About a dozen people have been killed by salt-water crocodiles in
Australia in the past 20 years. Now divers in northern Australia
are calling for development of crocodile warning devices
following two recent crocodile attacks. The numbers of crocodiles
have increased rapidly in recent years, due to a ban on hunting
passed in the 1970s. The deaths have also reopened debate as to
whether limited limited hunting should resume. The salt-water
crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest living reptile in
terms of mass. There is a large population in Australia, with the
majority being in the Northern Territory.