Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
When it comes to the world’s longest-lived animals, you’ll find incredible variety. For example, the Earth’s oldest land animal is Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, born somewhere around 1832 and aged 190 in 2022.
Surprisingly, Jonathan has nothing on a quahog clam estimated to be more than 500 years old. The most aged primate in history was Cheeta the chimpanzee, who lived to be 80 years old. And don’t forget about the Greenland shark, which can live for nearly four centuries!
Now, we can add another old-timer to the mix, Cassius, an Australian crocodile best described as “big, old, and gnarly.” Keep reading for the lowdown on this 120-year-old reptile and what he’s teaching the scientific community about long life.
Cassius may not be the most gorgeous critter on the planet. But that hasn’t stopped him from slaying well into his second century. The scaly old lizard first gained acclaim due to his size. At nearly 18 feet long, the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) has outgrown even his biggest wild rivals.
Cassius the Croc, who holds the record for the largest crocodile, just hit his 120th birthday. #cassius #croc #guinness #worldrecord #crocodiles #crocodile #australia #australian #wildlife #news #cassiusthecroc #guinnessworldrecord #queensland pic.twitter.com/4UmkzJiI34
— Empact News (@EmpactNews) June 5, 2023
For example, in 2018, a saltwater croc turned up Down Under, sporting a 15.4-foot-long body. But he didn’t hold a candle to Cassius, who boasts the planet’s record (since 2011) for the largest captive crocodile. Emphasis on “captive.” That said, he’s still got a handful of feet to stretch before becoming the most enormous saltwater croc of all time. That record goes to Lolong, a more than 20-foot-long monster in the Philippines.
How did researchers capture Cassius in the first place? It all started at a cattle ranch in Darwin, Australia, in 1984. Put simply, cows and crocs didn’t mix well, which left Cassius in a pickle.
Crocodile researchers, including Grahame Webb, participated in the roundup operation that resulted in Cassius’s captivity. Webb recalls Cassius’s impressive size at the time, coming in at a whopping 16 feet, 10 inches. The largest of his species ever captured alive. Researchers estimated Cassius’s age at between 30 and 80 years old based on his size.
Once settled into captivity, Cassius did the unthinkable. He kept growing, soon stretching to nearly 18 feet. His continued growth went against the grain, offering scientists “serious knowledge on longevity.” And now he can add great age to the mix, having recently turned an estimated 120 years. (Give or take half a century.)
What else distinguishes Cassius from other reptiles? His personality! Unlike other elderly crocs that tend to slow down and get docile over time, Cassius remains a fireball. Toody Scott, a crocodile keeper at Marineland Crocodile Park on Green Island, notes, “He still has a lot of spark in him [and is] always up for an interaction. He’s one of the liveliest crocs and very engaging.”
Here’s to another 120 years, Cassius!
By Engrid Barnett, contributor for Ripleys.com
Source: After While Crocodile: 120-Year-Old Cassius Paves The Way For Longevity
