and don't attract any attention, but do anything silly,
19:20like, I don't know, start a fire.
19:21Oh, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
19:24What do you got? You got something lit?
19:27Huh. Well, there's a fire in a boat.
19:31Things go very bad very quickly out on the river.
19:33Yeah, we might have a little charge.
19:35Just a couple of seconds, that engine went down, and then there's a small fire over here.
19:43Is it?
19:44Yeah?
19:44I didn't like the, uh, that late was to melt it off.
19:49Yeah, that late.
19:51Or is it that...
19:51The big one wouldn't do it.
19:54Seems fairly close to the...
19:57Gas tank, though.
19:57Seems like they have the fire under control,
19:59so we did the only responsible thing and packed up the boat,
20:02and said farewell to the stranded crew,
20:04and headed out into the dark to find some man-eating dinosaurs.
20:14Oh, infrared's not flattering at all.
20:17Makes us all look like ghouls.
20:20The tide is low on the Adelaide River.
20:22We only have two hours to find ourselves a croc.
20:25Right there, Ash.
20:28Seems to be coming at us.
20:30Lucky for us, the crocs are everywhere.
20:33This guy's going to let you get up right close.
20:35All right, we're going to come right up next to him.
20:43Have you got something on the end?
20:44Yeah.
20:45Okay.
20:45We'll check.
20:46That's all right.
20:47Yeah, yeah.
20:47Just let the pole go.
20:48That's okay.
20:49Let the pole go?
20:50Got a camera on there.
20:51All right, buddy.
20:51I've got the pole.
20:52See if you've got something on the back of that.
20:54A whole lot of nothing.
20:56Thought I did.
20:56I didn't.
20:59We just saw three, but they all went down.
21:02Maybe back up in there pretty far.
21:10We're following.
21:11Let's see.
21:12Let's see.
21:13Back of the neck.
21:14No, no, no, no.
21:17Sorry.
21:18That's okay.
21:19I ran out of slack.
21:20No.
21:21That's all right.
21:22He's on your right.
21:22Yeah, you've got to watch.
21:23You've got him?
21:24No, yeah.
21:25Got him on the head.
21:32He's too small.
21:35I mean, you could tell that he was small, but he might have been five foot.
21:39Could have been six foot.
21:47Get him if you wanted.
21:49Where is he?
21:49Oh, right there.
21:55Son of a gun.
21:57Got him on the side of the head.
21:59I got him on the side of the head, and it still didn't stick in.
22:01He went up into the bushes?
22:03Yep.
22:05Just wait for him to come down.
22:06Come out.
22:07Just come out.
22:24He's going.
22:26He's going.
22:26All right, grab that.
22:26He's going.
22:27Grab that.
22:27Grab that.
22:29Watch your motor, mate.
22:32You all right?
22:33Yeah, yeah, yeah.
22:33It's okay.
22:34Just let the line go.
22:36All right, I got the line.
22:37Hang on.
22:37Watch your motor, John.
22:39Just put that down there out of our way.
22:42He's either coming toward us or he shook it.
22:46No, there he is.
22:48There he is.
22:48I don't know how well it went in, so we'll just play him real careful there, Mike.
22:53We don't want to put too much pressure on him in case he's only snagged.
22:56Just, just, well, in case he's just gone in.
23:04There we go, look.
23:06Yeah.
23:06Oh, you're right on the, let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go.
23:08Give him some slack, give him slack, give him slack, give him slack, let it go.
23:11I got him, I got him.
23:12That's it.
23:13He's right on the nuchals, Brett.
23:15What's a nuchal?
23:17The scales on the back of the neck.
23:18Is that good?
23:19No.
23:20There's a chance that it's in, but it may not hold because it's bone.
23:23What we'll do is we'll just get him up.
23:25I'm ready to drive another one just for security.
23:28Yeah.
23:28And then we'll have two and then we can check yours when we get him in.
23:31Sure.
23:31Keep that light, keep that light right in his eyes.
23:34Keep it up though.
23:35So you, keep it on his, over here, follow the line.
23:37That's it.
23:38Got him.
23:38There he is.
23:42Back over here.
23:44Follow the line.
23:45Keep it on that line.
23:49Take us forward, Ash.
23:57There he is.
23:59Got him right on this side.
24:04He come out?
24:06Yeah.
24:07We still got him?
24:08No, he came out.
24:09Oh, he came out.
24:10Actually, we lost the barb.
24:11I know.
24:12We lost it.
24:13Ah, oh well.
24:14Doesn't hold.
24:14That's close.
24:15That's good though.
24:15That's good.
24:16That's close.
24:17This close we were.
24:18Yeah.
24:18You got him right there.
24:19Yeah.
24:20Towards the front.
24:20Yeah.
24:22So you either go just forward of that.
24:24Uh huh.
24:25Or down to the side of it.
24:26Yeah.
24:27Anywhere under there.
24:29Yep, yep, yep.
24:29I got it.
24:30That's just bone.
24:31So that they'd go just in.
24:33There's nothing up, not enough to grab a hold of him.
24:37But that's okay.
24:38Yeah.
24:38That was a good shot though.
24:39Oh, thanks.
24:40That's good.
24:41All right.
24:43Let's try another one.
24:45The eerie glow of the croc's eyes are because of a layer called tapetum.
24:49It's right behind the retina.
24:51It contains crystals that reflect the light.
24:54It also makes it possible for the crocs to see better at night.
24:57Hit him.
25:02Oh.
25:07Hit him in the head again.
25:08God, I felt it bounce right off the bone.
25:10He's a good 10 footer.
25:12Son of a gun.
25:13Maybe a bit bigger.
25:15Don't rub it in, Charles.
25:17I do not want to swim this river at night.
25:21Now the tide is rising and we have yet to catch a croc nine footer bigger.
25:27Time's running out.
25:31Oh, he was facing the other way.
25:34Oh, crap.
25:36Crap.
25:45Yes.
25:46Watch your motor.
25:47Watch your motor.
25:47Motor, motor, motor.
25:49Hey, got him?
25:50Yeah.
25:50Bring him in, Mike.
25:51That's...
25:52You coming this side, Mike?
25:53Yep.
25:55Oh, just give me that.
25:56Give me that.
25:57Let's have a look where it is.
25:58Just slowly.
25:59Mm-hmm.
25:59You've got time, don't you?
26:02Slowly bring him in.
26:04Okay.
26:04That's good.
26:06Okay.
26:06Just get a snout rope.
26:07Okay, we just need a snout rope.
26:08Got a snout rope.
26:10Okay, I need some light over here.
26:12That's a rope.
26:13It's okay.
26:14I had one ready.
26:15Here's a snout rope.
26:18All right.
26:21Don't have to keep him tight now.
26:23All right.
26:24Let's have a look.
26:28Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho.
26:29Oh!
26:33You get him?
26:33Yeah, yeah.
26:38Mike Jr. doesn't want to come up.
26:39That's okay.
26:40We got him now.
26:40All right, we got him.
26:41Yeah, yeah, just relax now.
26:42That's it.
26:43Just release that.
26:44Just hold him in there for a second.
26:55He just looks pissed off.
27:01We got him.
27:03Got your tape.
27:04It'll just secure it.
27:06Watch out he doesn't turn on you.
27:07Right.
27:07Those teeth that are jutting out, that's it.
27:10That's enough, yeah.
27:11Yeah, that's enough?
27:12Yeah, yeah, yeah.
27:12Are you sure about that?
27:13Yep.
27:22It's a good try, then.
27:23Thanks.
27:23No, it's good.
27:24You've got your first croc.
27:25There you go.
27:25Thanks.
27:26You did well, Mike.
27:26You know, it's a piece of cake.
27:28So we've got two.
27:29Is that enough to do our work tomorrow?
27:31She's probably a bit small for what we really want,
27:35because her scales here are a bit small for the transmitter.
27:39So what we might do, though, is we will measure her.
27:43We're going to give her a tag, a mark, and we'll know who she was.
27:48We'll just get her head around.
27:55We got the rope.
27:58Hang on to that rope.
27:59So we're going to let her go?
28:00So now that the easy part was catching her.
28:05Is that this?
28:07You're going to work from that?
28:08Yeah.
28:09This whole .
28:09Sorry.
28:11She's gone.
28:11Push her up.
28:12Push her up there.
28:13Because she's untied.
28:14Yeah, get her up.
28:15Now push her.
28:15Push her.
28:17So we're no longer...
28:18Slowly, slowly make our way.
28:19We've done what we came out to do.
28:22Hi, guys.
28:23Folks need any help?
28:25All right.
28:25So it's pretty simple at this point.
28:28We made it back, by the way.
28:29We towed the third boat in.
28:30The croc stays in the boat overnight.
28:32Tomorrow morning, we'll meet the croc at Crocodilus with Brett and Charlie.
28:37I'm not totally clear on the details beyond the fact that I'm going to bed now.
28:40And we'll see you in the morning.
28:46This is happening more and more to me.
28:48Shave in the shower.
28:49I miss stuff.
28:50And then all day long, you know, you feel a little patch right there.
28:52Can you see that right there?
28:55It was driving me crazy.
28:57So Amber went out and got me a razor.
28:59Amber's still right here, too.
29:00And all day long, you pick it, you pick it, you pick it, you pick it, you pick it, you
29:02pick it.
29:03That's where I draw the line, man.
29:05Amber shaving me?
29:06Not unless I shave her.
29:08I can raise that.
29:15Back at Crocodilus Park, the boat from last night's hunt has been parked overnight.
29:21Croc's still in the back of the boat.
29:23So, science will commence.
29:25Prepare yourself.
29:27So, at Crocodilus Park, the crocodile is in the exact same position as we left the last night.
29:31Exactly.
29:32She's alive and happy.
29:34Don't know about happy, but she's certainly very much alive.
29:37What we'll do is we'll untie her.
29:40I'm going to get you to grab the pointy end of the crocodile.
29:43Yep.
29:43And then we'll just drag her straight out of here, put her onto this stretcher.
29:47Once we've got her on there, we can sedate her, get her nice and quiet, and then we can get
29:51organized to do what we want to do.
29:52Excellent.
29:53And what that is that we want to do is make this croc vomit so we can study what it's
29:59been eating.
30:01So, what we'll do, you work your way down there.
30:07That's it.
30:08And you can line her tail right up.
30:09What have we got?
30:10Nine foot.
30:12Oh, you're going that one.
30:13Yeah.
30:14Nine foot, three inches.
30:15Yeah.
30:16So, it's a nice-sized animal.
30:21This is an immobilizing agent.
30:24We don't want her, well, we've got her trying to get her stomach contents out, struggling.
30:28Right.
30:28We don't want her hurting herself.
30:29We don't want her hurting any of us.
30:32That's more important.
30:33I'd even put it in a whole different order, but...
30:37All right.
30:38Start right here.
30:39It'll be tough skin.
30:41That's it.
30:41Push that in.
30:42Another muscle.
30:43That's it.
30:44That's all you need.
30:51That's it.
30:54Come on.
30:55Come on.
30:56It's all right.
30:56Relax.
30:58Relax.
30:59We're going to put her on this little frame over here, Mike.
31:02And what we'll do is maneuver her up and down.
31:05We'll get her head up so that we can put some water down into her throat.
31:08So, just to give her a bit of fluid in there so that we can then pull the gut content
31:12out.
31:17The sedative really seems to have kicked in.
31:22Let's just let her calm down a bit.
31:24That's what we don't want, her struggling while we're...
31:26Yeah, now while she's helping down that teeter-totter.
31:28Exactly.
31:29They'll eat just about anything.
31:30You know, rats swimming across the river, pigs, snakes, anything that they can essentially grab.
31:36But there is very little, hardly any published information on the diet of these larger saltwater
31:41crocodiles.
31:42So, what we'll get out of this one hopefully will be good.
31:46We've just got to suck it and see a little bit with this one.
31:50Suck it and see?
31:51I keep forgetting.
31:52That's not an American expression, is it?
31:53It is.
31:54I just don't think it means what you think it means.
31:56Okay.
31:56We just had it with suck it typically.
31:58Let's get you down the pointy end here, Mike.
32:00All right.
32:00The idea here is that we've got to get her mouth open.
32:04Uh-huh.
32:06You know what's going to happen?
32:06You're going to put this in her mouth and then you're going to reach through this, aren't you?
32:10Uh, one of us is going to.
32:13I'd have gone with suck it and see.
32:15Since everybody seemed reasonably confident that the croc was finally immobilized,
32:20we went ahead and freed her up so that we could put this high-tech dental ring into place.
32:26And try and open her mouth.
32:27And we're going to slip this in at the end.
32:30That's it.
32:31Come on.
32:32Oh.
32:33The ring is a large piece of PVC pipe.
32:36And of course, when dealing with deadly crocs, a little duct tape never hurts either.
32:43Put a strip right across.
32:45That's it.
32:46That's it.
32:47There you go.
32:47Yeah, it's just a...
32:49Oh, she's making a noise.
32:50That's it.
32:51Well, sure.
32:52Now you can have a good one.
32:54See that?
32:55Look at that.
32:57Can I touch a tooth?
32:58Yeah.
32:58You can, yeah.
33:00Yeah.
33:01Yeah, sure.
33:02But it's really these big teeth here.
33:03Yeah, that's the business.
33:04These are the business end that really hang on to stuff.
33:08And the back ones do a bit of crunching once they've got the prey.
33:12Excellent.
33:12So let's try her up on the, uh, up on the what's her name?
33:17Oh, you've got the heavy end.
33:18As always.
33:21Just position her.
33:22That's it.
33:22Just to get started.
33:23And so we're going to tilt her head up.
33:26We're going to get this tube down into the stomach.
33:28Put a little bit of water in there.
33:29Mm-hmm.
33:30And then once we've done that, we'll then grab our scoop.
33:33Mm-hmm.
33:33Tilt her back up this way with a bucket underneath.
33:36Ah.
33:36And try and scoop some of that food out and just see what she's been eating.
33:40What's in here?
33:41Oil.
33:41Just oil.
33:42Just to lubricate this a little bit.
33:45And also when we do the tube.
33:46That's it.
33:46Excellent.
33:47That's enough?
33:48Keep going.
33:48Oh, the old tube.
33:49Oh, yeah, no.
33:50You want to lube this up.
33:51Don't skimp on the lube.
33:52You can skimp on virtually anything, but don't skimp on the lube.
33:57Oh, yeah.
33:59You found the throat there, yeah.
34:02It's amazing how much each of them looks like the others.
34:06You got him, haven't you?
34:07Not going that way.
34:11Yeah.
34:14Yeah, you all right?
34:15Yep.
34:16Excellent.
34:20Oh, beautiful.
34:22The stomach's just a little, like a bag.
34:25Mm-hmm.
34:25It doesn't have different chambers like other animals.
34:31Okay, how far have you gone?
34:32About that far.
34:33I think we're in it now.
34:34You're about in it, yeah.
34:35A little bit of water.
34:36So you're saying right now the tube is?
34:39The tube's probably around here, which means it'll be in the stomach.
34:42Yeah.
34:42So the fluid, the water just helps to get it all mixed up so that we can, you know.
34:45Okay.
34:46Bring it out.
34:46Just a little bit of water.
34:49Just slowly pour that in.
34:52That's it.
35:02All right, so this goes in like, oriented like this?
35:05Yeah, back through the back.
35:07It's right there and you'll, as you go through.
35:12Mm-hmm.
35:13You're probably going to get pretty close.
35:17A little bit of resistance there, way in.
35:19There we go.
35:20Yeah, there you go.
35:20Okay.
35:20So you're now in the stomach.
35:22Now what we're going to do, she's a mature female.
35:24I suspect that she's probably nested this year and often, usually when they nest, they don't feed.
35:30They'll sit for three months.
35:32Ah, so she may have.
35:34So she'll have sun, but she'll have rocks or she'll still have bits in there.
35:37You ready, boys?
35:39We're going to tilt her up so that she's, gravity's going to help us here.
35:42Yeah.
35:43All right?
35:43Yep.
35:44Okay, Mike.
35:45Yep.
35:46There it goes.
35:52Now you want me to pull forward?
35:53Hey, yeah, you guys right?
35:55Mm-hmm.
35:57Oops.
35:58That's it, yeah.
36:03There's not much in there.
36:04Not much in there.
36:05You getting anything out?
36:06No, just a little bit of...
36:08Mucus?
36:09Mucusy stuff.
36:10Should get a bit of water come through though.
36:13Might have to try the bigger scoop, Charles.
36:14Yeah.
36:16This is the bigger scoop.
36:20Also known in golf as a driver.
36:23She's just going to twitch a little bit, so just careful.
36:27Come on, come on.
36:28There you go.
36:29You in?
36:30Yeah.
36:31Okay.
36:33Ready?
36:43I'd say she's empty.
36:44She's empty, yeah.
36:44I'd say she's pretty empty too.
36:46You scoop.
36:46There's just a little bit, just a little...
36:49Mucus.
36:49I'd say she, as I said, she's probably a nesting female, which means...
36:53Probably hasn't eaten in a few months.
36:54Well, we didn't get anything out.
36:56Maybe we'll have better luck putting something in.
36:59This white rock is actually a digital logger.
37:02It'll sit in the croc's belly and transmit movement, temperature,
37:06other information back to Charlie for study.
37:10But there's only one way to get it into the belly, of course.
37:16It is...
37:17Okay.
37:17This just goes against everything.
37:19Just go gentle.
37:20That's it.
37:20Just gentle.
37:22Going through okay?
37:23Yes.
37:24Good.
37:24Oh, geez.
37:25Uh, it's best not to look.
37:30Are you kidding me?
37:33You're doing good.
37:38That's as far as I can go.
37:40That's okay.
37:40You think you're in the stomach?
37:41Can you feel anything in there?
37:43I think so.
37:43You bet here, aren't you?
37:43Yeah.
37:44Yeah, yeah.
37:44Okay, then...
37:45I got a lot of...
37:46Way to go.
37:47Well, let me, I'm gonna...
37:48Did you feel that second...
37:50Sphincter?
37:51Yeah.
37:51Yeah.
37:52Yeah.
37:52I'm pushing it.
37:53It's on the end of my fingertips now, and I'm pushing it.
37:56I'm pushing it.
37:57Okay.
37:59Well, there's the matter of the teeth.
38:02Just go straight.
38:03Move there this way a little bit.
38:05That's it.
38:06That's it.
38:07That's better.
38:08Good.
38:09That's it.
38:10That's it.
38:11No, that's it.
38:11You're in.
38:12That's it.
38:12Good man.
38:14Okay, I'm in.
38:15I'm in.
38:16Okay.
38:17Feel anything else in there?
38:20No.
38:20No.
38:20She's empty.
38:21No, she's empty.
38:22Let your logger go.
38:24Yep.
38:25And then, out you come.
38:27That's it.
38:29Excellent.
38:30Excellent.
38:30Good man.
38:31Good.
38:32Excellent.
38:33Good.
38:34Empty-ish.
38:36Yeah, she's empty.
38:38The scoop would have had bits of insect, something on it, had she eaten.
38:43I've been in many holes.
38:45That's a new one.
38:48I've been in many holes.
38:49Now comes the part where we do everything in reverse.
38:51Remove the tape, the piping, and secure the croc for its return to the Adelaide River.
38:56Charlie and his crew will tag her so they can find her easily in the next trip.
39:00And as scary as all this seems, we managed to do it without spilling a drop of blood.
39:06At least there's just an additional tag that we're going to put on.
39:10It'll sit like that.
39:11It won't stay there forever, but at least over the next sort of couple of months.
39:14That seems much more, uh...
39:21You just cut through your nail, doctor.
39:31Okay, so maybe we did spill a little bit of blood.
39:34It's okay.
39:35Here, just punch a hole through that without stabbing yourself, and we'll put that in.
39:41Just a little hole.
39:42Yeah, that's it.
39:42Just to give you enough to...
39:43Now you can just put it through.
39:45You okay, Charlie?
39:46Yeah, yeah, yeah.
39:47Yeah, sure, fine.
39:52That's it.
39:53Done.
39:55You all right?
39:55Yeah, it's fine.
39:57I just saw it slide under the nail there, and it made me go...
40:02Now we just want to get her back into the boat.
40:08That's it.
40:09Pull her through.
40:11That's it.
40:13Done.
40:14Excellent, excellent.
40:15It's all come together.
40:16So what happens now is you're going to take this back to where we...
40:20We'll take her back to the river, put a transmitter on the back of her neck.
40:25Yep.
40:26And then we'll just see where she goes.
40:28I'd say she's a female.
40:30She'll have a little area that she stays in all year.
40:33Yeah.
40:33She just waits for the boys to come to her, where she nests, where she lives.
40:37Well, typically what these shows do, you know, we follow you back and we watch the majestic reptiles
40:42swim back into its natural environment to pursue a life of reptile fulfillment.
40:46But we know that's going to happen.
40:47We've seen it a thousand times.
40:49So we're just going to let you do it.
40:50Excellent.
40:50Thanks, boys.
40:51All right.
41:12I think to find part of a kangaroo, something, at least I got a great hat out of the gig.
41:18Yeah.
41:18You've been a great help.
41:19I think you've learned something too.
41:21I have.
41:21I've learned never to say goodbye while sitting on a gear shift.