Saltwater crocs feral pig diet may be changing NT waterways
March 19, 2025 2:49 PM Subscribe
Saltwater crocs feral pig diet may be changing NT waterways. A new study suggests nutrient-rich crocodile poop could be benefiting wetland vegetation in the Top End (Australia) while predation pressure limits feral pig damage.
Research published by Professor Campbell's team three years ago showed the diet of saltwater crocodiles shifted from being predominantly aquatic-based (fish) to terrestrial-based (pork) with the rise of feral pigs in the NT.posted by ryanrs at 8:08 PM on March 19
My 6 year old will be thrilled to hear that what we need in the world is MORE crocodiles.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 10:31 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
posted by Silentgoldfish at 10:31 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
Q. What length of saltwater crocodile would have the same mass as the total mass of all of the feral hogs in my yard?
> The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile. Males can grow up to a weight of 1,000–1,500 kg (2,200–3,300 lb) and a length of 6 m (20 ft) [wiki]
Let croc_mass_0 and croc_length_0 denote the mass and length of the reference croc. Fix our reference croc as croc_length_0 = 6m, croc_mass_0 = 1500kg.
> The weight of a crocodile increases approximately cubically as length increases (see square–cube law). [wiki]
That is, croc_mass = C * croc_length^3 for some constant croc density C > 0 (kg/m^3) . Let croc_mass_1 and croc_length_1 denote the mass and length of the target croc. Rearrange to isolate length of the target croc: croc_length_1 = croc_length_0 * (croc_mass_1/croc_mass_0)^(1/3)
Suppose a feral hog has an average weight of 55kg. Estimates of the number of feral hogs in my yard vary, with a lower bound of 30 hogs and an upper bound of 50 hogs, giving a total 1650 -- 2750 kg of feral hog biomass / yard.
The required length of the target saltwater croc with equal biomass would be 6.2 m -- 7.3m
posted by are-coral-made at 2:41 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]
> The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile. Males can grow up to a weight of 1,000–1,500 kg (2,200–3,300 lb) and a length of 6 m (20 ft) [wiki]
Let croc_mass_0 and croc_length_0 denote the mass and length of the reference croc. Fix our reference croc as croc_length_0 = 6m, croc_mass_0 = 1500kg.
> The weight of a crocodile increases approximately cubically as length increases (see square–cube law). [wiki]
That is, croc_mass = C * croc_length^3 for some constant croc density C > 0 (kg/m^3) . Let croc_mass_1 and croc_length_1 denote the mass and length of the target croc. Rearrange to isolate length of the target croc: croc_length_1 = croc_length_0 * (croc_mass_1/croc_mass_0)^(1/3)
Suppose a feral hog has an average weight of 55kg. Estimates of the number of feral hogs in my yard vary, with a lower bound of 30 hogs and an upper bound of 50 hogs, giving a total 1650 -- 2750 kg of feral hog biomass / yard.
The required length of the target saltwater croc with equal biomass would be 6.2 m -- 7.3m
posted by are-coral-made at 2:41 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]
One clever trick that feral hogs do not want crocodiles to know.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:29 AM on March 20
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:29 AM on March 20
Does this mean I don’t need an assault rifle to deal with 30-50 feral hogs running into my yard anymore?
posted by Phanx at 4:53 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]
posted by Phanx at 4:53 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]
no, you actually need more rifles because you can't go up against crocodiles with an assault rifle
(tho if you already have a buffalo gun for all the feral buffalo, you could use that on a croc)
posted by ryanrs at 11:59 AM on March 20
(tho if you already have a buffalo gun for all the feral buffalo, you could use that on a croc)
posted by ryanrs at 11:59 AM on March 20
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