The 18foot tawny crocodile — the world’s largest captive crocodile — is healthy but occasionally shows signs of trauma from its youth in the wild.
Cassius the crocodile living in captivity in Australia recently turned 120 years old. Experts believe that he still has many years ahead of him.
247 Known to be the largest captive crocodile at 5.5 meters long, Cassius is a specimen of great interest to the scientific community. At the most recent annual health assessment, experts concluded that the crocodile was “happy and healthy” and had “many years ahead of it.”
“Cassius is a beautiful, great boy,” said Sally Isberg, Director General of the Crocodile Research Center in Australia, who led the assessment.
The exact age of the crocodile is uncertain, as is the lifespan of a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). “My educated guess is that the maximum lifespan for crocodiles as a group is in the range of 100 to 120 years, but they would only live to that age in captivity,” said Adam Rosenblatt, an assistant professor of biology at the University of North Florida.
Cassius spent over 35 years at Marineland Crocodile Park on Ilha Verde. He was captured on a cattle ranch in 1984 after attacking cattle. Researchers believe it lived in the wild for up to 80 years before being caught.
Caregivers have noted that Cassius is terrified whenever machines are used around him, suggesting he may have suffered trauma during his time in the wild. This is especially noticeable with loud noises from devices and machines near your case.
PROCEED TO RECOMMENDATIONS
The crocodile, which was missing the tip of its snout when it was caught, is extremely sensitive to noise and vibrations, such as those generated by a boat engine. Isberg believes the boats’ engines may have caused additional irritation, prompting Cassius to attack.
Now in captivity, Cassius appears to be “a happy, healthy boy,” according to Isberg. The ancient crocodile will undergo further investigation next year. The keepers make sure Cassius gets enough sunlight to stay healthy by clearing the treetops above his enclosure.
“A stressfree crocodile will generally heal all wounds on its own and be diseasefree because it has a stronger immune system than stressed crocodiles,” Scott said.
The results and conclusions of this research continue to be of great interest to the scientific community, which will closely follow the development of Cassius for years to come.
With information from Livescience.