WHO needs weather experts to tell us if last year was hotter than normal?
Not Hartley's Crocodile Adventures wildlife manager David Leydon, who says the answer can be found by studying the breeding cycle of crocodiles.
Mr Leydon yesterday told The Cairns Post clutches of crocodile eggs had started hatching at the park, nearly two weeks earlier than usual. So far one clutch containing about 50 eggs had hatched, but Mr Leydon said he expected the other 40 clutches to hatch soon.
To see more babies from Hartley's Creek Crocodile Adventures click here.
He said the eggs were hatching because unseasonally hot days in late-2008 prompted crocodiles to start breeding earlier than they usually would.
"The intensity of the weather was higher in November," Mr Leydon said.
"I think we had days of about 36C which we usually wouldn't get until Christmas.
"The warmer weather may have brought the breeding on earlier this year."
While Mr Leydon said he was unsure on who the father of the first clutch of eggs was, he said he suspected it to be the park's 5.2 metre alpha male, Ted.
"It could be Ted, who is between 80 and 100 so it shows you're never too old," he said.
Early breeding cycles in crocodiles is often seen as a signal for a big wet season, but Mr Leydon said he would wait and see whether the old wives' tale was true.
