An Australian wildlife park claims to have the world’s largest – and possibly oldest – crocodile in captivity, estimated to have lived for 120 years, with plenty more time to go, in keeping with his handlers.
“Cassius is such an impressive, beautiful boy, and he’s obviously got a significant history to inform us,” Sally Isberg, managing director on the Center for Crocodile Research in Australia, said in a video interview shared with Fox News Digital.
“He’s a blissful, healthy boy,” she added. “He has such a personality. He gets called over to 1 side of the pen and is just blissful to wander over… he’s a completely fascinating character.”
Captured in 1984 near the town of Darwin and transferred to Green Island a number of years later, the crocodile Cassius has lived on the Marineland Crocodile Park for over 35 years.
Estimated to have lived at the least 110 years, some experts have said Cassius might be as old as 120, which might push the known limits of crocodile longevity.
What makes Cassius so unusual is that he has continued to grow despite his remarkable age: During an annual checkup this 12 months, Professor Graeme Webb determined that Cassius had grown one other 13 inches since his previous visit nearly 20 years earlier, now measuring a whopping 17 feet and 11.75 inches.
“He was a big old gnarly crocodile then… crocs of that size usually are not normal,” Webb told MIX 102.3 in Australia, saying that growing at such a complicated age “is unusual for a giant croc.”
Webb had determined during his first visit that Cassius was at between 30 and 80 years old, which might mean he might be at the least 120, though there isn’t any technique to fully determine the croc’s age – especially given his unusual size and growth.
Marineland told Fox News Digital that the annual assessment is “very hands off” as using restraints may cause stress attributable to a heightened fight or flight response common to apex predators.
That stress can induce extreme trauma that would take considerable time from which to get well.
“Generally these assessments are done through statement in person and by taking a look at statement records kept by the keepers,” Marineland noted, citing such measures as stool and water samples for more detailed evaluation.
The recent assessment for Cassius found him “high quality with no immediate cause for concern, and no reason to consider Cassius is not going to live for years to return.”
Marineland’s founder George Craig often likes to personally feed Cassius and has a “wonderful relationship” with the croc, in keeping with Isberg.
The oldest crocodile on record was a croc often called Freshie, who made it to 140 in captivity despite being shot twice within the tail and left eye, in keeping with Oldest.org.
