(Ok. So it ain't a lizard)
Posted on 02/02/2006 6:28:23 PM PST by martin_fierro
Leaping Crocodile Slams Into Car
25 minutes ago
SYDNEY, Australia - This was an auto accident with a difference. A 6.5-foot saltwater crocodile leapt out of a roadside culvert and slammed into the side of a passing car, authorities said Thursday.
The crocodile died in the collision and was given to local Aborigines, who ate it, said Garry Lindner, crocodile management officer at the Kakadu National Park in northern Australia.
"It was probably startled and it just leaped in the wrong direction once it heard the vehicle coming," Lindner said. "The driver barely had time to respond and the (crocodile) become a road fatality."
Lindner said that at this time of year when northern Australia is drenched by monsoon rains it is common for crocodiles to move about looking for food and a place to bask.
The reptile was able to leap with "all four feet off the ground" because it was still young and agile, Lindner said.
Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to 23 feet in length.
The incident is the latest in a series of reports of drivers being confronted by crocodiles in Kakadu and has prompted calls for Northern Territory residents to watch for the reptiles when driving near waterways, particularly during the wet season.
I just love a happy ending.
Does crocodile taste like alligator or chicken? How much of a crocodile does one eat? Afterwards does one make shoes and handbags out of the leftover skin.
If it had been an SUV the headline would have been "SUV assaults crocodile, charged with environmental hate crime".
(Ok. So it ain't a lizard)
Wonder how often that ending is reversed.
That's spooky too, but an interesting read. I guess people just have to be aware of this stuff when they live there.
Crikey !
I've heard of leaping lizards, but leaping crocs? That's a touch much.
I wish I'd known about leaping crocodiles when I was 8 or 9. All I had was a large tortoise head and some monofiliment fishing line. Lots of fun.
Perhaps they could make a purse out of him.
Another reason to drive a car and not a bike. :-)
I understand alligator tastes pretty much like pork or a mix of chicken/pork. City chicken?
=:-O Holy crap!
Could have been worse, it could have been a cow!
What scared me about this whole thing is I thought I was relatively safe having caught a little wave but then about five years ago I saw a real video of a South African surfer riding along on a wave and this huge great white comes up and just grabs the guy. I still live in the vicious white shark triangle and just don't surf or dive when I get that weird feeling...too many attacks.
Oh, to make this funny(sorta) I did eat a "Moby Sandwhich" from Jack in the Box and thought ,'better him than me.'
this reminds me of my encounters with alligators.....
3 different times. 3 strikes and you're out. I ran into one on a beach in Florida, (and I walked away slowly), I ran over one on the intersate in Louisiana doing 90 miles an hour at 2 a.m. in the morn., and, several of my dogs were eaten by gaters on the river, in Ala., so I can relate. I live in the city now , with no dogs, no river, no interstate.
Oh yea, these guys:
Blue Ringed Octopus
L
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