By Jessica Satherley


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Brave keepers: George Craig (left) and Toody Scott (right) watch over Cassius Clay the croc at Marineland Melanesia on Green Island in Australia as his pool is drained


As the name suggests, he is a powerful heavyweight with a bit of bite.

But this Cassius Clay will not be going into the Guinness Book of Records for his killer uppercut - weighing in at close to a tonne and measuring 18ft in length, he is the biggest captive crocodile in the world.

The saltwater croc is believed to be at least 100-years-old and has lived in Marineland Melanesia on Green Island in Australia, for 24 years.

And this photograph shows the croc’s brave owner George Craig watching over Cassius’s pool being drained so he could be officially measured for the title.


Fellow Marineland Melanesia keeper Toody Scott said he was ‘ecstatic’ about Cassius claiming the record.

He told Cairns.com.au: ‘It confirms our belief that we’ve got the biggest croc, and it’s good that he’s got a bit of recognition for it.’

Cassius was captured in 1984, just south of Darwin, before being transferred to Green Island, which is located 17 miles offshore from Cairns, in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

He was taken into captivity after attacking too many boats in Darwin and was relocated to his current home in 1987.

His diet mainly consists of fish and chickens, which has led to his massive growth over the years.

Old and wise: Cassius is believed to be around 100-years-old and his keeper says he is very wise and knows how to lure people into a false sense of security

Toothy grin: Cassius shows off his sharp teeth as he swims around his enclosure at Marineland Melanisia in the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia


During numerous fights with other crocodiles in his youth, Cassius has been left with scars and even lost his left arm, but Mr Scott says he also has a loving side, when it comes to females.

‘He has shown a bit of an affectionate side with some of the younger female crocs we’ve introduced him to.

‘He’s a little bit old to reproduce, but he really did look after a lot of the other crocs that were in the enclosure with him, to the point where he’d even pinch food from the keeper and take it over to them.’

But despite singing the croc’s praise, Mr Scott says he wouldn’t trust Cassius for a second and admits he is very wise and has a way of luring people into a false sense of security.

Despite Cassius nabbing a spot in the 2012 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records though, a spokesman from the organisation said his glory might be short lived.

The competition: Lolong is now believed to be the biggest croc in the world, measured at 6.4 metres in the southern Philippines


Guinness World Records spokesman Chris Sheedy said that the crocodile’s record may be brief, after reports earlier this month of a 6.4 metre (21ft) aquatic beast that was trapped in the southern Philippines.

The croc, named Lolong, was found in the township of Bunawan, weighs a tonne and is 6.4 metres (2ft) long.

Lolong, who is suspected of killing two people, is now thought to be the biggest crocodile in the world and has caused controversy among animal activists over whether he should be released back into the wild.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claim the croc is being exploited for money and shouldn’t be kept in captivity, while officials say he needs to be contained for safety reasons.


Green Island lies off the coast of Cairns in north-east Australia




source:dailymail