The crocs' jumping behavior is natural; they learn it from birth in order to catch insects and eventually small birds perching above the water. They are fed pork chops because this is part of their natural diet (not chickens, as some tours do), and the crocs on the Adelaide River here are known by name by the tour operator, so they only give them one chop per feeding. Unfortunately, the biggest croc, Bogart, would not jump for us. He's the dominant male in this locale and was apparently more concerned with guarding his females, who are "in season."
The goanna are not viewed all that often, so we were lucky to catch one out in the open, near the road. This "standing" behavior is used when they are in the grass to spot prey as well as dangers.
The big bird is the jabaru, the emblem of the Northern Territories. It's probably a female because of the lack of color on the neck. For another pic, see: http://www.silvertip.net/footage/individual/go/JCWaterfowl/867/bird-76?Footage_Session=ece9a1177a1dece38c1495f18ff0cbec
Finally, as Australia has a variety of deadly, venomous snakes, they also have a wide variety of "mozzies." They are part of the wildlife scene, here, as are the biting flies & midgies. These latter buggies will bite through an ordinary sock. Viscious, they are.
I leave for The Alice (as the locals refer to Alice Springs) early tomorrow morning, and then on the Uluru for a sunset tour. The next day starts with a dawn tour and then off to the airport mid-morning for a flight to Adelaide. Back to the hectic travel schedule for a few days, then as much as a week to relax and tour the wine country (Barrossa Valley).
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