A backpacker has been bitten by a crocodile, in Australia. It happened in a northern, tropical part of Australia; which is where crocodiles live. They don't live everywhere in the country. The man is OK and said that it was an accident and was his fault.

The man was trying to take a photograph, slipped and slid down the river bank. He landed on top of the crocodile and the animal got very upset and bit him on the arm.

The backpacker escaped and was treated in the hospital for bad cuts. The crocodile was about 2.5 metres long, and was a big freshwater crocodile. There are also saltwater crocodiles in Australia, which can be up to 7 metres long!

Vocabulary

Backpacker – person who travels with a rucksack

Bitten – past participle of bite, to use teeth to cut into something

Crocodile – large predatory reptile

Tropical – hot and humid, in the tropics

Accident – something that happens unintentionally

Slip – lose your footing and slide

Slid – paste tense of slide, move smoothly along a surface

River bank – land alongside a river

Bit – paste tense of bite

Escape – elude or get free from

Cut – incision in the skin

Freshwater – found in fresh water, not in the sea

Saltwater – found in salt water, living in the sea or ocean

Think About

If you saw a crocodile, would you stop to take a photograph?

Which other Australian animals do you know?

Would you like to visit Australia? Why or why not?