Monster Crocodile in New Orleans

Michael Maffei sent me some giant crocodile pictures that have begun doing the rounds. They're accompanied by this caption:

Now this is a Crocodile ! This crocodile was found in New Orleans swimming down the street. 21 FT long, 4,500 lbs, around 80 years old minimum. Specialists said that he was looking to eat humans because he was too old to catch animals. This crocodile was killed by the army last Sunday at 3:00 pm, currently he is in the freezer at the Azur hotel. The contents of it's stomach will be analyzed this Friday at 2:30pm.

The pictures are real enough, but they're weren't taken in New Orleans. These are pictures of the Monster Crocodile of Pointe-Noire (in the Republic of the Congo). They've been circulating for over two years. David Emery notes that the crocodile was really estimated to be 16 feet long and weighed about 1874 lbs. That's still a lot bigger than I'd ever care to encounter.

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Animals Photos

Posted on Fri Sep 16, 2005



Comments

The first impression of the photo looks already non american and more likely african. People in the US are definitely bigger. Other comments about location of crocodiles vs. aligators, and the truck's plate and the indentification of its speed limit were already mentioned in previous comments.
Posted by John  on  Mon Sep 26, 2005  at  03:14 AM
ok here we all know that mexico,texas and possibly new orleans are in the same area in a way. the croc that was found was obviously close where the hurricane was hitting at the time . i mean it isnt that impossible because they do swim so maybe it wasnt on the coast but couldnt that mean he could of been swimming around to the point of where he was right there when the storm hit i dont know all i can say is that this is some lake placid shit
Posted by joe lapinta  on  Mon Sep 26, 2005  at  06:59 AM
"It's sad people have to kill these things. It's been living all these years, and it got so big, yet they still had to kill it. Just rehabilitate it, it's not that big a deal."
posted by that dumbass Sakano


It is people like you that monsters like this get near villages and towns were humans live. People like you who yell save the Shark after a poor little 14 year old girl in florida gets half her body eaten by a shark! These creatures are fine when they are in there habitat, but I think that when human life is in danger because these monsters decide to flock to our habitat than they need to be killed! Better them than a human being! Kill to eat or kill not to be eaten! If you want to rehabilitate a crocodile than make sure all your friends are there with you on boat paddling your little happy asses toward the croc so you can stare into its sad eyes before it lundges at you smiling with its cute big teeth and crunches down on your head! Hehehehe!

PS: Yes there are Crocodiles in Florida and Florida by they way is not too far from New Orleans. As a matter of fact it is practically 230 miles if that. So a storm with floods could possibly bring fourth a monster from Florida into New Orleans. Not that I am saying this is a true pic in New Orleans, but that it is possible!

Sakano has been served by the phonedork!
Posted by phonedork  on  Mon Sep 26, 2005  at  09:05 AM
It's a real picture- just not a real gator. It's actually the fake monster used in the movie "Ed Wood." Boris Karloff had to rassle it in a swamp.

"Sakano has been served by the phonedork!"

Hey,phonedork! Can you finish a sentence without an exclamation! Give it a try! Thanks! ...pinhead...!
Posted by booch  on  Mon Sep 26, 2005  at  12:32 PM
I was suspicious of the pictures as well and disappointed that we are using the disaster in New Orleans to send fluke stories like this out. Where is our sympathy and respect?

I did find some interesting crocodillian information on this National Geographic page:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/crocmap/ax/frame_main.html
Posted by Sandy  on  Mon Sep 26, 2005  at  01:34 PM
HOW STUPID ARE AMERICANS! DO WE REALLY NOT KNOW WHEN PEOPLE ARE MAKING FOOLS OF US? STOP PASSING THIS MESS AROUND!
Posted by DEE VOTARY  on  Tue Sep 27, 2005  at  06:30 AM
I didn't believe the story that the Army catched the croc, where are the soldiers in the photos? and obviously they're not carrying it in an Army vehicle
Posted by Raul  on  Tue Sep 27, 2005  at  06:58 AM
i did the search on the hotel too as i don't remember that name from any of my trips there. and i could not figure out why they were calling it a croc and not a gatoe..oh because it was a crock..anyway, photos are still cool
but they could have done without the slam to mayor nagin..
Posted by e  on  Tue Sep 27, 2005  at  01:07 PM
There are so many things that are wrong with this photo.
First thing that I noticed was that Crocs have a longer snout. And there are very very few North American crocs. They are endangered and I think the number is somewhere in the less than 500 range.
My 7 year old did a report on Crocodillians last year. He even noticed that the size was all wrong.
According to his research found on the "gatorland" website, American alligators can measure up to 18 feet, but are usually around 13 feet and weigh between 450 and 600 pounds. They also only live between 35 to 50 years in the wild.
No to mention all of the other "mistakes" in this photo........Thanks for offering a place to set things straight.
Posted by DK  on  Tue Sep 27, 2005  at  02:22 PM
It is obviously a hoax. But there are alligator (not Croc) farms in the region that could have flooded and allowed large alligators to escape. The owners of some of these tourist traps pen up and over-feed alligators to enormous sizes, though a size this big is impossible. Interestingly, a lot of these farms keep and raise exotic animals illegally, so the idea of this could be plausible, but come on, 4,500 lbs! Why don't they say it was Nessie out there in the streets.
Posted by cewmd01  on  Tue Sep 27, 2005  at  03:26 PM
Sorry folks. It's a Big Ole' Lie.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_croc_new_orleans.htm
Posted by Jeff B.  on  Tue Sep 27, 2005  at  04:21 PM
There are so many moronic comments here that it's hard to contain myself...

THE TRUTH...FINALLY:

These pictures (and more) were taken at Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo (that's in Africa folks) on July 6, 2003 (and that's over two years before Katrina). It is/was a Nile Croc (that's right...a crocodile...NOT an alligator), was 16 feet and about 1900 pounds, and estimated to be ~50 year old. (Funny thing...they lied about its' size and age then too)

But don't take my word for it. Click on the link below and see for yourself...

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_pointe_noire_croc6.htm

Of course all of this information could be as erroneous as everything else, but at the least it shows that it is definitely not related to Katrina.
Posted by reh  on  Wed Sep 28, 2005  at  12:20 PM
How do you know that the three pictures are not real? The Croc looks mutated, as if it was to different pictures . Just so people know there is not a liecense plate on the back of the truck, all that you see are numbers. If people knew that the Croc was really dead then they would be calm cause they would know that it would not get them or anything. Any Way the point is that if you send a message to someone with out the information at the top of the screen then they will think that it is real... :coolsmile:
Posted by KJT  on  Wed Sep 28, 2005  at  02:51 PM
hey ppl if u noticed the picture isnt of a crocodile in new orleans its a different pic and they did find a croc and it was the one from the zoo
Posted by tyler  on  Wed Sep 28, 2005  at  07:35 PM
I think the Croc. Hunter is pissed off he couldn't get that sucker with he's bare hands...
Posted by Oh-Kami  on  Wed Sep 28, 2005  at  09:59 PM
Amazing that there are so many of you out there that are smart enough to figure this out, but dumb enough not to have good vocabulary. You're all losers!
Posted by Who cares  on  Thu Sep 29, 2005  at  11:25 AM
"People like you who yell save the Shark after a poor little 14 year old girl in florida gets half her body eaten by a shark! These creatures are fine when they are in there habitat, but I think that when human life is in danger because these monsters decide to flock to our habitat than they need to be killed!"

So, where did this girl in Florida get eaten by the shark? A crowded city street? Nope, I think it was the ocean, which is the habitat of sharks for a little bit under 400 million years. That is the result of us entering their habitat. Wanna swim where there are no sharks? Buy a pool. Same with people mauled by bears when they camp in forests, hikers attacked by cougars, natives snatched by crocodiles at river edges. Animals generally avoid human villages and such unless they have a problem (old, ill, injured). These are rarities known as rogues. Lions that stay at villages to hunt humans because they are weaker than normal prey. The Tsavo lions of the early 1900s would be a pristine example of this. The shark from 1916 off the coast of New Jersey that killed several people (and inspired Jaws) was thought to have been sick, explaining why it stuck so close to shore.

Regardless of that, the croc above is large for a Nile Crocodile, and if it were in the village, it was likely rogue, as well. This would endanger people, so thus, it was most likely killed out of defense. Nile Crocodiles in most of their range and most of their current extant subspecies are common, not even listed as being endangered. The Madagascar subspecies, which is smaller than the mainland populations, is considered threatened. If the animal was not rogue, it may have been suspected of killing someone from their village, leading to it being killed to be examined.
Posted by anonymous  on  Thu Sep 29, 2005  at  11:06 PM
who is the idiot woman who says the croc is not real. Everyone's is talking about how it is a big hoax that crocs aren't in louisiana and she busts up with: yeah, any normal human being wouldn't get anywhere close to something that big. yeah stupid, that's because its dead! any person with at least a 4th grade education can tell it's real, it just didnt come from New Orleans.
Posted by brandon  on  Fri Sep 30, 2005  at  09:00 AM
o, and then there's bill nye the science guy with all the information on sharks and crap and how it had to have had a disease, you moron, it doesnt have anything to do with sharks and cougars and stuff, its a hoax! the croc is real it just didnt get is from New Orleans, end of story!
Posted by brandon  on  Fri Sep 30, 2005  at  09:06 AM
Well then... First off, Nile crocs have been known to reach lengths of over 20', but they don't repeat DO NOT live on our continent, that's why they're called NILE crocodiles. It doesn't matter, though because we have all already heard the true story of where this croc came from. Now, as for all the people out there who do think this story is real...
YOU ARE ALL FRIGGIN MORONS! IT TOOK ME ABOUT 12 SECONDS OF CONTEMPLATION AFTER I HEARD ABOUT THIS (NOT SEEING ANY PICS, MIND YOU) TO REALIZE THAT SOMEBODY WAS YANKIN' MY GIRLFRIENDS FUCKING CHAIN.
Anyway, what does a cougar have to do with a crocodile?
Posted by Bradley  on  Fri Sep 30, 2005  at  10:36 PM
Regardless of the fact that I knew this was a crocodile and not an alligator and all of the other points made, there is still one thing that blatantly screams "this is a hoax!"

What am I referring to? Those black folk are not New Orleans. Look at the type of clothes they are wearing, not to mention if they were from the New Orleans projects, they would be hanging all over the gator throwing up gang signs acting like monkeys.

Racist comment, yeah, but it's the truth and the first thing that came to my attention becuse Lord knows we wish we could have civilized people like the ones in those pictures.
Posted by whocares  on  Sun Oct 02, 2005  at  09:26 AM
I said there were no crocs there but my co-workers said there were. I bought it to the point of being enraged that we idiot humans killed that big guy. Feel so much better now.....and no, I'm not blond.
Posted by k creed  on  Sun Oct 02, 2005  at  10:32 PM
hey,
dont you thank if its a huge croc like that, that it might just as well some equal or bigger then that one, and that they migt be headed to new oleans or are all ready there feeding off of the dead.
Posted by anthony  on  Mon Oct 03, 2005  at  09:28 PM
Oh well, makes for great bed time stories for the kiddies, you know like "Monster croc eats little kids when they're in bed asleep." Guaranteed to ensure extra bed partners at 2:00 a.m.
Posted by Bob  on  Tue Oct 04, 2005  at  07:38 AM
why would they mak up that they found a 21 foot gator/"croc" if it wasnt true it has to be. i dont know about you all but if this thing lived in a swamp all its life without any interruptions from us humans then no tellin how big he could get there might even be bigger things out there than that
Posted by kristy  on  Tue Oct 04, 2005  at  03:01 PM
Wow...some people say stupid things. I think this is an amazing creature. I believe that it is God's creature. And it's awesome that something that big could grow in the wild. But guess what, animal activists? God made people too, and he made us smarter than the animals. That's why when they try to kill us, we kill them. Don't like it? Then try going up against a huge croc like this, and just try telling me with a straight face that you would let it kill you before you killed it. Bullshit. Self defence is an instinct. So don't give me that all creatures are sacred bullshit. All creatures are sacred until they try to kill an animal that is better at killing than they are, in this case humans. If the animals were smarter than us, they'd be killing and eating you, but God was good enough to make us better.

And of course the story is a hoax. But I was happy to get the email because it gave me a chance to see a magnificent animal that I would otherwise never have known about, so everyone just stop bitching, please.
Posted by BenjiWenji  on  Tue Oct 04, 2005  at  10:20 PM
-The easiest give-away is the sticker on the truck that says 80/90. As the US still wors with Miles only it would mean that the truck is allowed to go 144 KMH. The dont even do that in NASCAR! LOL
Posted by Smartalec  on  Thu Oct 06, 2005  at  02:32 AM
This one is for Kristy who does not know how big the could get:

Alligator
Length: the American alligator Alligator mississippiensis can reach 15 feet (4.6 meters)
Weight: up to 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms)
Life span: 30 to 60 years

Crocodile
Length: largest
Posted by Smartalec  on  Thu Oct 06, 2005  at  02:35 AM
The Picture in itself let's you know something's up, However the best dead giveaway are the coloring of the script in the E-mail, and the person who originated it must really be an idiot, because he uses Alligator and Crocodile to describe the animal in the photos. What a friggin idiot.
Posted by Brian Suer  on  Thu Oct 06, 2005  at  07:45 AM
There is actually such thing as the American Crocodile (crocodylus acutus) however they are typically smaller than the american alligator, and are quite rare...
Posted by writer  on  Thu Oct 06, 2005  at  01:57 PM
this is all confused it says right there in the secound paragraph that his one in the pic was found in congo some one jus fuked up when they said monster croc it should say monster gator
Posted by douglas  on  Thu Oct 06, 2005  at  04:38 PM
the crocodile was carried down during during the hurricane by swimming with the strong currents the carried it to new orleans where it later lived and due to the fact that it was not capable of catching its own food it was convienant for it to feast on the dead bodies.
Posted by jeff  on  Sat Oct 08, 2005  at  03:12 PM
What kind of clown said that they should rehabilitate the crocodile. That has to be the stupidest thing i have ever heard. Yeah lets rehabilitate the thing that only know to kill. God what a moron. Its too bad the thing didnt eat them instead.
Posted by Thomas  on  Sat Oct 08, 2005  at  08:46 PM
All anyone with half a brain had to do is look at the picture to know it wasn't taken in New Orleans. Give me a break...Look at the buildings, people and vehicle...please!!! It's really pathetic that the public can be so easily led down the primrose path. I find it a bit scarey that people are so ready to believe anything they receive in e-mail, without even looking into it first. Cattle to slaughter...
Posted by Karen  on  Sun Oct 09, 2005  at  10:25 AM
Some of the comments are laughable!!! seriously choice in fashion has nothing to do with a croc eating a person,,, what does is hunger and opportunity.... further more statements about crocodiles in the states coming only from florida are also wrong , I've personally seen one in the ogeechee river in Georgia... So i would recon if there in ga, they could very well be in a few other southern states... also for those wondering some differences between alligators and crocodiles, i dont claim to be a exspert but visually croc's heads are pointier vs alligotors very very wide rounded head.... also crocs have higher scoups (the ridges on there backs) alligators are lower, also alligators are fairly dark colored creatures , and from what ive seen in zoo's and the 1 sightin in the ogeechee river croc's seem to me to be a bit lighter in color than alligators... And not that i know from exsperience or fact but ive heard there teeth differ to , but personally dont wanna get close enough to either to find out......
I also feel a great loss for this animal, and great sorrow that we as humans could not or would not use the technology we possess to try and capture this animal and create a safe habitat in captivity.... After all we do have nursing homes for our elderly, why not a old croc home for a animal that very well already had outlived most humans..... I hope whomever was involved in the death of this animal took great satisfaction in killing one of the last living dinosaurs!!! and for all you who will say it killed humans it had to die, i say we have murders in prision, why not a croc in captivity!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yall have a good day!!!
Posted by Georgia  on  Mon Oct 10, 2005  at  03:19 PM
Wow.... sounds like someone (see above) hit a nerve. I agree to some of his/her points, but this isn't politics. Opinions are like assholes; everyone has one and they stink!

As far as the hoax... wouldn't you think that ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, or CNN would cover a story of a monster croc in New Orleans??? Some of you are probably saying,
Posted by Brad  on  Tue Oct 11, 2005  at  06:22 AM
Cruelty to animals , with a shoot first attitiude should hit a nerve with us all!!!! But then again
It doesnt suprise me the level of cruelty humans can inflict on lesser species, just look what we do to each other!!!! Anyways someone has to speak on behalf of the animals!

Just so ya know:
And as for as the stench in someones rear end ya might wanna try to wipe and use soap and water, should cut down on that stinch alot for ya...
And if proper hygene doesnt seem to do the trick ,ya might wanna check with a doctor something else could be wrong...
Have a nice day!!!!!
Posted by Georgia  on  Tue Oct 11, 2005  at  11:29 AM
in some former post there was a few people wanting to know differences between alligators and crocodiles, heres a site done at UGA that has a very good picture of a alligator a crocodile and a kamen all is a single picture...

http://www.uga.edu/srel/crocodile.htm

hope this helps!!!! Yall have a good one!!!
For other info on crocodiles , alligators , and other reptile species ya might wanna check out The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Erwins , at Austraila
Zoo... He seems to have a great fascination with these beautiful creatures as well.. Might be a good place to start.....
Posted by georgia  on  Tue Oct 11, 2005  at  12:06 PM
it is real im is 7th grade and i know that. besides my science teacher told me and showed the whole class those same three pictures. she even meashured 21 feet from one side of the room tho another. ITS REAL!
Posted by saidelis  on  Tue Oct 11, 2005  at  02:06 PM
7th grader,
Yes the pictures are real , but the were not taken in New Orleans , they were taken in the congo back in 2003, someone was playing a joke and reposted them and said they were in new orleans..... the crocodiles here in the state are much much much smaller species than those found in the nile river system, Austrailia and Africa,, No worrys about one that big here!!!
Posted by Georgia  on  Tue Oct 11, 2005  at  03:44 PM
BenjiWenji
News flash: Crocodiles do kill humans!!

And, although we may be smarter , wouldnt go as far as to say we are superior than creatures who have been around decades upon decades longer than ourselves, I mean think about all the animals in just the time that crocodiles//alligators have been on the earth that have died completly out, and the ones still to die out before the croc//alligator!! I mean deserves some sorta respect!!! For all you know they may even out live the human species!!
Posted by Georgia  on  Tue Oct 11, 2005  at  03:52 PM
alrighty lemme clear this here stuff up, I spent my whole life in Louisiana, and a family who traps alligators, first off this isn't an alligator it is a crocodile, there isn't any crocs in louisiana, there is a small breed of crocs in florida that are much smaller and shapped differently, I agree this is a really old animal, but its not from louisiana, its not an alligator, and those aren't reall soul brothers from New Orleans.....

--gumbo luvin fool,
geaux tigers!
Posted by Wayne "Coonass" Tabor  on  Tue Oct 11, 2005  at  10:05 PM
Yall are all full of crap, those are New Orleans folks. Louisiana folks are some of the most friendly people around. Make those comments about the color of there skin and makeing remarks that make them out to be like the people on the movie Water Boy is just childish and emature.
and one more thing, May la Bau tau Rou Lay
Posted by Brian  on  Wed Oct 12, 2005  at  07:13 AM
Dont know how many louisiana people you've seen!
But the people in the photo are clearly not !!!
Also theres another picture on another site were the licence plate is clearly visible and its clearly a tag from a foriegn country!! (like say o, The Congo, in Point-Noire) Anyways there are many many many different kinna people in New Orleans , From plaid, overall wearing backwoods people, to thug types, to men in business suits,, to the vodoo kinds, all the way down to you average day american blue colored workers..

Lousiana is a very nice place to visit, Just stay clear of martigra place turns into a made house, i only thought st. patricks day in savannah was crazy... Have great day!!
Posted by Georgia  on  Wed Oct 12, 2005  at  08:14 AM
what was in the stomach of the crocodile
Posted by Laiken  on  Thu Oct 13, 2005  at  08:08 AM
well, yeah, of course crocodiles kill humans. So do spiders. And mosquitoes. Hell, all of these animals might outlast us. But don't go telling me that they're superior to us. I think they're awesome animals, but if humans wanted to wipe out the entire species they sure could (not that it would be a good thing or even an ok thing, just saying it's possible).
Posted by BenjiWenji  on  Thu Oct 13, 2005  at  12:49 PM
I think in a way they are lying because it would be seen from all the planes that fly around I mean if he is that big I would notice something like that if i was in a plane and if nobody seen that then its no telling what else might be on this earth.
Posted by Tate  on  Thu Oct 13, 2005  at  11:29 PM
its just like gas prices it isn't doing nothin but making poor people poorer and making more crimes in areas because theres a lot of people in the united states that are having money problems and there really not making it now because they can't pay for gas because they got to pay there bills and they don't make it to work because they have no money for gas so they get fired because they had no ride to work so the goverment it just getting all the money he don't really know what hes doing to us because hes got it made becasue hes getting our money and i think i am speaking for everybody.
Posted by Tate  on  Fri Oct 14, 2005  at  12:02 AM
No, Tate, if you were speaking for everybody, you'd be coherent.
Posted by Boo  on  Fri Oct 14, 2005  at  03:14 AM
Look at the picture closely and bear in mind that crocs have long slender snouts and and gators have short stubby snouts. view other pictures on the web also.
Posted by MacDyver  on  Fri Oct 14, 2005  at  04:36 AM
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