Video of Crocodile Eating Shark Sparks Warning

In something straight out of a Steve Irwin nature documentary, a crocodile has been caught on camera munching down on a shark.

The crocodile was filmed eating its salty snack in the Fitzroy River in Australia's Queensland by local resident Michael Marlow. That prompted local wildlife officers to warn the public about the hidden dangers of rivers and estuaries around Australia, and urge them not to feed the wildlife.

The video was taken on February 8 near the town of Rockhampton, and shows the crocodile tucking into a dead shark that was floating in the water nearby.

"Initially I didn't know what was going on," Marlow told local news outlet ABC Capricornia. "I thought it was maybe beaching itself ... but then it comes up and it really lets you see what it's got.

"Kind of scary when you think about it — he doesn't look very big in the water and then all of a sudden he does look pretty big."

Wild crocodile sightings in Queensland should be reported to the authorities, but Marlow was unaware of this, as he had only moved to Australia in recent years.

"I didn't know I was supposed to and I just posted the video because I thought it was quite amazing," he said. "I just thought it was wild—I've lived in a lot of places in the U.S. and there's gators, but crocs over here are quite cool."

The animal in the video is a saltwater crocodile, which are considered one of the most dangerous crocodile species, with around half of all attacks by these species worldwide being deadly. Also known as "salties," they are the largest living reptiles and the biggest species of crocodile in the world. They are found in brackish waters across the Indo-Pacific region, primarily in Southeast Asia, Australia, Eastern India and various islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

Saltwater crocodiles are known for their impressive size, growing up to 20 feet long. They are responsible for numerous attacks on humans, particularly in regions where they overlap with human populations. These attacks are often attributed to the encroachment of humans into crocodile habitats and the removal of traditional barriers that once kept people and crocodiles separated.

There are an estimated 200,000 saltwater crocodiles living in Australia.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) officer Alex Peters told ABC Capricornia that the video is concerning, as it may be an example of somebody feeding a crocodile on purpose for social media clout.

"We're investigating if this is a coincidence or not, and we would be extremely disappointed if people were deliberately feeding crocodiles to generate likes on social media," he said.

"Previous incidents have shown when a crocodile has been fed it starts to approach other people for food, or it will hang around an area where they have previously been fed, waiting for an easy meal," he explained. "This can put unsuspecting people at risk and leave the animal vulnerable to being removed from the wild."

Marlow told ABC Capricornia that he hadn't been contacted by the QPWS regarding the incident.

The public is warned never to feed wild crocodiles, or any wild animal for that matter, to avoid potential attacks in the future.

Around 1,000 people are thought to be killed by saltwater crocodiles worldwide every year. Australia sees relatively few of these attacks, however, with only one person being attacked annually on average, and only three deaths having been recorded in the country since 2018.

"It is an offense under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 to feed a native animal in the wild if the animal is dangerous or venomous, or capable of injuring a person," Peters explained. "The maximum penalty for deliberately feeding crocodiles is [$4,049]".

Similar warnings have been issued by U.S. authorities like the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) regarding the feeding of alligators, especially in light of recent incidents where people have fed the wildlife to gain social media attention. One man in Florida appeared in a video to have fed a sandwich to an alligator, much to the horror of many in the comment section.

"Never feed an alligator. When fed, alligators can lose their natural wariness and instead learn to associate people with the availability of food. This can lead to dangerous circumstances for yourself and other people who could encounter the alligator in the future," the FWC states.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about crocodiles? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.