Skip to main content

Even crocodiles are social distancing! Tourist captures hilarious moment croc floats down a notorious creek with its webbed feet outstretched

A crocodile has been captured floating down a river with its webbed feet outstretched in what one amused tourist joked was 'social distancing'.

Belinda Steindorf, from Adelaide, had been visiting the Northern Territory's notorious Cahills Crossing in Kakadu National Park last week when she spotted the croc swimming with its limbs wide apart. 

'It was quite a funny sight to see! All of the social distancing signs in the NT National Park say to keep a small croc distance apart. The crocodiles here appear to have really taken that onboard!' Ms Steindorf told Daily Mail Australia.

'Or they've been closely watching the tourists doing similar.' 

A crocodile has been captured swimming down Cahills Crossing in the Northern Territory with its feet outstretched

A crocodile has been captured swimming down Cahills Crossing in the Northern Territory with its feet outstretched 

Ms Steindorf said she saw as many as 40 crocs in the area while crossing over the river with her partner last week

Ms Steindorf said she saw as many as 40 crocs in the area while crossing over the river with her partner last week

Ms Steindorf said her and her partner saw as many as 40 crocodiles swimming through the crossing and had never seen any behave in that way before. 

'We presumed they were using their hands to try and better position themselves in the oncoming current whilst awaiting the fish! Very intelligent creatures,' she said. 

The tourist snapped some photos of the spectacular encounter but added she made sure to drive over the crossing in low tide to avoid becoming any croc's lunch.

'Our Kakadu caravan is built to handle the Australian outback conditions although with 40 crocs that we could see floating closeby we weren’t taking any chances and waited until low tide to ensure a safe crossing,' she said. 

Despite the bizarre behaviour of the croc, experts are yet to pinpoint exactly why the animals may behave this way.

The tourist said she saw as many as 40 crocodiles in the area while visiting last week

The tourist said she saw as many as 40 crocodiles in the area while visiting last week

One of the large animals was seen swimming down the river with a fish in its mouth

One of the large animals was seen swimming down the river with a fish in its mouth

Professor Grahame Webb, one of the state's leading experts on crocodiles, said the predator's unusual feet position was likely a hunting technique. 

'In East Alligator River it has been described and photographed and seems to be linked to intercepting fish,' he told NT News.  

Cahills Crossing draws in thousands of tourists every year.

But the area is also extremely dangerous and there have been five fatalities so far including tourists, photographers and fishermen.

Video footage captured the terrifying moment a couple were stuck in the middle of Cahills Crossing (pictured), a popular spot in Kakadu National Park, notorious for saltwater crocodiles

Video footage captured the terrifying moment a couple were stuck in the middle of Cahills Crossing , a popular spot in Kakadu National Park, notorious for saltwater crocodiles

Last month, Rachelle Wastle and her husband Peter were driving through the crossing when they were blocked by a dozen crocodiles. 

Terrifying video footage shows the couple's car submerged into water as they attempted to cross to the other side of the river.  

The most famous death at the area was of a 40-year-old man, Kerry McLoughlin who was tragically taken and decapitated by a crocodile in 1987.  

CAHILLS CROSSING

The infamous Cahills Crossing is only a few metres wide, but it's one of Australia's most dangerous bodies of water.

Along with varying tides, the water flow is strong enough to overturn vehicles, and it serves as a feeding ground for saltwater crocodiles.

Dozens of divers try to venture across the submerged crossing, but end up being washed in to croc-infested waters.

Many have lost their lives, including fisherman, photographers, and backpackers.

Crocodile expert Grahame Webb said for every crocodile you can see, there are 10 you can't.

The most famous fatality at the Crossing was in 1897 when 40-year-old Kerry McLoughlin was decapitated by a crocodile on a fishing trip.

Rangers counted 120 crocodiles in the six-kilometre stretch around Cahills Crossing.

There have been five fatalities in the area so far.

Sources:  Venture North and news.com.au

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The HS2 money pit: Ministers are told first stage of high-speed rail line may cost another £800m... six months after a budget increase saw total costs soar by £20.6bn to £43billion

Ministers have been told that Phase One of controversial rail line HS2 could cost £800million more than planned. It comes just six months after a budget increase saw total predicted costs for the first stage of the high-speed line soar by £20.6billion to £43billion. In a written statement to Parliament, HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said half of this figure is due to preparation of the route for construction involving 'more significant challenges than anticipated'. This includes the need to remove more asbestos than expected. Another 'significant cost pressure' worth £400 million has also been identified during the development of designs for Euston station. Mr Stephenson warned that further investigation is being carried out which 'could identify further pressure'. Ministers have been told that Phase One of controversial rail line HS2 could cost £800million more than planned. Pictured: HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson The HS2 route would initially link London and...

EXCLUSIVE: From a $US13million mansion to a caravan: How the Australian wife of Il Divo singer has been 'forced' to live in a dodgy trailer park after a wildfire burned down their house during a bitter divorce battle

'Forced' into a 'mobile home park': Renee Izambard (nee Murphy) with her estranged husband, the suave Il Divo opera singer Sebastien Izambard An Il Divo opera singer's estranged Australian wife claims she was 'forced' to live in a caravan park after their $US12.95million Malibu mansion burned down in a wildfire days just after she filed for divorce.  Details of one-time Sydney Sony Music executive Renee Izambard's new life after her messy split with French tenor Sebastien Izambard were laid bare in a lawsuit filed with a Californian court this week. Ms Izambard (nee Murphy) is suing insurer State Farm, her estranged husband, an insurance agent and up to 20 others, over an allegedly 'inadequate' policy which covered the couple's destroyed former Malibu home.  Their five bedroom residence - described as a 'no expense spared ... oasis' - and its two guest houses went up in flames on November 8, 2018 during California's devastating Wo...

Missouri police resume search for body of mother, 28, believed to have been 'suffocated by her husband who wanted to stop her fleeing to her native China with their daughter' a year ago

A year after a young Chinese mother living in Missouri with her family vanished without a trace, police have resumed the search for her body.  Mengqi Ji Elledge, 28, was reported missing by her husband, Joseph Elledge, on October 10, 2019. He was charged in February with first-degree murder in her death and has pleaded not guilty. The couple has a young daughter together. Joseph has been accused of suffocating his wife to death and disposing of her body in order to prevent her from returning to her native China with their child and to avoid a costly divorce.    Police in Missouri are renewing their efforts to locate the body of Mengqi Ji Elledge, 28, who went missing last October and is presumed dead. Her husband, Joseph Elledge, was charged in February with first-degree murder in her death Police had searched for Mengqi's remains with divers, sonar and heavy machinery at the Lamine River near Booneville after cadaver dogs hit on a scent there Police had searched for her remains wi...