Sweetheart, Estuarine Crocodile

Sweetheart, a 5.1 metre long male Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), is an iconic part of the history of the Northern Territory in Australia. In the 1970's, Sweetheart gained notoriety for attacking small, aluminium fishing boats at Sweets Lookout Billabong, a local fishing spot. By 1979 he had become quite aggressive and it was decided to capture and relocate him to a crocodile farm. Unfortunately he became entangled with a sunken tree and drowned during the capture process. His body was presented to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, where he was prepared by a taxidermist as a skin mount and also a skeleton. Sweetheart has become the most popular exhibit at the museum, where his huge size (he weighed over 780 kg) enthrals visitors.