# Yet Another Preventable Crocodile Attack **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 23, 2002, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467 "2002-10-23T02:57:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/41 "2002-10-24T03:07:21Z")
Nahhhhh, not Orstriya, Orstraaaaya, ya dill! šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/42 "2002-10-24T04:58:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lodrain \* > \*\*We _are_ talking about Austria, right? \*\* Behold! [The dread Austrian Crocodile](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~khmiska/OBB%20Crocodile.htm)! ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/43 "2002-10-24T05:06:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lodrain \* > \*\*We _are_ talking about Austria, right? \*\* Behold! [The dread Austrian Crocodile](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~khmiska/OBB%20Crocodile.htm)! ---
**Author:** ![samboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@samboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samboy)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/44 "2002-10-24T05:44:18Z")
Not to make too much fun of the poor girl who died but, I think it would have been a more amazing story if three tourist had gone swimming in that billabong in the middle of the night and NOT been eaten by a croc. To translate into Aussie: Its Chocker-Block with Crocs mate!! ---
**Author:** ![Ennui](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ennui/32/3396_2.png) [@Ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ennui)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/45 "2002-10-24T06:06:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tritone \* > \*\* > > Of course, what **TLD** ā€™s not telling you about are the drop-bears. They fall out of the gum trees, land on your shoulder, and, well, fuck your ear. The only way to protect yourself is to put vegemite on your ears when you go outside. Lots of vegemite. Thatā€™s what vegemite was invented for, you know. > šŸ˜ƒ > > \*\* Not sure if itā€™s conected, but am I the only American Doper who first heard of Vegemite in a song by an Australian band named _Men Without Hats_? ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/46 "2002-10-24T08:23:29Z")
Iā€™d think more of us first heard of it in a song by an Australian band named Men At Work. (Did they mention Vegemite in Safety Dance?) [sub]Land Down Under is the song you were thinking of, yeah?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/47 "2002-10-24T10:58:31Z")
Darwin, are you on commision from Dread Co or something? ---
**Author:** ![Go\_alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Go\_alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_alien)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/48 "2002-10-24T11:18:56Z")
All animals are harmless, usually, context is everything. For example. Many years ago, I was on a wildlife holiday in Costa Rica. It was such a popular holiday that I was the only person on the tour. Which was great, 'cos the guide (an Americna expert on bats, Richard Laval) was a great chap and incredibly knowledgable. Anyway, as we walked through the forest, we regularly saw snakes on the track, sunning themselves. They always slid of unconcernedly as we ambled by. I asked Richard if there were any poisonous snakes in Costa Rica. Yes, her replied, just one species, which is green with yellow stripes. Just then (well maybe not, but it has more dramtic impact if I say ā€œJust thenā€), we saw a yellow and green snake on the track. Is that one, I asked. No, replied Richard. Note that there is one yellow stripe running along its body, not many around it. The snake is often mistaken for the poisonous species and killed on that account. It is completely harmless. To demonstrate, Richard picked the snake up. Not right behind its head but about a third of its body length along. The harmless snake swung its head round and bit Richard on the ball of his thumb. Hard, painfully and wouldnā€™t let go. Poor Richard. Like a good biologist he refused to bash the snake against a rock to kill it and instead entertained me by jumping around, shouting words like ā€œOoh, ooh, oh fuck, bugger, that hurtsā€ while waving his hand around. The snake seemed to refuse to let go until the blood from Richardā€™s hand interfered with its breathing. Me? Well, I had hysterics. I couldnā€™t stop laughing long enough to photograph Richard. But the image of him dancing around, shaking his hand with a ā€œharmelssā€ snake chewing his thumb will always reamin with me. So, remember folks. Itā€™s not the animal you watch thatā€™s dangerous. Itā€™s the one you poke. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/49 "2002-10-24T21:52:55Z")
Crikey! Me arm!! ---
**Author:** ![Wabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/50 "2002-10-24T22:50:21Z")
Is it just me, or does it seem like Germans and Nature just donā€™t seem to mix? šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/51 "2002-10-24T22:52:13Z")
Things I associate with Australia: Olivia Newton-John, koalas, kangas, salt water crocs, sharks, reefs, the Australian Symphony House, Patrick Rafter (mmm! Patrick Rafter), Crocodile Dundee, Fr. Ralph de Bricassart, Crocodile Hunter, shrimp on the barbies, surfing, and Ayers Rock. So basically ā€œcrocodileā€ makes the list 3 times in one way or another. Are Germans not acquainted with pop culture? Geesh. I mean, you donā€™t have to be from the U.S. to know that one doesnā€™t walk in Central Park at night. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/52 "2002-10-24T23:47:18Z")
> [@](#): > > **(Go alien)** All animals are harmless, usually, context is everything. A good friend of mine was almost killed by a baby garden spider. See, she was driving, and it dropped down on a filament right in front of her face, and she almost careened off the freeway into a twisted heap of flaming death. But instead, because it was 3 a.m. and nobody else was on the road, she screeched to a safe albeit extremely sudden stop and jumped out of the car and danced around making ā€œgeeba geebaā€ noises while shaking out her hair. So, yeah, context is everything. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/53 "2002-10-25T02:12:31Z")
Recently (canā€™t find the newspaper link now) a man was nearly killed in Florida by an alligator. He was swimming _after dark_, in a wild river, with two dogs(AKA alligator ice cream). Now, the news media made much of the fact that there were no signs posted warning of alligators. WTF? Must every half mile of every wild area be posted with warning signs? One could almost predict that swimming in a Florida river, after dark, in the company of dogs, would result in an alligator attack. As **TheLoadedDog** said: ā€œUse your noggin!ā€ A little common sense in wilderness areas usually prevents disaster. The drop-bears, however, may be a different matter. They seem quite crafty, the way yā€™all describe themā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/54 "2002-10-25T02:50:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by John Carter of Mars \* > **Recently (canā€™t find the newspaper link now) a man was nearly killed in Florida by an alligator.** [The attack of the dread Withlacoochee 'gator](http://www.newschief.com/stories/082902/sta_alligator.shtml). Erā€¦sorry. Got carried away there. I think this quote from the article is, perhaps, the most telling: > [@](#): > > The Withlacoochee is loaded with alligators. Surely this is not secret knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/55 "2002-10-25T05:33:53Z")
Bravisimo! **Darwinā€™s Finch**! That was a superb display to carry on that gag that long. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/56 "2002-10-25T10:10:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > \*\*Things I associate with Australia: > > Olivia Newton-John, koalas, kangas, salt water crocs, sharks, reefs, Patrick Rafter, Crocodile Dundee, Fr. Ralph de Bricassart, > > \*\* Youā€™ve done jolly well **PunditLisa** in fact, youā€™ve outclassed me with your knowledge of all things Orstralyan, and Iā€™m a true blue Aussieā€¦ Who the hell is Fr. Ralph de Bricassart? Iā€™ve never heard of the dude, and Iā€™m assuming heā€™s a bloke 'cos of the Fr. in front of the Ralph bit. Whatā€™s his ā€˜claim to fameā€™? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/57 "2002-10-25T11:17:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kambuckta \* > Who the hell is Fr. Ralph de Bricassart? Iā€™ve never heard of the dude, and Iā€™m assuming heā€™s a bloke 'cos of the Fr. in front of the Ralph bit. > > Whatā€™s his ā€˜claim to fameā€™? _Stealing Darwins thunder_ [The dread Fr. Ralph de Bricassart](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0085101) ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/58 "2002-10-25T11:33:12Z")
Thank you yojimbo. And thinking of The Thorn Birds, I thought of another thing I associate with Australian: sheep. I wonder if any tourists have been killed by a sheep? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/59 "2002-10-25T12:06:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > \*\*I wonder if any tourists have been killed by a sheep? \*\* Only tourists from New Zealand, but the sheep were all acquitted, given the circumstances. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2002, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467/60 "2002-10-25T12:41:49Z")
Apparently the tour guide said it would be ok and that they were just freshwater crocks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-preventable-crocodile-attack/133467.md?page=4)