Crocodile from cult film "Crocodile Dundee" dies

By Jörg Vogelsänger

Darwin - The saltwater crocodile Burt, known from the cult film "Crocodile Dundee", has died. The animal lived to be around 90 years old, according to the Australian reptile park Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin.

Crocosaurus Cove
This handout issued by the zoo shows crocodile Burt being fed at Crocosaurus Cove. (archive picture)

"Burt was truly one of a kind," said a spokeswoman. "He was a force of nature and a symbol of the power and majesty of these incredible creatures."

Burt was about five meters long and weighed around 700 kilograms, local media reported. The reptile was caught in the Reynolds River in 1980 - and then named after the US actor Burt Reynolds (1936-2018). He always had Hollywood in his blood, the zoo's spokeswoman told ABC Australia.

In the 1986 film, Burt can be seen briefly in a scene in which main character Mick "Crocodile" Dundee (Paul Hogan) saves New York journalist Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) from the fangs of a giant crocodile.

The adventure comedy is still considered Australia's most successful film today. An estimated 200,000 saltwater crocodiles live in the country. They live to be 70 years old on average.