Burt, perhaps one of the most famous crocodiles in the world, has died at the ripe old age of around 90. The beast-come-celebrity was the reptilian star of the 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee about an eccentric Aussie bushman’s antics in New York City.
The sad news of his passing was shared by Crocosaurus Cove, the wildlife center in Darwin where he’s been living since 2008.
“Known for his independent nature, Burt was a confirmed bachelor – an attitude he made clear during his earlier years at a crocodile farm. His fiery temperament earned him the respect of his caretakers and visitors alike, as he embodied the raw and untamed spirit of the saltwater crocodile,” they posted on Instagram.
“Burt was truly one of a kind. He wasn’t just a crocodile; he was a force of nature and a reminder of the power and majesty of these incredible creatures,” they added.
Crocodile Dundee wasn’t Burt’s only run-in with fame. According to Crocosaurus Cove, he was reportedly used as the basis for the digital effects in the 2007 killer-croc film Rogue, plus he successfully predicted that France would win the 2018 FIFA World Cup (despite showing some blatant Australian bias in the early stages of the tournament).
His exact age is unclear, as he was captured at an unknown age in the 1980s in the waters of Reynolds River in Australia’s Northern Territory. However, experts have estimated that he was probably approaching a century in age.
During these decades of life, he amassed an immense size. From snoot to tail, he measured around 5.1 meters (16 feet 8 inches) in length and weighed 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds).
Burt was a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), a species of crocodilian native to India’s east coast, Southeast Asia, northern Australia, and parts of Micronesia. As the largest living reptile on Earth, they’re not surprisingly known as the king of crocs.
This is, however, a very competitive order of animals. Over in Africa, there is the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus), which can grow up to 4.5 meters (14.7 feet), although longer individuals have been reported.
One of those particularly large fellas is a 123-year-old called Henry, the oldest known crocodile in the world, who stretches over 5 meters (16 feet 5 inches) in length.
