EGG-CITING TIMES: Baby crocs take to the water in first successful hatch in three years

Crocodile Breeding

Byron Filmer

Junior Reporter

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Baby crocodile hatchlings have been inundating the Daintree River region, to the delight of tourists and locals alike. Picture: David Cook
Baby crocs have been literally climbing all over each other this week on the banks of the Daintree River. Picture: David Cook

Daintree River tour operators are overjoyed about a recent influx of crocodile hatchlings, with a host of babies emerging from their eggs for the first time in three seasons providing a treat for both tourists and locals. 

Several years of devastating floods in a row have disrupted crocodile breeding in the region, with these tiny reptiles finally signalling a much-needed successful season. 

Daintree River Cruise Centre owner Kianna Lafferty says the hatchlings are great news after a few unfortunate years.

“We are so delighted to have hatchlings on the river, as the last two years of flooding made the nests unviable,” Ms Lafferty said.

“We were heartbroken to lose the last nests.

“This year’s success is a triumph for our wildlife,” she said.

Three nests have hatched in the area so far, making for an incredible display of nature, with tiny crocodiles in some cases climbing over each other on the riverbanks because there are so many of them. 

Tour operators and their passengers have been treated to multiple sightings of the hatchlings, providing amazing wildlife encounters for nature lovers. 

Saltwater crocodiles nest between December and April, a time when extreme weather and flooding events pose a serious threat to the eggs, which can easily drown when submerged, or if the nesting mound is destroyed. 

The high numbers of healthy hatchlings this season are a sign of resilience in the crocs, despite the environmental challenges the reptiles have been facing in their natural habitat.

The presence of the tiny hatchlings is now adding to the vibrant ecosystem of the Daintree as they grow into life on the river.

 

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