Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press
Move over, Utan. There's another giant crocodile in town, though the town is thousands of miles away from the Grand Strand.
A 21-foot male crocodile was captured this week along a creek in Bunawan township in the Philippines after a three-week hunt .
Officials there have named one-ton saltwater reptile Lolong, after a local hunter who helped capture it.
Alligator Adventure of North Myrtle Beach is home to Utan, the "King of the Crocs", a 20-foot long beast that's billed as the "the largest crocodile in the United States" or even, according to the park's voicemail message, "the largest known crocodile in captivity."
The park's animal curator, Travis Correll, said the reptile captured in the Philippines is impressive, but "we have a pretty decent crocodile ourselves."
Correll isn't sure if Lolong is really bigger than the North Myrtle Beach croc, because the measurements he's read about in news report have varied from one story to the next. "It's definitely a good rival to Utan," he said.
As for any interest the park might have in obtaining Lolong, Correll couldn't say. "Supposedly the Philippine government is going to keep it for tourism purposes," he added.
Utan is 48 years old, Correll said, with an estimated lifespan of about 60 to 80 years, so Alligator Adventure can look forward to many more years of showing him off to the public.
The Philippine crocodile is believed to be around 50 years old.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
