This month, the world’s largest captive crocodile reportedly turned 120 years old. The croc, named Cassius, holds the Guinness World Record for its size — a whopping 17 feet, 11.75 inches long. The "birthday" is just an estimated milestone, according to researchers, as the crocodile was originally born in the wild.
"He was big and old when we caught him, and 38 years later, he's still alive," crocodile researcher Graeme Webb told the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC). "That's giving us serious knowledge on longevity." Webb was part of a team contracted to trap the crocodile back in 1984 by operators of La Belle Station, a pastoral lease in the Northern Territory of Australia that reported livestock losses. Cassius is also believed to have attacked boats in the area. His snout is slightly shorter, a common injury for crocodiles who attack outboard motors.
By 1987, Cassius was sold to the MarineLand Crocodile Park in Green Island, Australia. According to the Department of Fisheries in Western Australia, crocodiles typically live up to 70 years in the wild and have been roaming this planet for around 200 million years. In captivity, crocodiles have been known to live up to 100 years.
"There is no way of knowing Cassius' actual age as he was born in the wild and the age is just an estimate," said Toody Scott, a crocodile keeper at Marineland Crocodile Park, in an email to Live Science. Scott admitted that Cassius’s birthday "was essentially made up a few years ago.”
The "World's Largest Crocodile" Just Reached an Impressive New Milestone
"He was big and old when we caught him, and 38 years later, he's still alive," crocodile researcher Graeme Webb told the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC). "That's giving us serious knowledge on longevity." Webb was part of a team contracted to trap the crocodile back in 1984 by operators of La Belle Station, a pastoral lease in the Northern Territory of Australia that reported livestock losses. Cassius is also believed to have attacked boats in the area. His snout is slightly shorter, a common injury for crocodiles who attack outboard motors.
By 1987, Cassius was sold to the MarineLand Crocodile Park in Green Island, Australia. According to the Department of Fisheries in Western Australia, crocodiles typically live up to 70 years in the wild and have been roaming this planet for around 200 million years. In captivity, crocodiles have been known to live up to 100 years.
"There is no way of knowing Cassius' actual age as he was born in the wild and the age is just an estimate," said Toody Scott, a crocodile keeper at Marineland Crocodile Park, in an email to Live Science. Scott admitted that Cassius’s birthday "was essentially made up a few years ago.”
The "World's Largest Crocodile" Just Reached an Impressive New Milestone
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