REUTERS 22 August 05 Satellite tracks "Sputnik," the croc, in Australia
Canberra: A saltwater crocodile named Sputnik is being tracked by satellite in the remote heart of Australia in a bid to learn more about the deadly creatures.
Researchers from New Zealand's Massey University attached a transmitter to the back of the 4.2m (14 feet) male crocodile, which was caught in the Adelaide River about 100 km (62 miles) southeast of the tropical city of Darwin in Australia's outback Northern Territory.
They plan to track Sputnik for a year to learn more about the movements of the Crocodylus porosus. Sputnik's journey can also be watched on www.croctrack.org.nz
"The crocodile has proven difficult to study using conventional methods such as radio telemetry or direct viewing, due to the aggressiveness of the species and the hostile environments in which they live," the Web site said.
Since crocodiles were declared a protected species in 1971 when their numbers fell to about 5,000, the Northern Territory's population has exploded to around 70,000 animals in the wild with another 18,000 in six crocodiles farms.
About a dozen people have been killed in crocodile attacks in Australia in the past 20 years.
Satellite tracks "Sputnik," the croc, in Australia