‘You should see the other guy!’ Monster croc spotted with snout bitten off in Daly River

A MONSTER croc has been spotted with his top jaw bitten off, a broken leg and part of his tail missing after a suspected fight with another croc on the Daly River

The 4m Daly Devil croc. Picture: Alex Julius

A MONSTER croc has been spotted with his top jaw bitten off, a broken leg and part of his tail missing after a suspected fight with another croc on the Daly River.

The 4m beast was named the Daly Devil by NT Newsfishing columnist Alex Julius, who spotted him on the bank of the river last month.

Julius said the croc looked like he was in pain and struggling to move.

“My boat’s pretty big and crocs steer clear of it, so we went in closer to get the best shot,” he said.

“Low and behold we saw that a large section of his top jaw had been bitten off.

“It didn’t look like that old an injury and his left arm was completely broken, which would explain why it let us get quite close.”

The Daly Devil likely lost most of his top jaw to another croc. Picture: Alex Julius

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Julius said the croc, spotted near Harey’s Rockbar, was likely injured in a fight with another beast over territory.

“Even though he’s lost his top jaw we don’t know the condition of the other croc, although he probably came off worse with his broken leg,” he said.

Julius said that despite his size, other crocs would have been able to take him on.

“I’ve seen crocs up to seven metres. He would have been about four metres,” he said.

“Although, I’m not sure how much of his tail’s missing.”

Julius said the Daly Devil resembled another croc he had spotted with its top jaw missing in Kakadu last year, although wildlife experts think that croc “likely ate its own face”.

That croc, which charged at Julius’s boat while he was fishing in an inland lagoon was missing 10-15cm of his snout.

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But croc expert Adam Britton said it likely happened due to old age.

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,” he said.