For a juvenile crocodile in the Pongola River system, surviving through the critical period of infancy is a triumph of instinct. After intricate rituals of courtship and nest excavations the female crocodile lays her eggs in a sandy pit and vigilantly keeps guard of her clutch, forfeiting her own need for food until such time as the young are ready to leave the nursery. They emerge from the eggs simultaneously with squeaks and clicks, alerting their mother and encouraging each other. The mother tenderly mouth-lifts them and releases them in a concealed nursery where they immediately and instinctively begin to practice the technique of prey ambush that will sustain them for the rest of their lives. After about 6-8 weeks, the female’s procreation duties are completed and maternal ties are severed.