By Norakmal Zikri Mohamad, Assoc. Prof. Dr Hasmahzaiti Omar
“Air yang tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya” is a Malay proverb that, given its ambiguous translation, means “Don’t assume that still waters hold no crocodiles.” This adage delivers not only as a metaphorical warning but also shows the connection between human wisdom and the natural world. This proverb mirrors the essence of saltwater crocodile, an apex predator that lurks silently deep in the water, waiting for the opportunity to devour its prey.
“If I knew there were crocs in there, I wouldn’t have gone for a swim,” said Aaron Evans, a West Australian who survived a 2-meter freshwater crocodile attack despite suffering serious arm injuries. This story illustrates how treacherous these creatures can be. Sit at the top of the food chain, they prey on fish, birds, mammals, and even sharks. Opportunistic hunters, they can take down prey many times their size, including one of their own as they also have even been observed engaging in cannibalism.
Saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, or “Buaya Tembaga” as known by the locals, is among the oldest animals in the evolutionary tree and is the largest reptile alive today. Typically, females are less than 10 feet (3 meters) long from the tip of their snout to the end of their tail, whereas males can reach lengths of over 23 feet (7 meters) and weigh up to 1,000 kg. These reptiles thrive in brackish, fresh, or saltwater environments, thanks to their lingual salt glands located under the tongue, which act as salt-excretory organs aiding in electrolyte regulation.
Additionally, they possess 66 teeth in total, including five-inch-long canines, and have the strongest bite of any animal ever measured, with a force of 3,700 pounds per square inch (psi), which is twice as strong as a hippopotamus’s bite. As stealthy predator, saltwater crocodiles can lie motionless in the water for hours, blending into their surroundings before launching explosive attacks, earning them the title “The Master of Ambush Hunters.”
These opportunistic reptiles, which are notorious for their deliberate attacks on people, have killed up to 135 people in Malaysian Borneo between 2001 and 2020, or an average of 10.78 cases annually. Alarmingly, the death toll has continued to rise, suggesting that there are more large and dangerous crocodiles within the Borneo’s waterways.
According to Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Deputy Premier and Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development, an estimated 25,000 crocodiles inhabit the 22 river basins in Sarawak alone. This high population density intensifies human-crocodile conflicts, especially as human activity expands into crocodile habitats.
Only on a single week, two cases of these reptiles attacking people near their homes in Sandakan, Sabah, were reported by The Straits Time on May 25 and May 23, 2023. According to the news, the attacks at Sumangat Payau island tragically claimed a lives of twelve-year-old boys, while a nine-year-old boy miraculously survived the attack at the water village of Kampung Batu Putih.
There are also reports showing that these frightening creatures also inhabits our Peninsular hydrographic system. As reported by the New Straits Times, two of our most popular tourist spots in Peninsular Malaysia, Port Dickson and Pantai Klebang, have witnessed the capture of these animals by the authorities. However, cases involving the attacks of these animals on human are extremely rare as there is a lower population density of crocodiles inhabiting the Peninsular hydrographic systems.
Historically, crocodiles used to be hunted for their valuable skins, which were mostly used to make leather goods that generated a lucrative income. Intensive hunting brought on by the growing demand for crocodile products caused a sharp decline in population in the majority of countries, particularly in the late 1980s.
The loss of their native habitat as a result of competition from the constantly expanding human population makes this situation even worse. As a result, this species once in a brink of extinction mainly due to uncontrolled human activity and low survival rates, which are mostly caused by aggressive predation among juveniles.
In response to the situation, the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972 and the Wildlife Conservation Enactment in Sabah were enacted in to address the concerns regarding the extinction of the species and the desire to preserve this species and their natural habitats. Various conservation efforts have been implemented, including the establishment of protected areas, restrictions on hunting, and breeding programs aimed at preserving population stability. Given that saltwater crocodiles currently considered to be of “least concern” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN, highlighting the success of these initiatives.
Despite its success, conservation is an ongoing journey, and new challenges emerge as human populations grow and expand into natural habitats. Therefore, it is vital to find a balance between preserving this ancient species and safeguarding human communities as we navigate this coexistence.
Community-based initiatives, including habitat management and safety protocols are the alternatives to reduce human-crocodile conflicts. Systematic conservation strategies such as controlling population numbers in selected areas and relocation of the animals into suitable locations also can be implemented to reduce the risk of attacks among the local community.
These creatures, though fearsome, plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance in the ecosystem. By feeding on weaker or overabundant species, they act as apex predators, reflecting the health of mangrove ecosystems and controlling the population within a given habitat while also preventing any one species from dominating the ecosystem. Apart from that, their nesting activities can contribute to nutrient cycling, improving the quality of their habitats and supporting biodiversity.
In short, never judge a book by its cover. This ancient species truly symbolizes the duality of nature. Dangerous as it seems, but also vital for the ecosystem. Their survival reflects both their tenacity and humanity’s dedication to coexist with nature.
By understanding and respecting their role in the ecosystem and also taking collective responsibility for their conservation, we can ensure their survivability for our future generations to spectate these magnificent, yet horrifying creatures. History repeats itself if lessons are not learned. So, prevention is better than cure.
Hence, we need to be a responsible community and learn from the past by protecting this ancient species, and embracing the coexistence between human and one of nature’s most magnificent works, saltwater crocodile.
Norakmal is an undergraduate degree student from the Department of Chemistry, While Dr. Hasmahzaiti is from the Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya. They may be reached at zaiti_1978@um.edu.my