Freshwater (Johnston's) crocodile - Crocodylus johnstoni

[Ceratodromeus]

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Saruropsida
Order: Crocodylia
Family: Crocodylidae
Subfamily: Crocodylinae
Genus: Crocodylus
Species: C.johnstoni

Geographic distribution & habitat use
Freshwater crocodiles are found in the states of Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory. Main habitats include freshwater wetlands, billabongs, rivers and creeks. This species could live in areas where saltwater crocodiles could not, and are known to inhabit areas above the escarpment in Kakadu National Park and in very arid and rocky conditions (such as Katherine Gorge, where they are common and are relatively safe from saltwater crocodiles during the dry season). However, they are still consistently found in low-level billabongs, living alongside the saltwater crocodiles near the tidal reaches of rivers.
In May 2013, a freshwater crocodile was seen in a river near the desert town of Birdsville, hundreds of kilometres south of their normal range. A local ranger suggested that years of flooding may have washed the animal south, or it may have been dumped as a juvenile.




Biology
The freshwater crocodile is a relatively small crocodilian. Males can grow to 2.3–3 m (7.5–9.8 ft) long, while females reach a maximum size of 2.1 m (6.9 ft). Males commonly weigh around 70 kg (150 lb), with large specimens up to 100 kg (220 lb) or more, against the female weight of 40 kg (88 lb).[7] In areas such as Lake Argyle and Katherine Gorge there exist a handful of confirmed 4 metres (13 ft) individuals. This species is shy and has a more slender snout and have slightly smaller teeth than the dangerous saltwater crocodile. The body colour is light brown with darker bands on the body and tail—these tend to be broken up near the neck. Some individuals possess distinct bands or speckling on the snout. Body scales are relatively large, with wide, close-knit armoured plates on the back. Rounded, pebbly scales cover the flanks and outsides of the legs.

They compete poorly with saltwater crocodiles; however, this species is saltwater tolerant. Adult crocodiles eat fish, birds, bats, reptiles and amphibians, although larger individuals may take prey as large as a wallaby.



Eggs are laid in holes during the Australian dry season (usually in August) and hatch at the beginning of the wet season (November/December). The crocodiles do not defend their nests during incubation. From one to five days prior to hatching, the young begin to call from within the eggs. This induces and synchronizes hatching in siblings and stimulates adults to open the nest. It is not known if the adult that opens a given nest is the female which laid the eggs. As young emerge from the nest, the adult picks them up one by one in the tip of its mouth and transports them to the water. Adults may also assist young in breaking through the egg shell by chewing or manipulating the eggs in its mouth.

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshwater_crocodile

[Infinity Blade]

A report of a probable unprovoked attack by an Australian freshwater crocodile at Lake Argyle in Western Australia
Ruchira Somaweera

The crocodile attack took place on 18 April 2009 off a rocky beach of Northern Lake Argyle, ~4 km south of the boat ramp (16°09 ́25 ́S, 128°44 ́16 ́E). It was a cloudy day with a mean maximum day temperature of 34°C. The victim was a 52 yr old male (173 cm, 85 kg). On the day of the incident he and a group of friends and family had anchored their boat and made a few dives and short swims in ~8 m deep water, 12-13 m from the shore. At 1600 hrs (about 2hrs prior to sunset under bright early afternoon light), after being in the water for approximately five minutes, the victim lay on his back on the water surface for 30 seconds, and had then gone into a backward somersault to commence swimming back to the boat. The attack took place halfway through the somersault.

Once attacked, the victim was disoriented and had difficulty maintaining buoyancy. He thought initially that the propeller of a passing boat had hit him and, although he had difficulty moving his left hand, he managed to swim to the boat anchored ashore. Within an hour of the attack, the victim was taken to the Lake Argyle Medical Muster station and subsequently to the general hospital in Kununurra. He had puncture marks to the left side of his chest, cuts (regarded as claw marks) in the right shoulder blade and three deep slashes to the left underarm (Figs 2A and 2B). He also had three cracked ribs from the force of the attack. The stitches were left for 2-3 weeks and the wounds were healed completely after approximately three months, with some lingering tenderness. Oral antibiotics were only given for the first 10 days.

publications.rzsnsw.org.au/doi/pdf/10.7882/AZ.2011.049

The most shocking thing about this incident IMO is the description of lacerations that were caused by the crocodile's claws. It's possible that these were unintentional, but still.