'Australia's Crankiest Crocodile' Celebrates His Birthday

‘Australia’s Crankiest Crocodile’ Celebrates His Birthday

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: January 13, 2021 1:00 am

Elvis the crocodile in his enclosure at the Australian Reptile Park

Photo Credit: Australian Reptile Park

Elvis the saltwater crocodile dubbed “Australia’s Crankiest Crocodile” and perhaps the world’s most famous reptile has celebrated his 55th birthday. Keepers treated Elvis to a whole cow leg for his birthday.

Elvis gained his title of “Australia’s crankiest crocodile” in 2011 when footage of him stealing his keeper’s lawnmower went viral. Since then he has been become well known for his antics.

Elvis eats his birthday treat at the Australian Reptile Park

Photo Credit: Australian Reptile Park

To obtain his birthday treat the 4.5m (14.8ft) long, 500kg (1102lbs) beast charged keepers before performing his world-famous “death roll” for onlookers.

He played an intense game of tug away with six of his keepers to break apart the bite-sized pieces. He was quick to chase his keepers while carrying the prey in his mouth.

Commenting on the extremely dangerous activity Head of Reptiles at Australian Reptile Park Daniel Rumsey said, “It’s not easy playing tug-of-war with a huge living dinosaur like Elvis! I always feel the burn in my arms in the days to follow, and this time he felt stronger than ever.”

Keepers at the Australian Reptile Park feed Elvis the crocodile

Photo Credit: Australian Reptile Park

Mr Rumsey went on to say “I swear Elvis knows when it’s his birthday, his eyes light up when he sees the cow carcass like ours do when we see our birthday cake! Giving him this type of food provides excellent enrichment for him. He thinks that he just grabbed a large prey item, dragged it in the water and drowned it then ripped off a piece. This is a natural behaviour that we see in wild crocs and it’s awesome to see Elvis mimic this behaviour and showcase these incredible instincts!

“Crocodiles are superior hunters, and they possess larger than average sized teeth and a jaw capable of crushing the bones of large prey, of which Rumsey says, “the bone crunching sound makes my bones shudder.”

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Elvis moved to the Australian Reptile Park in 2007. He had originally lived in Darwin Harbor in Australia’s Northern Territory where he would cause havoc for fisherman’s boats.

At the Australian Reptile Park he is an ambassador for his species and helps to create a connection with visitors. Saltwater crocodiles were once on the edge of extinction following excessive hunting but legal protection has helped them to undergo a full recovery.