The Giant Crocodile Sweetheart

Sweetheart was a 5.5 meter saltwater crocodile that lived in the Finnis River in the Northern Territory of Australia, some 55 kilometers south west of Darwin city. This enormous beast was very territorial. It became famous because it took a dislike to the sound of outboard motors and would often attack small boats entering its territory. Presumably it viewed them as a threat or a challenge from a rival.

Career, Capture and Death

Over a period of five years, from 1974 to 1979, Sweetheart attacked over fifteen small boats. The crocodile did not seem to have too much interest in the people on the boats, as during this time nobody was killed by the croc.

Sweetheart was eventually captured by Northern Territory Parks rangers. The intention was to take the beast to a local croc farm for display, but Sweetheart died soon after capture. A rope holding its mouth closed snagged underwater and the big beast drowned.

The immense size of this animal can't truly be grasped from the pictures. The photo shows the stuffed remains of Sweetheart at the Darwin Museum. You can get up close to the specimen. I was able to lie on the floor next to it. If I curled up in a fetal position, I would be able to fit comfortably into the torso of this creature. I am over six feet tall and 100 kilograms in weight. This was one big crocodile.

Surviving Commercial Hunting

Sweetheart was a survivor of the commercial hunting of crocs that occured between 1945 and 1971 in Australia. In this time Crocodylus porosis was pushed to the brink of extinction in this country. Eventually the species was protected and hunting outlawed.

Sweetheart's enormous size in 1979 shows that he was a survivor of this intense hunting. Only the shyest crocs managed to survive this purge. These survivors had also learned to associate people with danger, which is perhaps why this croc never tried to kill any of the people on the boats, even if they were thrown into the water.

How Old Was Sweetheart?

His size suggests an age of about seventy to eighty years. It is possible that Sweetheart was hatched in the late 1800s and was already a large adult by the time the first missionaries made their way into the north of Australia.

Are There More Crocs This Size?

Yes. There are other survivors of the hunting times, and some are massive. I have personally seen one at least as large as Sweetheart swimming in the ocean off the coast of Kakadu National Park's Pocock Beach while doing field work.

I was told at the time by my supervisor that the biggest ones are not the most dangerous, as they have learned to keep well away from humans. The most dangerous crocs are those that have grown since the hunting stopped and have no fear of people. Some of these crocodiles already reach up to four meters in length.

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