Crocodile Gustav - nightmare of Burundi

There is one famous terrible crocodile, which in its time has eaten a huge number of animals and people. The fact that it is difficult to catch, says that this animal has a fairly high intelligence.

This is the famous, but terrible crocodile-cannibal Gustav, which will be discussed in this article. But first let's present some general information about this reptile.

About the Nile crocodile

The Nile crocodile is the embodiment of Sebek (an ancient Egyptian god). It is one of the largest species of modern crocodiles.

In general, the largest of all crocodiles is considered combed, since it often exceeds the length of 6 meters in comparison with others. But the Nile, in turn, can reach such large sizes. But, unlike the comb, his skull is relatively massive, and his jaw is wider. Nilsky is the most dangerous (along with the comb) for a human species of crocodiles, on account of which a huge number of victims.

Other species of large crocodiles

There are suggestions of scientists that in the area where the crocodile Gustav, you can meet larger crocodiles. But for today the most accurate information is only about Gustav.

Below is a brief summary of the large crocodiles that existed before.

1. Cassius Clay, who lives in Australia, is the oldest crocodile recognized as the largest, living in salty waters. According to the estimates of the Australians, this crocodile turned in 2013 a hundred years. The name of this reptile is given in honor of the famous boxer Muhammad Ali (the present name is Cassius Clay). The length of this crocodile is 5.48 meters, and the weight is 1 ton. He was listed in the Guinness Book of Records in 2011 as the largest crocodile.

2. The Philippine crest Lolong can live in fresh water and in salt water. They are often found in the mouths of rivers, where they hunt. In these places in 2011, near the town of Buanavan (Philippines), a larger crocodile was caught than Gustav. This is Lohlong.

He lived until 2013 in a specially constructed for him water eco park. Presumptive reasons for his death: crocodile swallowed nylon cord or cold weather, not typical of these climatic conditions. The official reason for the death of the animal is not yet available. The length of Lolong reached 6.4 meters, and its mass was more than one ton.

The largest crocodile of the planet in history

The largest crocodile of the planet was Sarcosukh, who lived in the Cretaceous. Its length reached 12 meters, and the weight was close to 8 tons.

Such a conclusion was made by scientists on the found ancient remnants in the middle of the twentieth century in the Sahara desert by a French paleontologist named Albert-Felix de Lapparent. They were found several arm shields and teeth, and later were found and the remains of the skeleton.

Crocodile Gustav: photo, description

The most famous crocodile-cannibal was the Nile, nicknamed Gustav. He was always hunted, but despite this, he could not be caught for long. You could identify this reptile not only in size, but also in several scars from bullet wounds.

Crocodile Gustav - male Nile crocodile. He appeared for the first time in the region of Burundi (Africa). According to known information, he was shot dead in 1987 at the request of local residents, as he was horrified at them. According to rumors, in his entire life he destroyed more than 300 people and became a hero of numerous legends.

This crocodile can claim the title of the most highly developed in his squad. Nile crocodiles live in communities where the hierarchy reigns. Although the behavior of crocodiles is not as pronounced as in mammals, but among the class of reptiles, it speaks of their high intelligence.

His huge jaws are not as strong as alligators. In total, the crocodile-eater Gustav (see photo below) in his mouth had 64-68 powerful teeth.

In any case, the incredible power of a prehistoric animal is amazing. It is capable of one to one to overcome an animal equal to it by weight or more. And the Nile crocodile will attack more often than all of his fellow animals in large animals. One case is known when Gustav killed even an adult huge hippopotamus.

In addition to incredible power, the Nile crocodile, like many others, has amazing vitality. It's hard to kill, even if you pierce through the body.

On the habits of the crocodile

Scientists, naturalists argue that the size of the animal does not allow him to hunt for zebras, antelopes and fish in connection with the great agility of the latter. Hence, the crocodile feeds on buffaloes and hippos, but sometimes attacks people.

Local residents say that by killing people, they leave their corpses uneaten. Gustav is still a phenomenon that has repeatedly come to the attention of scientists and residents of these places.

The history of the search for a crocodile

The giant crocodile Gustav received his name from Patrice Faye, who lived in Burundi and hunted for this terrible beast since 1998. He managed, together with his team to build a special cage, which was, according to his plan, to get a crocodile. The attempt failed, and the beast again fled.

Gustav was again discovered in 2008, but it was during this period that the Guinness Book of Records Commission confirmed the existence of a crocodile specimen reaching a 7-meter length, but already in the region of India (the east of the country). It turns out that the status, which has the crocodile Gustav as the largest on the entire planet, has not been formally confirmed today.

In conclusion: the protection of crocodiles

Although crocodiles are terrible at first sight, today more often people kill these reptiles because of their valuable skin. Their number in connection with this in recent years has decreased quite significantly. Also in this significant role is played by other factors: the extermination of them simply out of a sense of terrible fear and the development by people of their habitats.

In some countries, such as Australia, Myanmar and India, reptiles are taken under state protection. There are still various programs aimed at restoring their numbers. For example, young animals are raised on special farms of eggs, and hunting for them is generally prohibited. Especially effective measures in this regard are held in Australia, so the number of crocodiles has increased there in recent years.

Unfortunately, there are such countries where, most likely, these animals completely disappeared. This is Thailand and Sri Lanka. And in Vietnam today there are no more than 100 individuals.