How high would the price of pork chops and Boston butts have to get before you sprung for a filet of fearsome, scaly, deadly croc?

Well, a great many people have already asked and answered that question:

Eating a slice of croc is no new thing—the reptile's meat is consumed in many cultures around the world. But in Thailand, the demand for crocodile meat has exploded as local consumers are hit by a spike in the price of pork.

Some 20,000 crocodiles are now slaughtered in Thailand on average each month for their meat, a figure that has doubled in recent months, local media reported this week. This increased demand has coincided with a decline in pork supply that has worsened over the past year, with speculation that this drop is due to an unreported outbreak of a deadly disease decimating pig populations in the country.

When the consumption of any particular product spikes high, you know you're seeing a potentially major market shift of some kind. When it doubles in the span of a few months, that's something else entirely.

Let's consider the data driving this demand:

Crocodile meat retails for 105 baht (about $3) per kilogram, and as low as 70 baht (about $2) per kilogram wholesale. Pork, the kingdom's most consumed meat, now goes for 200 baht (over $6) per kilogram due to diminishing supply.

Okay, that kinda checks out: Croc meat consumption has doubled at just the time that pork has become double the price of croc meat. You couldn't really blame all of Thailand's crocs for making themselves scarce right about now.

And remember, if you're cooking a croc or a gator in the U.S., don't forget to give it that decadent American spin and throw another protein into the mix: