A popular Northern Territory tourist spot has been closed after a man was attacked by a "small" crocodile while going for an evening dip.
NT Police say the 36-year-old Queenslander was swimming at Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park, 130km south of Darwin, about 7pm on Tuesday when the freshwater reptile bit him on the leg and hand.
"He looked down and he had a baby croc hanging off him," Duty Superintendent Bob Rennie told ABC radio.
"He's wedged the jaws open and got it out and this little croc has given him a little shake and bitten him on the finger as well."
The tourist treated his wounds himself then drove to a nearby clinic to get two stitches in his finger and eight staples in his leg.
"We've had little freshies in a lot of our swimming holes in the Territory for many, many years and 99 per cent of the time they don't have a go at you, so maybe this little croc was spooked," Supt Rennie said.
Rangers plan to find and relocate the reptile, believed to be less than a metre long, further downstream on Thursday night.
"For visitor safety and to reduce the risk of human interaction with wildlife, the waterhole will stay closed for swimming until all practical steps have been taken to capture and or remove the crocodile," the NT Department of Tourism and Culture said in a statement.
