Northern Territory researchers are wiring satellite transmitters to crocodiles in Kakadu National Park in an effort to monitor the movements of 25 saltwater crocodiles.
The project is a joint effort between groups including Wildlife Management International, the Territory Government and a BBC documentary team.
Corey Bradshaw from Charles Darwin University says it should help show how crocodiles come to be in areas where they have not been seen before.
"The project is probably just in terms of direct finances pushing sort of $70,000-$100,000 in terms of the equipment and logistics involved," he said.
"We're covering areas right throughout Kakadu National Park into the Mary River region and possibly even up into the Tiwi Islands."
Dr Bradshaw says only certain types of crocodiles are being targeted.
"They're all males because we tend to think males move a little bit more than females - they're searching out new sites and they're very territorial," he said.
"Second, we want to get the animals that are more likely to move than others so we're kind of focusing on the sort of ... teenage crocodile years, so sizes in the range of about 3.2 to 4, 4.5 metres."
He says the transmitters are attached using thin wires that run under the bony plates in the crocodile's neck.
"We take the whole thing including the osteoderm crests and we embed that in a waterproof epoxy glue and create this little mould that actually looks like a large growth on the back of their neck with an antennae sticking up."
Dr Bradshaw says the transmitters should yield data for 12 to 18 months or until the battery runs out.