Burt, a giant crocodile and popular film star of the 80s, has died

Burt, perhaps one of the most famous crocodiles in the world, has died at the ripe old age of around 90. The world-famous beast was the reptilian star of the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee about the escapades of an eccentric Australian bushman in New York City.

The sad news of his death was shared by Crocosaurus Cove, the wildlife center in Darwin where he has lived since 2008.

“Burt was known for his independence and was a confirmed bachelor, an attitude that was evident in his earlier years on a crocodile farm. His fiery temperament earned him the respect of his handlers and visitors alike as he embodied the raw and untamed spirit of the saltwater crocodile,” they posted on Instagram.

“Burt was truly one of a kind. He wasn’t just a crocodile; He was a force of nature and a reminder of the power and majesty of these incredible creatures,” they added.

Crocodile Dundee wasn’t Burt’s only brush with fame. According to Crocosaurus Cove, it was reportedly used as the basis for the digital effects in the 2007 Killer Croc film RogueHe also successfully predicted that France would win the 2018 FIFA World Cup (despite displaying an obvious Australian bias in the early stages of the tournament).

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His exact age is unclear as he was captured at an unknown age in the waters of the Reynolds River in Australia’s Northern Territory in the 1980s. However, experts believe it was probably close to a century old.

During these decades of his life he grew to immense stature. It was about 5.1 meters long from snout to tail and weighed 700 kilograms.

Burt was a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), a species of crocodile native to the east coast of India, Southeast Asia, northern Australia and parts of Micronesia. Since they are the largest living reptile on Earth, they are unsurprisingly known as the King of Crocodiles.

However, this is a very competitive order of animals. Over in Africa there is the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus), which can grow up to 4.5 meters (14.7 feet), although longer specimens have also been reported.

One of these particularly big guys is a 123-year-old named Henry, the oldest known crocodile in the world, reaching over 5 meters (16 feet 5 inches) in length.