Why It’s a Bad Idea to Tease a Croc

That’s Israeli fisherman Novon Mashiah, who thought that it would be a good idea to pose with a 12-foot crocodile. Here’s what happened:

The crocodile had swum towards the boat hoping to be fed fish. "I was shocked, the animal clearly wanted to kill me," said 27-year-old Mr Mashiah.

"One minute I was leaning over the boat teasing it for a picture. The next minute it burst out of the water with incredible speed.

"I jumped back and the croc landed on the boat and then slapped into the water. I was shaking."

Mr Mashiah’s friend Doron Aviguy, 22, took the photograph from a bigger boat nearby. The two Israelis are working as fishermen on the South Alligator River in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Mr Mashiah said: "They come near the boat all the time, probably because we are fishing. I was laughing, but it wasn’t funny in the end. I didn’t realise that crocs were so aggressive."

Link (with much better, bigger pics)