Cassius, the world's largest crocodile in captivity, residing at Marineland Crocodile Park on Green Island in Queensland, Australia, celebrated his 120th birthday this week, ABC News reported. The nearly18-foot-long saltwater giant has been living at the park since 1987 and holds the title of the largest crocodile in the world according to Guinness World Records.
Celebrating the milestone, Cassius enjoyed the ultimate birthday treats: chicken and tuna, which are his favourite.
"He was a big old gnarly crocodile then… crocs of that size are not normal. He was 16 feet, 10 inches with at least another 6 inches of tail missing and a bit of a snout missing'', crocodile researcher Graeme Webb, who was one of the people tasked with catching the beastly reptile told ABC.
He added that Cassius was estimated to be somewhere between 30 and 80 years old at the time of his capture in 1984 in the Finniss River of Australia's Northern Territory.
"He's quite possibly over a century — maybe 120 years," he said.
Toody Scott, whose grandfather brought Cassius to Green Island in 1987, also said that the crocodile is around 120 years old based on estimates by researchers.
Even now, at the age of around 120, Cassius “still has a lot of spark in him," Mr Scott said.
Despite his age, Cassius exhibits remarkable vitality, proving to be one of the park's liveliest and most engaging reptiles.
''Generally, the big old reptiles tend to sort of be pretty docile and disinterested. Cassius is always up for interaction. He's one of our liveliest crocs and very engaging. Anytime he sees you, he wants to come and say g'day and his eyes light up,'' Mr Scott added.
Cassius also had some big-name visitors, including the late Queen Elizabeth II, Chinese President Xi Jinping, the King of Thailand, and former prime minister Scott Morrison.
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