A 33-year-old man has been attacked by a Saltwater Crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, while snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. The incident happened on Wednesday 23 September 2020, about 50 m off the coast of Anchor Bay on Lizard Island in North Queensland. The man was bitten on the head and upper body by the Crocodile, and was given emergency first aid on the island before being flown to Cairns Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He is described as being in a stable condition, and is expected to make a full recovery.
Crocodile attacks on Humans are relatively rare, but they are opportunistic ambush predators and will potentially attack anything going close to the water. Saltwater Crocodiles have a particularly poor reputation for such behaviour, being the largest species of Crocodile and notoriously aggressive. These Crocodiles are one of the few Crocodile species not considered vulnerable to extinction, being found from India to Australia and inhabiting many areas that Humans shun, such as Mangrove forests and islands without fresh water.
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