Brief note of Maillis (Majali) and Kunapipi rite; massacre of last of Woolwongas; physical appearance of Maillis, making of spears, hunting methods.

For Steve and Terri Irwin, confronting aggressive sixteen-foot gators, hissing deadly snakes, charging rhinos, venomous spiders, huge lizards, and wild reptiles in their own habitats was a part of daily life. Steve’s love for animals began at an early age, when his parents created an animal refuge—instilling in him a respect for Australia’s native wildlife, and some of the most dangerous creatures on Earth. Writing with his wife and soul mate, Terri Irwin, Steve provides intimate insights into their private life away from the cameras. Learn how they first met, how they successfully translated a shared love of animals into a worldwide message of conservation, and how they built one of the largest private animal refuges in Australia.

Describes the physical characteristics, hunting behavior, habitat, and endangered status of crocodiles.

Crocodiles are near the top of the food chain. They have keen senses that make them excellent hunters. Readers will learn all about them, from how they find prey to how they train their young.

Explores how the crocodile hunts, including how it stalks prey and attacks.

“Tick, tock, tick, tock.” Thanks to Peter Pan, this sound, if heard near water, means run: a hungry crocodile is on its way. J. M. Barrie isn’t fully to blame for spreading the word that crocodiles are our enemies, or at least the enemies of one-handed pirates—innumerable songs, stories, and legends have characterized these reptiles as a symbol of pitiless predation and insatiable appetite. Tracking twenty-three crocodilian species from India and Egypt to Africa, Australia, and beyond, Crocodile advocates that we do a complete one-eighty in our views of these magnificent creatures. Dan Wylie traces the crocodile in myth, art, and literature, demonstrating that though we commonly associate the reptiles with ferocity and deceit, they have also often been respected and revered in human history. Discussing how crocodiles were all but wiped out in the middle of the twentieth century by hunters and skin traders and are now making a comeback, he reveals that, as apex predators, they are today an increasingly important indicator of the health of an ecosystem and may outlive humans like they did dinosaurs. Presenting a concise, cogent case for why we should respect these fearsome animals, this beautifully illustrated volume is a tribute to one of the world’s ultimate survivors.