Two South African fishermen have come across the dead body of an enormous 18-foot-long crocodile that apparently died from swallowing fishing nets.
The 5.4-metre (17.7-foot) crocodile carcass was found at Flag Boshielo Dam near the town of Marble Hall in the South African province of Limpopo.
Rikus Muller told Newsflash: “We were fishing on Saturday 10th October when we noticed something floating in the water and realised it was a crocodile’s hind leg.”
The pair turned the boat around to take a closer look as the object was not moving.
Muller said: “I thought that it may be dead so I poked it with my landing net .”
The fishermen wanted to investigate what killed the croc, but it was turning dark and they decided to head back and return the following morning.
Rikus Muller comparing his hand with the crocodile paw 
Rikus Muller comparing his hand with the crocodile paw
Muller took a photo of one of the croc’s feet to compare against his hand.
He shared the photo with his friend Martin Theunissen who told him the animal must have been “huge” and they returned to the scene the next day to find the crocodile corpse.
Muller told Newsflash: “We found it and dragged it to shore with the boat to take some photos.
“Afterwards we dragged it back into the dam so that nature could take its course.”
Muller was unable to say what caused the crocodile’s death, however, photos later posted on social media after the corpse had been removed and examined revealed the huge reptile had a number of fishing nets in its stomach.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
