Is a crocodile dangerous for humans? What to do if you are attacked by a crocodile or alligator

It must be said right away that attacks by crocodiles on people are recorded where large reptiles live. Of the 23 species, only 6 are considered dangerous. A mortal danger are represented by crocodiles with a length of 2.75 meters, since smaller individuals are not capable of killing an adult.

However, even the smallest species can inflict painful bites. They also pose a serious danger to children, since the size of the latter is similar to the size of the prey that small species feed on.

The greatest danger to people are Nile and saltwater crocodiles. The former is credited with hundreds of deadly attacks in sub-Saharan Africa. The second is deadly to humans in Southeast Asia and Australia.

The American crocodile is less aggressive. There are only a few deaths involving him. Great danger also represents the black caiman, which lives in the Amazon River basin. The American alligator is also responsible for the deaths. Moreover, most of his attacks were recorded in Florida.

It is extremely difficult to calculate the exact number of crocodile attacks on people per year. Many such places are in remote areas or in areas of political unrest. Local authorities do not always report such incidents, and some reports cannot be verified at all.

At the same time, such information is still collected. Thus, in Zimbabwe, over 10 months of 2005, 13 deaths were recorded, the culprits of which were toothy reptiles.

The Nile crocodile is considered the thunderstorm of Africa. It kills hundreds, maybe thousands, of people every year. Most attacks go unreported, but one researcher found that per year this type attacks 650-745 people. Of this number of attacks, 63% are fatal.

This is more than that of a saltwater crocodile. The latter accounts for 30 attacks per year, of which 50% are fatal. Based on all this, experts conclude that the Nile crocodile is the most dangerous predator for humans, not only among reptiles, but among all predatory animals on the planet.

Thus, attacks by crocodiles on people are quite common. But let's look at a few specific examples to get a more complete picture of this scourge. So in May 1992, an 18-year-old girl was killed by a crocodile on the Pelaban River in Malaysia. After this incident, the bloodthirsty reptile was shot. It turned out to be the largest and oldest ever found in the area.

In January 2001, several attacks on people were reported near the Neyyar reservoir in India. In this case, the culprits of the incidents were marsh crocodiles. They are impressive in size, but have never shown aggression towards people before. Experts suggested that among these reptiles a small group appeared with inappropriate behavior.

In October 2002 in national park A 23-year-old German student was killed by a cockatoo in Australia from the teeth of a crocodile. She was on a small pleasure boat with her sister and several other tourists. At some point, a huge crocodile appeared from the water. He grabbed the girl sitting at the side and dragged her into the depths.

In September 2005, a 37-year-old British engineer, while vacationing in Australia, was scuba diving near one of the beaches. He was attacked by a crocodile and the man died. The body of the unfortunate man was found.

In March 2006, a 68-year-old professor of medicine at the University of Washington was attacked by a crocodile on the Limpopo River. The professor came to Africa to treat people, but while in the wild, he was killed by a huge reptile.

In February 2009, a 5-year-old boy was attacked by a reptile in northern Australia. Some time later, the police killed a crocodile near the scene of the tragedy, and the remains of a child were found in its stomach.

In September 2011, a 6-meter crocodile was killed by hunters and police in the southern Philippines. Before this, he had carried out several fatal attacks on people. In particular, he ate a farmer and a 12-year-old girl.

In May 2016, a 46-year-old woman and her 47-year-old close friend went to the beach in the Daintree National Park in Queensland (Australia) in the evening. The man had just recovered from cancer, and the couple was in a happy mood. People began to swim, but at some point a crocodile appeared from the water, grabbed the woman and dragged her away. The man could do nothing to help his girlfriend. The remains of the unfortunate woman were found in a dead 4-meter crocodile 3 days after the tragedy.

In September 2017, a 24-year-old journalist was killed by a reptile in Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka. A man was washing his hands near the water when he was unexpectedly attacked. The crocodile grabbed the journalist and dragged him into the water. The place where the attack took place is known for the largest population of toothy predators.

From the above examples it is clear that attacks by crocodiles on people are systemic. Therefore, extreme caution must be exercised in areas where dangerous reptiles live. Only in this case can you protect yourself from the terrible monsters that rule both river and sea waters.

WITHfucks associated with shark attacks,Nowcooler than those that hover around much more dangerous predators, crocodiles.M Meanwhile, they cause much more harm than sharks. And their appearance is more terrible. African guide Hendrik Coetzee, who led kayak expeditions in the Congo, was recently eaten by a crocodile in front of two horrified tourists.

A crocodile attacked Coetzee on a river in the Congo. After the attack and the terrible death of the guide, two stunned American tourists were transported to the nearest city. No remains of 35-year-old Hendrik Coetzee, who lived in Uganda, have been found. Apparently, the crocodile swallowed the guide whole, without leaving a trace, and didn’t even choke. Reports of this incident are as terrible as they are hopeless: according to experts, while it is possible to somehow fight off a shark attack, it is much more difficult to escape from a swift crocodile attack. This is confirmed by statistics.

Around the world, 15 people become victims of sharks every year. 200 people die from encounters with hippos, 250 are killed by elephants, 1,250 die from bee stings, and encounters with crocodiles end tragically for 2,500 people. It is not difficult to calculate that crocodiles more dangerous than sharks 168 times! By the way, in fact, the most sinister killers are mosquitoes - as many as two million people die from their bites. But then mosquitoes... Here are just a few cases of crocodile robbery that the press has reported on recently.

At the end of August, a small African plane crashed in the Republic of Congo, carrying out a regular flight from the capital of Congo, Kinshasa, to Bandunda. The crash killed 20 people, including the owner of the airline, 62-year-old Belgian Daniel Filmot, who personally piloted the aircraft. There were no obvious technical problems that could have caused the plane to crash. It was suggested that the pilots failed to land the first time, after which the fuel ran out and the plane crashed to the ground.

As the British newspaper Daily Telegraph reported, the only surviving passenger, hospitalized in critical condition in one of the local hospitals, spoke about the causes of the tragedy. As it turned out, there was a crocodile on board the plane. One of the passengers on the flight was transporting the reptile in a sports bag, intending to sell it. During the flight, the animal escaped, causing panic in the aircraft cabin.

The plane lost its balance and began to fall. Having not reached a couple of kilometers from the runway, the plane crashed into a residential building, which at that moment was empty by chance. The report of the commission that investigated the incident states: “the frightened flight attendant rushed into the cockpit, followed by the passengers. Despite the desperate efforts of the pilot, the plane lost balance.”

In August, at the Aquatoria theater of marine animals and dolphins in Yalta, a crocodile bit a three-year-old child who came with his parents on vacation from the Belarusian Brest. The boy received numerous injuries - amputation of the fourth finger of his left hand, incomplete separation of the third finger, fracture of the metacarpal bones, lacerations from the teeth of a crocodile.

Twenty-five-year-old US citizen Lauren Failla was vacationing with her friend on Indian-owned Andaman Islands. One day she disappeared while swimming underwater. The remains of her body were found with horrific lacerations two days later, the Associated Press reported. Local authorities confirmed that she was killed by a crocodile.

In the town of Broome in northwestern Australia, a five-meter saltwater crocodile in a local park wildlife bit a tipsy 36-year-old man who tried to ride him. The crocodile behaved aggressively and bit the man on the right leg. The man suffered a serious laceration, but was still able to escape from the park and return to the pub, whose staff called " ambulance"The failed rider was hospitalized and operated on.

In the Mexican resort of Cancun, a crocodile attacked an American tourist when he tried to relieve himself in the water of the lagoon. After the attack, the young man was taken to hospital with multiple bite wounds on his leg and neck. He also suffered a head injury when the reptile hit him on the ground.

In Angola, crocodile attacks have killed at least nine children in just a few days. Angolan National Radio reported that the children who died were between 10 and 16 years old and fell prey to the merciless reptiles when they came to the Keve River to get water.

The crocodile attack continues. And, apparently, such messages will end only when the entire genus of crocodiles disappears from the planet...

The worst attack of crocodiles on people in history occurred a few months before the end of World War II - on February 19, 1945.

Japanese don't go into the jungle

More than one thousand Japanese soldiers died in the terrible and terrible hot Burmese swamps.

Reason mass death It was not fierce battles with the enemy at all, but attacks by combed crocodiles, which are found in abundance in these places.

Operation Matador began on January 14, 1945. British troops from the 29th Indian Infantry Division landed on the almost paradise island of Ramri.

The goal of the operation was to capture the port and airfield located in the north of this Burmese island, captured by the Japanese army.

Of course, a Japanese garrison was already waiting for the British troops on Ramri. But the British attacked quite successfully, during land battles and with the support of ships, they gradually pushed the Japanese inland.

Captivity for salvation

The fighting only stopped on February 17, when the Japanese themselves went south to join the Allied forces.

The path there passed through a swampy area, and the British military did not have uniforms not only for fighting, but generally for being in such conditions. Therefore, the British did not pursue the enemy.

Although there is a well-founded version that they specifically allowed the Japanese garrison to retreat into these mangrove swamps. From the very beginning, Japanese soldiers there were regularly attacked by other enemies - snakes, mosquitoes, scorpions and other creatures.

However, on the night of February 19, they were attacked by a much more terrible large and terrible enemy - crocodiles. As a result, almost 1 thousand people were eaten by voracious reptiles in just one night.

Only 22 soldiers and three officers remained alive, whom the brave British immediately captured, to the great joy of the captives.

At night - only sounds

This was a terrible event for them, perhaps the worst of all such mass contacts with predators in the entire history of mankind.

At night, the surviving soldiers heard only terrible sounds, but the next morning a terrible picture appeared before them.

In the black slurry of the swamps, the bloody parts of the bodies of their comrades floated, which were pecked by vultures. It was clear that many of them were crushed or eaten alive.

This crocodile attack was included in the Guinness Book of Records, calling it the worst reptile disaster that has ever happened in the world.

By the way, combed crocodiles were already well known as the most aggressive and dangerous animals. They tear apart a buffalo's skull in a few seconds.

The saltwater crocodile gets its name from the distinctive ridges near its eyes. With age, these ridges stand out more and more noticeably, and in older individuals the entire muzzle is covered with large tubercles. These mounds even gave the crocodile its international scientific name " Crocodylus porosus", from lat. porosus - “spongy”.

The frightening appearance and enormous size of this predator have struck fear into the hearts of people since ancient times. This is the largest modern reptile on the planet, and the largest crocodile. It is also one of the most large predators on the ground. Its size exceeds that of a polar bear.

Lives saltwater crocodile in the warm waters of Australia, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines. Previously found in the Seychelles and on the African east coast (now completely exterminated). The ability of the saltwater crocodile to swim well and far in the sea allows it to appear in the most unexpected places for humans. So, sometimes this predator is found even off the coast of Japan, where it has never lived. Outwardly clumsy and inactive, saltwater crocodiles can cover enormous distances. For long journeys they use sea ​​currents, which pick up the heavy body of a reptile and carry it hundreds of kilometers. Observations of some crocodiles (using satellite transmitters) have shown that adult males can swim almost 600 km across the sea. in 25 days.

Drifting with the current helps the crocodile save energy. Sometimes the predator stops in coastal bays and bays until it waits for the desired current. Such crocodiles, waiting for their “wave”, can remain off the coast for several days, terrifying local residents. Often crocodiles even displace local sharks from their bays. They simply cannot cope with the thick skin of the reptile, and retreat, giving the territory to a stronger predator.

The saltwater crocodile has special glands that help the animal remove excess salt from the body. Therefore, he feels great in salt water, but still most prefers to be in the warm fresh waters of mangroves and calm river lagoons. They are loners by nature. If an uninvited guest enters the crocodile’s territory, there will be a fierce fight. Crocodiles fight to the death. Often the loser loses a limb, or even dies. These are one of the most aggressive animals towards their relatives. Adult males can only tolerate the presence of several females on their territory, and even then, they can tolerate their company only during the mating period.

Being a super predator, the saltwater crocodile feeds on everything it can “reach”. The diet depends on the habitat. Reptile attacks large terrestrial mammals- bulls, buffaloes, horses, etc. Hunts in salt water big fish. There is evidence of successful shark hunting. Young crocodiles feed on other reptiles, fish, invertebrates, and crustaceans. There are also cannibal crocodiles. Easily deals with other species of crocodiles - Australian and swamp.

Every year, many cases of saltwater crocodiles attacking humans are recorded. In Australia, people suffer from the teeth of a comb predator more people than from a great white shark, but only 1-2 cases per year are fatal (in Malaysia, more than 100 people die from crocodile attacks every year). It is believed that the reptile attacks a person not so much because of hunger, but for protective purposes - protecting its clutch of eggs or defending territory. It has been noticed that in places where people appear frequently, the crocodile’s aggressiveness is much weaker. The reptile gets used to human society and warns a person in advance about its presence with a threatening pose. But if the crocodile rarely sees a person, then it will try to attack the uninvited guest.

Most famous case The saltwater crocodile attacks on humans occurred on February 19, 1945, when nearly 1,000 Japanese Army soldiers were killed in the waters off Ramree Island.

« About a thousand Japanese soldiers tried to repel the attack of the Royal navy Great Britain ten miles off the coast, in mangrove swamps where thousands of crocodiles live. Twenty soldiers were later captured alive, but most were eaten by crocodiles. The hellish situation of the retreating soldiers was aggravated by the huge number of scorpions and tropical mosquitoes that also attacked them,” says the Guinness book. Naturalist Bruce Wright, who participated in the battle on the side of the English battalion, claimed that the crocodiles ate most of the soldiers of the Japanese detachment: “That night was the most terrible that any of the fighters had ever experienced. Scattered in the black swamp slurry, bloody, screaming Japanese, crushed in the jaws of huge reptiles, and the strange disturbing sounds of spinning crocodiles represented a cacophony of hell. I think few people could have seen such a sight on earth. At dawn the vultures flew in to clean up what the crocodiles had left...of the 1,000 Japanese soldiers who entered the Rami Swamp, only about 20 were found alive»

The bad reputation of the saltwater crocodile (sometimes justified) was the justification for uncontrolled hunting of the reptile. In some places on the planet it was completely destroyed. The crocodile is currently absent from Thailand and Sri Lanka. The number of predators in India and Vietnam is minimal. Regulated hunting since the late 1970s has prevented the reptile from being completely eradicated. Currently, there are enough crocodiles left in the wild that there is no concern for the conservation of the species, but it is still included in the International Red Book.

Man values ​​(and pays) for crocodile skin. Fried crocodile meat is a delicacy. For these purposes, crocodiles are bred on special crocodile farms.

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Illustration copyright Getty

Alligators are dangerous predators and they do attack people. However, as the observer found out, this rarely ends in the death of a person.

On June 15, 2016, a two-year-old boy was dragged underwater by an alligator in Orlando, Florida.

About 18 hours later, the boy's body was found "almost unharmed" in the water near the scene.

At a press conference, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said this was the first such case in the region.

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After the tragedy, many began to think about how dangerous alligators are and whether it is worth visiting the places where they live.

We asked experts in the field to help assess the possible risks.

Illustration copyright Image caption Every year, about 7,000 alligators that pose a danger to the population are shot

There are only two species of alligators: the Chinese alligator, which is usually no more than 1.5 meters long, and the American alligator, which can be much longer.

It is logical to assume that alligators can live in any body of water in Florida

We don't know the size of the alligator that attacked a child in Florida. According to eyewitnesses, it could be from 1.2 to 2 meters in length, that is, relatively small.

The largest American alligator was discovered in Alabama in 2014. Its length was almost 4.5 meters.

Florida is home to a huge number of alligators. Thanks to the species conservation program, their number has reached one million.

American alligators live in all 67 counties of Florida, as well as in other states - Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina.

Ecologist Lucas Nell from the University of Georgia in Athens, USA, has been observing alligators for many years. According to him, it is logical to assume that alligators can live in any body of water in Florida.

Indeed, these predators are found in most swamps and rivers.

But, despite their countless numbers, they very rarely attack people.

Illustration copyright Image caption Alligators were on the verge of extinction, but now their numbers have increased significantly

Lucas Nell explains that alligators are afraid of people. "They've been hunted since Europeans came to America, and they've been on the verge of extinction," he says.

In 2010, a study was conducted of all alligator attacks from 1928 to 2009.

It turned out that over such a long period in the United States, only 24 people died from alligator teeth, and most of them in Florida.

There are only 0.06 attacks per 100,000 people per year

There have only been a few reported fatal cases of an alligator attempting to eat its prey.

At the same time, “it is unknown whether an attack took place: a person could first drown, and only then fall into the teeth of a predator,” says the author scientific work Rick Langley of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

During this period, Langley counted 567 “dangerous encounters” with predators, as a result of which people were bitten.

About 260 victims required serious medical care, the rest escaped with minor injuries.

However, considering the total number of residents of such a densely populated county with alligators, it turns out that there are only 0.06 attacks per 100,000 people per year. This is a surprisingly low figure.

Illustration copyright Robert Burton US Fish Wildlife Service Image caption About five unprovoked alligator bites are reported in Florida each year.

Experts from the Crocodile Study Group at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) note that of the twenty-three species of crocodiles, only eight are prone to unprovoked attacks on people.

These aggressive species also include American alligators (which belong to the order of crocodiles, but differ in appearance - Ed.).

Alligators are often less dangerous than crocodiles because they are more selective about their prey

However, according to the IUCN, attacks by American alligators lead to fatal outcome in only 6% of cases.

Thus, the risk of dying from an alligator's teeth is very low, especially compared to a bloodthirsty Nile crocodile(63%) and saltwater crocodile (25-50%).

According to a database called CrocBITE, which records almost all crocodile attacks in the world, about 1,000 people are killed each year, with the vast majority of these deaths occurring in Africa.

Alligators are often less dangerous than crocodiles because they are more selective about their prey.

Illustration copyright US Fish Wildlife Service Image caption Alligators very rarely attack people

Simon Pooley, a researcher at Burbeck College, University of London, who works with the IUCN Crocodile Study Group, says crocodiles eat anything that moves, including large mammals.

People are invading natural environment habitat of alligators, and therefore the paths of these two species of living creatures inevitably intersect

Alligators, on the contrary, rarely attack people, as they feed mainly on fish, birds, other reptiles and small mammals.

Unfortunately, children are often about the same size as small mammals, and therefore can become a victim of an alligator.

However, an alligator attack on a child is a fairly rare occurrence. According to 2010 data, attacks on children account for only 13.1%.

At the same time, Langley believes that alligator attacks may become more frequent as "both the human population and the size of the alligator population grow."

In many coastal areas, people encroach on the natural habitat of alligators, and therefore the paths of these two species inevitably cross.

Illustration copyright Steve Hillebrand US Fish Wildlife Service Image caption Alligators feed on small animals and birds

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission receives about 16,000 complaints per year regarding alligators.

To coexist with large and dangerous predators, we must understand their behavior

Its staff can catch an alligator that is causing a nuisance to the local population if it is larger than 1.2 meters and "poses a threat to people, pets or property."

Smaller alligators are content with small prey and do not pose a threat unless a person provokes them.

In 2015, Commission staff captured 7,513 alligators. According to a 2014 report, 66% of nuisance alligators were eliminated "by lethal means."

Small alligators are usually simply taken to another location.

Both Pooley and Nell believe these attacks are easily preventable. But it does mean understanding the risks and following the simple rules developed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Illustration copyright Steve Hillebrand US Fish Wildlife Service Image caption Alligators live in most swamps, rivers and lakes in Florida

Nell is convinced that people can live safely around alligators if they listen to common sense.

“To coexist with large, dangerous predators, we must understand their behavior and be extremely alert when in close proximity to them,” Pooley says.

Everyone should know the rules, especially visitors and tourists. This means giving people as much information as possible.

"I think people just don't know how widespread alligators are in this area, especially right now," Pooley said. "Alligators are especially active this time of year."

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