Croc attacks are expected to increase as warmer conditions leads to spread of reptiles

THE number of croc attacks is predicted to increase as the world continues to warm, says croc expert Dr Adam Britton

The number of croc attacks is predicted to increase as the world continues to warm, says croc expert Dr Adam Britton.

THE number of croc attacks is predicted to increase as the world continues to warm, says croc expert Dr Adam Britton.

As conditions continue to warm, crocodiles are increasingly moving into areas where they have not inhabited before.

Dr Britton said the spread of crocs would mean they would be interacting with people who weren’t used to the reptiles in their environment.

The lack of awareness means humans were more likely to become croc victims.

Dr Britton said a recent study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology showed crocodiles were not all so adaptable to changes in climate and were forced to migrate to areas better suited to them.

The study pulls on the fossils of crocodiles to understand where they inhabited during periods when the earth’s climate changed.

Dr Britton said with the climate warming, scientists were already seeing the distribution of crocodiles increase.

“As the planet warms it does mean crocodile attacks are going to go up as a direct result, because as it warms it’s going to change the distribution of crocodiles,” he said.

“We’re seeing in Indonesia crocs move into places they haven’t been seen for a long time or seen before and we’re getting a string of attacks.”

In the past three years there have been increasing reports of crocodiles sighted on the Fraser Coast, Queensland, an area where they were seldom seen.

Dr Britton said as the population spreads, governments need to ensure management of problem crocs was in place as well as educating the public on crocodile safety.

He said people encroaching onto crocodile habitat also increased likelihood of attacks.

“Crocodiles will move after loss of habitat and move into areas where people aren’t used to them,” he said.

He said the warming climate could also affect the crocodiles food source – prompting them to move elsewhere.

Dr Britton said it was “highly unlikely” crocodiles would ever migrate from the NT.