Crocodiles

I photographed this picture in the aquarium in Hartbeespoort, South Africa. Unknown photographer

Never trust a smiling Nile crocodile. Photo: Gunnar Hasle

In Africa, Nile crocodiles kill about 1000 people every year. Crocodiles rarely kill white people; usually the victims are local people taken on the shores of rivers.

The Australian saltwater crocodile is a close relative of the Nile crocodiles, and just as dangerous. However, they don't live that close to humans, and are therefore less likely to kill people. Dangerous crocodiles are also found in India (Mugger crocodiles) and in the Caribbean. Black caimans in the Amazon are also dangerous. Nile crocodiles are the only crocodiles that cause significant numbers of deaths among humans.

The largest Nile crocodiles can weigh up to 1200 kg and are capable of speeds of up to 30 km/h under water. They can also move very quickly over short distances on land. It can be fatal to underestimate the speed of a crocodile on land. They can turn rapidly, and knock a man off balance with swipe of the tail.

They are capable of leaping half their body length out of the water and snatching prey standing on the shore, or on a branch. They can remain submerged for two hours without breathing, and then burst out of the water. They can also drift under water on the current for the last few meters before they attack. To the untrained eye they are invisible at depths of 20-30 cm. The crocodile is able to detect very small movements on the surface, such as when an animal comes to drink, and an attack follows. Even in small streams, alertness is essential in crocodile areas, since they may conceal surprisingly large crocodiles. When a crocodile has taken hold it will pull the victim under water and roll around, thereby drowning and tearing apart its victim.

It is fascinating that an animal order can remain almost unchanged for 200 million years. Crocodiles emerged as long ago as in the Triassic period, and ate dinosaurs. The combination of their ability to live for a year without food, an unbelievable camouflage and a speed that exceeds our wildest imaginings has proved efficient. Incidentally, many people don't know that crocodiles are very watchful parents. The eggs are buried and the parents guard them until they hatch. When a baby crocodile needs to be moved, an adult will carry it gently in its jaws.

Big cats

Cougar victim. The big cats eat soft tissue, not the skeleton. Photo: Dr. Ben Galloway

Jaguars and cougars very rarely kill humans, although they are fully capable of doing so. Tigers kill 600-800 people every year, lions and leopards about 400 each. The big cats almost never kill tourists. Their victims are local people who live close to their habitats. Outside the national parks wild animals are usually very afraid of humans. When a wild animal starts to kill people it will be hunted and eliminated as soon as possible. In the parks, the animals are far less afraid of man, and the safest option is to stay in the car, in securely fenced areas or together with an armed ranger. The rangers will often know where the lions are, and will demonstrate how to avoid direct confrontation. It is not unusual for people who enter for example the Kruger National Park without protection to be killed. Some people go looking for this kind of risk: the annual Kruger marathon is a good example of this. A good tip if you choose to take part in this insanity is to stay in the middle of the field. Lions will concentrate on stragglers!

You may well pat a cheetah, but not a tiger! Photo: De Wildt Cheetah centre

Would Tarzan have had any chance in a fight with a lion or a leopard, armed only with a knife? Unlikely. You would at least need a spear to keep the animal at bay. An interesting question is: what is the best option if a large carnivore attacks? If an animal attacks to protect its cubs, then fleeing could be sufficient, or you could throw yourself to the ground with your face down, and try to protect your neck with your hands. However, if the animal is attacking for food, then playing dead is not an option, it might well be prepared to eat a carcass. The only option in this case is to fight back: beat it with any tool that comes to hand, throw stones, try to poke the animal in the eye with a finger. In many cases lions have retreated when several people have joined in the attack. In the case of a lion attack one should definitely try to help the victim of the attack. Unfortunately, when it comes to leopards they will try to injure as many people as possible in this type of situation. Why are we so fascinated by lions, crocodiles and Tyrannosaurus rex? We model toys for small children on the most dangerous animals , and Walt Disney make movies and cartoons about them. Certainly lions are beautiful, but not more so than, say, antelopes. It is the fact that lions are dangerous that so fascinates children and adults alike.

There are many things that are hard to understand. For instance, there is a temple in Thailand where tigers, humans and other animals live together peacefully. Nobody should be surprised, however, if one day one of these tigers kills one of the monks, or a tourist.

Candirú

Dr Anuar Samad removed a Candirú from a man in 1997. Photo: Anuar Samad.

Candirú. From Wikipedia

This is a catfish, Vandellia cirrhosa, which is found in the Amazon. It can enter the urinary tract of human beings and suck blood. This is said to be immensely painful. If you swim naked and urinate in the water the candirú can find its way in.

The fish is transparent, and virtually invisible in the water. It is not rare, although attacks on humans are. There is only one recent report of a man being invaded by a candirú, published in Portugese: Anuar Samad: Incrível causa de Uretrorragia! Arquivos Ellis 2004 1:2; 13. Normally these fish survive by sucking blood from the gills of larger fisher. Their fame can be attributed to the fact that they are what the media call "sexy news".

When swinning in the Essequibo river I was careful to always use a swimming suit, in fear of candirú. I also did not want one of the many piranhas found there to take a chunk out of me.

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