World's oldest crocodile has six girlfriends and fathered over 10,000 babies
Topics: Animals, World News
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Jam Press
Topics: Animals, World News
The world's oldest crocodile has six girlfriends and has fathered over 10,000 offspring.
Henry, who was born over 100 years ago, celebrates his 124th birthday on December 16, having reportedly been born in the year 1900.
While he's now living at the Crocworld Conservation Centre, in Scottburgh, South Africa, he was born in the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Botswana.
He's known for being huge in size - a whopping 16ft - and has now been officially named the oldest crocodile in the world.
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It's reported that in the early 20th century, the crocodile became famous for a series of attacks on young children.
Sir Henry Neumann - a British explorer - is said to have captured the croc after the spate of attacks and he has now spent the last three decades at Crocworld.
The zoo say that he has fathered over 10,000 hatchlings and has six partners.
Although Henry is the oldest crocodile in the world, he's not actually the largest.
That title has gone to a croc named Cassius, at Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat in Queensland, Australia, who measures over 17ft in length.
Cassius, who was captured in 1984, was named the largest living saltwater crocodile by the Guinness World Records in 2011.
According to National Geographic, nile crocodiles have a reputation for being responsible for numerous human deaths every year.
"The proximity of much of its habitat to people means run-ins are frequent." National Geographic explain.
"Firm numbers are sketchy, but estimates are that up to 200 people may die each year in the jaws of a Nile croc.
"The diet of the Nile crocodile is mainly fish, but it will attack almost anything unfortunate enough to cross its path, including zebras, small hippos, porcupines, birds, and other crocodiles. It will also scavenge carrion, and can eat up to half its body weight at a feeding."
Nile crocodiles usually live up to around 45 years in the wild, but this can be extended to up to 80 years in captivity.
They usually reach a size of up to 20 ft and can weigh a huge 1,650 pounds.
The crocs are often found in Africa, the Nile Basin and Madagascar in rivers, marshes and swamps.
National Geographic explain that, unusually for reptiles, both mother and father nile crocodiles have caring tendencies when it comes to birthing offspring.
Once the nests are made, the males and females guard the eggs until they hatch and even roll them gently within their mouths to aid their hatching.