None seem likely. The facts are Crocks are large, (up to 10m), carnivorous sleptiles of vast low cunning. It is perhaps this cunning that makes them quite such sources of horrid fascination.

Apparently on old Earth the distinction between "sapient" of which man was the only example, and "non-sapient" was large and clear.

Whether Crocks are sapient or not will remain the subject of endless heated debate for all time. Indeed it was this debate that triggered the "sap level" intelligence scoring system. Crocks are sap level 70 with standard deviation 20.

What is certain is that the intelligence is ruthlessly and entirely selfishly applied to finding and eating. They have no sense of community. (Although in times of famine they will display "pack" behaviour to capture smaller species, and then promptly and without warning switch to cannibalism.) They have no language.

Fenmen will relate endless tales demonstrating (conclusively) one or other side of the sapience argument. Indeed Crock tales have long since evolved into a highly developed art form consisting of several genres ranging from horror to humour.

Crocks were the natural control on the Hippigs. Mans domestication of the Hippig ultimately saved both partners from, as the Fenish saying goes, being the shit of Crocks.

• The sly trickery of a Crock.
• The cunning response of the fenling.
• The power of the fens to mock all slyness and cunning.