A wildlife park located in Australia says they have the largest crocodile on earth, and potentially the oldest too, that is in captivity, currently estimated to be a stunning 120 years old, with a whole lot more time left to live, according to the animal’s handlers. This is truly amazing and is just one more reason that nature is so awesome.
“Cassius is such a magnificent, beautiful boy, and he’s obviously got a major history to tell us,” Sally Isberg, managing director at the Center for Crocodile Research in Australia, went on to say in a video interview that was shared with Fox News Digital. “He’s a happy, healthy boy. He has such a personality. He gets called over to one side of the pen and is just happy to wander over… he’s an absolutely fascinating character.”
World's largest croc still growing as it hits stunning age milestone: experts https://t.co/fTfGLn7XpU
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Cassius was first captured back in 1984 near the city of Darwin. He was then sent to Green Island just a few years later. The crocodile has been a resident of Marineland Crocodile Park for 35 years now. He’s estimated to have lived, at minimum, 110 years, experts have stated, though he could potentially be as old as 120, which would go beyond the currently known limits of mortality for crocodiles.
There’s a lot that makes the case of Cassius so unique, but one fact that is blowing minds is that he is continuing to grow, despite being so old. Professor Graeme Webb did a yearly check up on Cassius and determined that he had grown an additional 13 inches since a visit that was done two decades ago. He now measures 17 feet and 11.75 inches. That’s a whole lot of croc.
“He was a big old gnarly crocodile then… crocs of that size are not normal,” Webb stated during the interview with MIX 102.3 in Australia, pointing out that growing at such an advanced age “is unusual for a big croc.”
During his very first visit, Webb noted that Cassius the Crocodile was somewhere between 30 and 80 years old, which means that he now could be close to 120. However, there’s no way to actually determine the real age.
The examination that Cassius undergoes is “very hands off,” due to the fact that using restraints could put the apex predator in severe distress. The stress from the restraints could cause trauma that would take a long time to recover from.
“Generally these assessments are done through observation in person and by looking at observation records kept by the keepers,” Marineland went on to say. Medical professionals use measures such as stool and water samples to help provided a more detailed analysis.
Cassius passed his latest exam with flying colors with the result revealing he is “fine with no immediate cause for concern, and no reason to believe Cassius will not live for years to come.”
George Craig, the founder of Marineland, says he likes to feed Cassius personally, noting he has a “wonderful relationship” with the crocodile, Isberg shared.
The oldest known crocodile on record was known as Freshie, who lived to be 140 while living in captivity, despite having been shot, not once, but twice. One bullet struck the tail, the other the left eye.
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