Daintree Rainforest National Park: A Good Day for Fauna

We were granted a welcome break from the rain today, ironically by heading into the rainforest.  A drive up along the coast, boat cruise along the Daintree River, and some foot-based wandering in the forest and mangrove swamp brought us into contact with a number of must-photo species.  A selection below:

A "baby" estuarine crocodile, maybe two years old

 

Scarface, the dominant male in the area.  Given that this guy checks in at 4.5 meters in length, I think "dominant" may understate the case. Earlier this month the guide had seen him pushing a pig up river.

To learn about the incident of inter-species inappropriateness that happened next, you will have to ask Christina North 

Some of the scariest creatures we saw all day:

Boyd's Forest Dragon

A Mangrove Goanna.  These guys learn to associate picnickers with free lunch.

The mangrove forest where our goanna friend makes his home.  Sand and trees and wild roots.  How cool is that?

  

A Cassowary: rare, endangered, and funky (look on YouTube for videos of Cassowary attacks.)

Finally, from the photos below you should be able to compile an image of a python, which had been sitting in this same tree in the same position for several days digesting its latest big meal.  These guys may be the world champion couch potatoes, resting for days without moving while they digest their food.  As for lesson learned here: photographing straight up into the sky tends to produce washed-out images . . .