Human activity 'driving half of world's crocodile species to extinction'

Crocodile researcher warns the reptiles face a 'bleak future', but Australia's saltwater and freshwater species have a brighter outlook due to hunting ban

As many as half of the world's 27 species of crocodilian face being wiped out due to human activity, although the most feared variety, the saltwater crocodile, faces a brighter future, according to a new book by a veteran crocodile researcher.

Land use changes, pollution, culling and feral animal invasions mean that many crocodile species face a "bleak future", warned Professor Gordon Grigg of the University of Queensland.