Southeastern Louisiana University biologist Chris Murray holds crocodile he captured while doing
his summer research in Costa Rica. 
Courtesy of Public Infor

The next Southeastern Science on Tap will feature a lecture from university biologist, Animal Planet star and crocodile enthusiast, Dr. Chris Murray.

Murray is a crocodilian biologist who works in the Department of Biological Sciences. He has been on Animal Planet in the TV series “Gator Boys,” and in a documentary called “Monster Croc Invasion.” His lecture, How the Croc Ate the Farmer: Filming Controversial topics as a Biologist, will be on Tuesday, Mar. 1. It will address nature television and will be an opportunity for people to learn from someone who has had experience with large, dangerous animals. The lecture is free and open to people of all ages.

“Crocodiles fascinate me,” said Murray. “I’m also interested in evolution ecology, biological philosophy  and functional morphology, but mostly crocs.”

Murray began working with the “Gator Boys” when working in South Florida in summers and winters when he wasn’t attending school. “Gator Boys” was a reality-TV alligator nature series which ran on Animal Planet from 2012 to 2014. He was surprised to have been involved in real scientific research during the series.

“I don’t know if that’s the case for other reality TV but in that case it was,” said Murray.

After working with the “Gator Boys,” he established a research program in Costa Rica which led him to be involved with another Animal Planet show: “Monster Croc Invasion.” According to a blog post he wrote in May 2015, they aimed to learn exactly why there were more males in a population than females and if that was causing a negative interaction with people living near the crocodiles.

“I had the goal of being factual and scientifically accurate and not intimidating to anybody,” said Murray. “Which is hard to find in terms of content right now on Animal Planet or Discovery and stuff like that.”

Murray has interesting memories working with crocodiles. 

“Memorable experiences come in two flavors like being stranded on a boat at night for like 14 hours because the boat motor boat ran out of gas,” said Murray. “Huge three to four meter crocs would just swim over to our little boat like a tin can and nudge it with their nose like what the hell you doing here? You don’t belong here. We’re going to eat you. That was a really scary experience and probably one of the most memorable in Tempisque River in Costa Rica.”

His most positive memorable experience was catching his first large crocodiles. He said he and his team caught a 16-foot crocodile in Tarcoles River at a famous eco-tourism site.

“I felt like Steve Irwin in that situation,” said Murray. 

The late Irwin, who is best known as “The Crocodile Hunter,” is a huge inspiration to him.

“No, unfortunately I never met Steve Irwin,” said Murray. “I used to watch the show when I was younger in middle school and high school. I actually got a full scholarship to undergraduate by making videos where I played Steve Irwin.”

Murray was in Australia on a fall study abroad and scheduled to go to Australia Zoo two weeks after Irwin suffered his fatal stingray injury.