The world’s largest crocodile has died in captivity at the age of 110.
Cassius, who weighed more than a ton and stood 18 feet tall, had been in declining health since October, his caregivers said.
The beast held the Guinness World Record as the world’s largest saltwater crocodile in captivity.
He took the title after the death of the Philippine crocodile Lolong in 2013, which was 6.17 m long, according to Guinness.
Cassius was known to prowl the waterways of Australia before his life before being taken to Marineland Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat on Green Island, off the coast of Cairns, Queensland.
The world’s largest captive crocodile, Cassius (pictured) at Marineland Melanesia on Green Island, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia
George Craig of Green Island Marineland Melanesia (pictured) feeds Cassius who has died aged 110
At the time of his capture, Cassius was estimated to have been between 30 and 80 years old
In a post on Facebook, his keepers said: ‘He was very old and it was believed he was older than a wild crocodile.
“Cassius will be greatly missed, but our love and memories of him will remain in our hearts forever.”
The group’s website said he had lived at the shelter since 1987 after being transported from the neighboring Northern Territory.
Crocodiles are an important part of the region’s tourism industry and Cassius became the top attraction.
Cassius, a crocodile notorious for causing trouble, was captured in 1984 near a cattle station on the Finniss River, southwest of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory.
At the time of his capture, Cassius was estimated to have been between 30 and 80 years old and set the record as the largest crocodile ever captured alive in Australia.
“He had big eyes that you could look into and see into his soul,” one of his former caregivers, Toody Scott, told AAP.
“He always had a spark about him, which is very different from working with other crocodiles.”
Cassius was captured in 1984 near a cattle station on the Finniss River, southwest of Darwin
Cassius was known to prowl the waterways of Australia before his lifetime before being brought to Marineland Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat
Three years after his capture, he was transferred to Green Island by crocodile hunter George Craig, who had founded Marineland Melanesia in 1969.
Scott said the crocodile had a particularly close bond with his keeper Craig and the pair sat quietly together for ‘hours at a time’.
Scott said: ‘For the last few years George has been getting around on a mobility scooter and every time he got near the fence Cassius would come to him.’