Demonic croc from hell ‘likely ate its own face’, according to wildlife expert

AIN’T no one messing with this croc from hell. The demon beast ‘likely ate its own face’, according to wildlife experts

A demon croc with the top of its jaw missing was snapped by fishing expert Alex Julius while fishing at a remote lagoon in Kakadu. Picture: Alex Julius

AIN’T no one messing with the croc from the underworld.

NT News fishing columnist Alex Julius snapped a picture of this demon croc in an inland lagoon deep in Kakadu.

With his tail thrashing through the water, charging for Julius’ boat, the skipper noticed a set of diabolical choppers poking up through its snout.

When the 4.5m croc got close Julius realised the croc was missing a sizeable chunk of its top jaw.

Despite his impairment, the monstrous smile only added to his demonic appearance.

Julius said he was out fishing on Wednesday when he encountered the beast from hell.

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“This big boy charged up to our boat from 100m away when we stopped for lunch under a shady tree,” he said.

“My boat has a wrap with a big croc on the side and we wondered if the devil croc was getting territorial.

“It sure looked like it because he never took his eyes off us from 5m away until we decided to move on.”

He said the croc sat there for a good 10 minutes glaring at them.

“He raised his back to show he was bigger than us,” he said.

“I’m sure if one of us had jumped in the water he would have taken us as a bonus and a nice snack.”

Julius reckoned about 10cm to 15cm of the croc’s snout was missing.

“It’s interesting that the front of his top jaw is completely missing, undoubtedly from a battle with another croc, also an indication of his strong territorial nature,” he said.

“We joked that he might have been saying: ‘You should have seen the other bloke!’ ”

Julius said it appeared that losing a chunk of its jaw hadn’t affected him too much as he looked big and healthy.

The probable explanation for the croc’s disfigurement is as mental as it gets – it probably ate its own face.

Croc expert Adam Britton said it was common for crocs, especially older ones, to have their bottom teeth protrude through the top of their jaw.

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He said over time the holes created by the teeth could become so big that they eventually join up – forcing the tip of the snout to fall off.

“There may have been a bit of damage and it could have been exacerbated by the fighting but it shouldn’t be a problem because it still has its nostrils and teeth,” Dr Britton said.

He said it was a good reminder that crocs are incredibly resilient animals.

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“It’s only a problem if they lose too much of their jaw, maybe half of it, that’s pretty much the end for the croc but because they are so resilient they can last for a year or two years before they die.”