WATCH: ’Monstrous’ croc Brutus goes full hog with stolen pig on Adelaide River
Infamous saltie Brutus caused croc watchers to squeal after devouring a suspected stolen pig. WATCH THE VIDEO.
A boat load of croc watchers were squealing in awe after capturing the moment famous Top End alpha saltie Brutus devoured a stolen pig this week.
Brutus the elder 6m saltwater crocodile is well-known in the Top End for putting on a show and on Tuesday, October 7, he ensured onlookers got their money’s worth.
The croc was first spotted by Jake Bowman from Adelaide River Cruises at 9am carrying a hairy item.
At first the 29-year-old said he was a little nervous about what the old saltie was carrying.
“I was a little bit concerned on what it actually was,” he said.
“But as I got closer I could see it was pig hair.
“He was just floating with it, he wasn’t interested in interacting with the boat.”
However on the 11am tour, things got a lot more interesting.
The boat came across Brutus sitting on the bank before he started to scoff his prize.
“He just swallowed it,” Mr Bowman.
“People were in awe. It’s something off Nat Geo documentary and everyone was witnessing it and watching him consume it so it was quite incredible to watch.”
“He was chewing it a little bit and you can see the bulge in his neck and he looks monstrous.”
As the son of the cruise director, Mr Bowman said he had been around the reptiles all his life and had heard plenty of incredible stories involving the alpha croc.
“I’ve seen the previous footage but to see it with my own eyes was mind-blowing,” he added.
Brutus is known for taking his bacon seriously having previously hit headlines for fighting fellow alpha Dominator for a large pig.
But as the predator has aged, he has lost a lot of his teeth making it very hard to shred his prey.
Due to this, Mr Bowman said they think the crafty croc might have stolen the feast once it was partly shredded and chewed by another saltie.
“We saw it live with a crocodile killing a pelican and we saw Brutus chase the crocodile and take the pelican off him,” Mr Bowman said.
“He could have been actively hunting a herd of pigs.
“But what we reckon he’s done is he’s actually bullied another crocodile for the pig because that other crocodile has already ripped it up.
“He does have trouble shredding. That’s how crocodiles tend to die really through starvation unable to shred through the skin of their prey.”
Either way, Brutus appears to be enjoying having a full belly for now but Mr Bowman said he would probably be back to the boat in a week or two for some chicken or buffalo.
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Originally published as WATCH: ’Monstrous’ croc Brutus goes full hog with stolen pig on Adelaide River
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