World's largest captive crocodile

Australia's Cassius has held the Guinness world record for largest captive crocodile since 2011 at 5.5 metres long.

Cassius has an estimated lifespan of about 120 years. Photo: ABC News — Cassius has an estimated lifespan of about 120 years. Photo: *ABC News*

Cassius, the world's largest crocodile in captivity, has just turned 120 years old, or at least that's how old he is, according to scientists. It's difficult to tell the age of crocodiles based on their size. As they reach adulthood, their growth slows and eventually stops. The largest crocodiles are unusually large as juveniles, and males are always larger than females.

"There's no way to know Cassius's real age because he was born in the wild and his age is an estimate," Toody Scott, Cassius's caretaker at Marineland Crocodile Park on Green Island, told Live Science on June 7. The 18-foot-long saltwater crocodile's birthday was set a few years ago and it's not breeding season for crocodiles in northern Australia at this time of year.

In 1984, researchers captured the crocodile on a cattle station southwest of Darwin, Australia, after the owner complained about the loss of his pet. At an estimated age of 30 to 80 years, Cassius was the largest crocodile ever captured alive in Australia, according to Grahame Webb, the researcher who helped capture the animal.

Nearly 40 years later and 35 years on Green Island, the giant crocodile continues to thrive. Cassius was an elusive case for Webb and his team in the 1980s. Large crocodiles are prime targets for hunters, so researchers rarely get a chance to study them. Adult crocodiles that survive the hunting season are feared. Cassius, however, is not like that. While older crocodiles are usually shy and withdrawn, he is one of the most active and engaging crocodiles.

Saltwater crocodiles ( Crocodylus porosus ) typically live to more than 70 years old, according to the nonprofit conservation organization Oceana. The largest saltwater crocodile ever captured was Lolong (6.17 m) in the Philippines.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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