Catching Freshwater Crocs in Dangerous River!

Tonight we're on the search for Australia's endemic crocodile species, the freshwater crocodile. And my goal is to catch as many as I possibly can. Now there's also gonna be saltwater crocodiles out there which are incredibly dangerous, so we're gonna wanna keep an eye out for those. Recently we had some massive monsoon rains push through and the water levels are incredibly high. That's gonna make it easier to find the freshies, but much more dangerous because the salties are moving in from areas where they aren't typically seen and that is going to make it much more potentially dangerous for myself and the crew tonight. Let's find out how many of these reptiles we can get up close with the cameras. So we're moving along this dirt road that's on the side of the river. You can see it's gotten so high that the road is flooded out. See how murky this is? Check it out. I put my hand beneath the surface, watch how fast it disappears. Look at that, about an inch beneath the surface. As you could have a saltwater crocodile hiding in something only 12 inches deep and you would never know it until it was too late. I'm just gonna walk right through it. People don't often realize that if coyote's in danger then the camera crew potentially is also in danger. You've been just walking right through murky water. How are you feeling? The water feels good actually, it's nice and cool. So I actually enjoy walking through the water. I know my shoes are super muddy and murky but that's what comes with the task of following coyote through the muck. Do I have a big moth on my lens? You do, let me get a moth real quick. I can see it. Wee, he's gone. All right, let's see, keep heading. Hello, Lucky. Hello, mate. I think I got one. Small one but definitely worth the attempt. Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee. Woo, buddy. There it is, the iconic freshwater crocodile. Look at how tiny this one is. That is the ultimate junior right there. Hi, how are you? I'm gonna come up out of the water so we can get a better look at you. Nice. Oh, you almost got my thumb. You did, I saw that. Oh, come on. Wow, talk about feisty. It's not necessarily size that always matters. This crocodile is putting up an incredible battle. It's tiny, likely born within the past 12 months and in a very shallow pool of water hunting for tiny fish. Even at this size, those teeth, super sharp and capable of taking out a fish with no problem. All right, well, we don't need to hold onto this one for too long. We gotta find something a lot bigger than this but every crocodile counts. When it comes to releasing crocodilians into the wild, the one thing you have to be aware of is they're very fast. They can spin around and grab your fingers but with a crocodile of this size, I'm comfortable placing my hand into the water, releasing my fingers and hopefully it darts off into the night. Here we go, let's see what happens. Don't you bite me. Even that made me jump. All right, let's keep moving. Let me tell you where you're not gonna go in and try to catch crocodiles. Water moving at that speed. Probably only about a foot and a half deep but you slip on the wrong rock, you're all the way out into the river and then you become food for the saltwater crocodiles. All right, we gotta find an area that's a little less flooded. This is not conducive to our mission. Got a croc on the rocks up here. There he goes. Right off the side and in for the deep stuff. It seems like anytime I talk, they've got incredible hearing, believe it or not. And the second that I open my mouth, which I have a tendency to do a lot, the crocodiles get spooked. Australia's really making us work for it. Oh man, we're marooned. I'm gonna get up here and scout and just see what this looks like. But we've come to a point, we're gonna have to forge this aspect of the river and go up and around. I just wanna look from up here though. Yeah, that's some fast water there, folks. Don't wanna fall into that. Never underestimate the power of water. Way too dangerous. Even for me. Very quiet pocket of water. Pretty sure I saw a high shine. We'll be very quiet, sneak up, see if we can make a catch. Got him. Oh yeah. A little teeny tiny. Okay, buddy, we got you. Hunt in the shallows, we're doing the same. We're pretty good right here actually because we got all this tree cover behind us. That means nothing's gonna sneak up and grab ahold of old Coyote. How are you this evening? These crocodiles are so talky. Look at the design of that slender snout. Reminds me a little bit of a juvenile American crocodile. The coloration is absolutely magnificent. Speckled, tan, and black on top. You can see all those osteoderms running the length of the body, protecting the soft insides. And on the bottom, get ready for this. Look how cute and soft that belly is. Beautiful little reptile. And even at this size, it's a formidable little predator. Moving into these shallows where you've got a bunch of minnows and other fish swimming around. You know, I do wonder how bad the bite from a freshwater crocodile is. This would be the size crocodile I'd probably be willing to be bitten by, but the problem is that if they shake their head, those teeth are like razor blades. They will slice you apart and that could go all the way down to the tendons. So, as much as I know you guys would like to see me put my hand into the mouth of that crocodile, woo, that's a trip to a hospital right there. So, I think that's an experience that I'm gonna pass on. Look at the back. So slender, streamlined, muscular, but where all the power comes from is that tail right there. Solid mass of muscle. I'd say it's probably only about a year in age and at this size, while it is a formidable predator, it also stands the chance of being prey for not only other crocodiles, but a number of species in this area, including pythons, birds, and anything else that may be lurking through the night. We're gonna place it back into the environment and see if we can find something a little bit bigger. I know, I hear you making that distress call saying, hey, coyote, put me back into the river. I got a lot of hunting to do tonight. The minnows are in the shallows because of the height of the river. All right, we're gonna put him back. Let's see what else we can find. Don't bite me, don't bite me, don't bite me. Went right through me. That was awesome. Just up here, over in the small lagoon. Going for it. Let it drift. Got it. That was a complete blind grab right there. Hands going down into the grasses. No idea where he's going to grab. And look at this beautiful reptile. Okay, so that call right there, this could draw into Salty very easily. Everybody back up, back up, back up, back up. Go, go, go, go, go. Salty could erupt out of the underbrush. I hear you, buddy, I hear you. Look at you. Oh my goodness, I hear you. I know. You've got a lot to say. Okay, I'm gonna remove some of this grass. Don't you bite me. What a good looking freshwater crocodile. A true dragon here in Australia. And what we wanted to do was get away from the water because sounds of a freshwater crocodile can actually also draw in the saltwater crocodile. So the last thing you want is to have lights in your face, the darkness to your back, and have a huge Salty erupt from the river. Grab onto me and pull me back in. I know you guys probably love to see me chomp by a saltwater crocodile, but get chomped by that one, there's no coming back. When it comes to exploring Australia's crocodile territory, nothing is cooler than coming across its endemic species, the one and only freshwater crocodile. I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild. We'll see you on the next adventure. Oh, that was awesome. He gave a little tail twitch and then launched up and into the water.