{"id":628135,"date":"2026-04-24T15:43:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T15:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/628135\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T15:43:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T15:43:17","slug":"what-to-do-when-a-croc-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/628135\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do when a croc attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tim<\/p>\n

April 24, 2026 \u2014 6:00am<\/p>\n

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Each week, Good Weekend\u2019s how-to column shares expert advice on how to navigate some of modern life\u2019s big \u2013 and small \u2013 challenges. This week: How to survive a croc attack.<\/p>\n

\" Photo: Illustration by Simon Letch<\/p>\n

In 2017, politician Bob Katter claimed that someone is \u201ctorn to pieces by crocodiles in northern Queensland\u201d<\/a> every three months. Even by Katter\u2019s standards, that was a wild exaggeration. On average, one or two people are killed by saltwater crocodiles every year in Australia<\/a>, usually in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Still, croc numbers are increasing<\/a>, so it pays to know what to do if you\u2019re attacked.<\/p>\n

The good news is that it is possible<\/a> for an adult human to fend off, say, a three-metre croc. The bad news is that you\u2019re much more likely to get attacked by a four-metre-plus croc, in which case your chances of survival are slim.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe saltwater croc has the strongest bite-force of any animal yet measured,\u201d says Professor Grahame Webb, who has researched crocs for Sydney University, the University of NSW and the Australian Museum. \u201cThe teeth are conical and they overlap and interlace, so when they grab prey, they puncture the skin and lock on.\u201d<\/p>\n

It then uses its tail, which is about half its body weight, to generate a violent, spiralling motion: the so-called \u201cdeath roll\u201d. The object is to get the prey off-balance and drag it into deeper water. (The main cause of death from crocodile attacks is drowning.) \u201cOnce you\u2019re in the water, things become harder,\u201d Webb says. \u201cSo if you\u2019re being dragged down a riverbank, hook your hands in the mud or grab a root.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article<\/p>\n

If that doesn\u2019t work and you end up in the drink, stay focused. \u201cCrocs have a few soft spots,\u201d says Jesse Crampton, from Croc Country Australia, a facility near Cairns that houses problematic crocs. \u201cThe first is the nasal disc, where the nostrils are.\u201d This area is covered in integumentary sense organs, which help the animal detect tiny movements in the water and are highly sensitive. \u201cHit it as hard as you can,\u201d says Crampton. \u201cIf this doesn\u2019t work, try gouging the eyes.\u201d Crocodiles have three eyelids and can suck their eyeballs back into their skulls, so you\u2019ll really have to get in there with your fingers and cause some damage.<\/p>\n

The third option is a real Hail Mary. \u201cAt the back of a croc\u2019s throat is a palatal valve that stops water entering their lungs when they swallow prey,\u201d says Crampton. \u201cIf you stick your arm down their throat and push that valve open, you can maybe flood their lungs with water.\u201d While he\u2019s never heard of this being successful, he says the surest way to die is to do nothing: \u201cFighting back is always the best strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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