One of many crocodiles starring in the NATURE documentary Supersize Crocs. (Credit: NATURE/Thirteen)
This Sunday, NATURE re-airs from its 2007 season, Supersize Crocs. The documentary by one-time director Richard Chambers follows reptile conservationist Rom Whitaker on a journey through Ethiopia, India and Australia to find the world’s last remaining giant crocodiles. According to NATURE, he suspects that human hunting may have selectively killed off crocodiles surpassing 20 feet in length.
“Reptiles always get the worst end of the stick,” Whitaker told NATURE in January 2007, “They do not have the cuddle-factor that mammals and birds have and that works against them.”
The film is peppered with fascinating factoids about how scientists study crocodiles and how the scaled lizards outlived dinosaurs to became the most-feared freshwater predator.
Supersize Crocs airs Sunday, September 14 at on PBS (check local listings).
P.S. As a member of the NATURE | PBS Facebook group, one is privvy to weekly updates about the NATURE series, which will begin its 27th season on October 26. The short e-mail reminders assure you never miss a broadcast.