Daintree River and Mossman Gorge

 Friday September 30

This morning we went on a ride on the Daintree River in search of salt water crocodiles. The skiff itself was solar-electric powered and much quieter than a gas engine. We saw three crocodiles, one completely out of the water and one a 6-month-old.  We also saw some interesting birds including a pair of kingfishers and a frogmouth. The crocodiles are ancient but surprisingly complex creatures. Their snouts are more sensitive than our fingertips, and most of the time they catch their food by extending their bodies and waiting for something to bump into them. They can also hold their breath for a very long time, allowing them to stay submerged and invisible. Because they get most of their energy from the sun, eating is less important than in warm blooded creatures. They could survive (although getting pretty thin) for a year without eating. The females can lay 50 eggs in a single clutch that may include fertilization by three different fathers. The females lay their eggs high on the bank to try to avoid flooding, and when they hear the babies start to squeak inside the eggs, will come and dig them out, helping the hatchlings to emerge and then carrying each of them to the water, where they stay with mom for 3 months. Despite this level of maternal care, only 1% of those eggs will hatch and survive to 6 years old, the threshold for survival to full adulthood. We also saw some tree snakes and listened to the screams of a tree frog as it was slowly swallowed by a snake. On the whole we were glad not to actually see the event. 

We had lunch at the Daintree Teahouse, the oldest dining establishment in the Daintree. Lunch included sampling and learning about a wide variety of tropical fruits.  Along the way we passed the local primary school which has 30 students representing all the area north of the Daintree River and has a “cassowary lockdown drill”! 

After lunch we toured Mossman Gorge, an aboriginal cultural center and land area, with a local guide. We learned about aboriginal language, culture, medicinal plants and legends. We wrapped up the day with a walk through a beautiful and isolated section of rainforest where tree kangaroos and cassowaries were seen yesterday. We saw neither but the forest was lovely. 

Pictured: Juvenile Saltwater Crocodile, Papuan Frogmouth in nest, Torresian Kingfisher