Of course, not all the enemy servicemen fell victim to the apex predators. In addition to tropical diseases such as malaria, the Japanese also had to cope with lethal scorpion stings. Still, when the Allies tried to convince their stricken opponents to surrender, the offer was rejected. As commendable as this display of courage might have been, when the conflict concluded the falling morning, the carnage was on an unprecedented scale. For of the 1000 men who'd entered the mangroves only 20 survived to tell the tale.

We'll allow Alison Taylor to lend that figure some context. "There are documented cases of estuarine crocodiles attacking platoons [16-50 men] but nothing on an equivalent scale to what took place on Ramree Island. The simple fact of the matter is that at no other time in the recorded history of mankind have so many people fallen victim to such an ancient predator."