This little fellow is not a real threat to people, but is about 5 feet long. I'd leave him alone nonetheless.
Saltwater crocodiles are a different story. These are absolutely huge. They used to let the people in the park pet them, until one day when, well you know... Just kidding. Anyhow, although he might not look huge here, these beasts can grow up to 9 metres long. That's 27 feet! They will attack anything, including people. They can run really fast on land, and any farm animals (including cattle) near the riverbank are a suitable meal for the big croc.
Crocodiles originated during the late Triassic Period, 200 million years ago. During the Cretaceous Period, about 120 million years ago, crocodiles existed that were so large--12 m (40 ft) or more--that they may even have preyed on dinosaurs. The modern crocodile is a descendant of crocodiles that lived during the Mesozoic Period. Crocodiles belong to the same group of reptiles, the archosaurs, that were the ancestors of dinosaurs and birds.
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| The Crocodile Family Book (The Animal Family Series) by Mark Deeble (Photographer), Victoria Stone (Contributor) | Imagine You Are a Crocodile by Karen Wallace, Mike Bostock (Illustrator) |
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Actually, these big lizards are about 5 or 6 feet long. Apparently nothing to worry about though, but I'd stay out of their way.
A good goanna book - click here - Monitors: The bioloy of Varanid Lizards
