CANBERRA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A 4.5-meter "devil" crocodile missing part of its face has been spotted in Australia's Northern Territory (NT).
Alex Julius, a fishing writer, was out on his boat in the Kakadu national park on Wednesday when the crocodile charged for his boat.
He estimated that 10 to 15 centimeters of its top jaw was gone, permanently exposing its lower teeth.
"This big boy charged up to our boat from 100 meters away when we stopped for lunch under a shady tree," Julius told News Corp Australia on Thursday.
"My boat has a wrap with a big croc on the side and we wondered if the devil croc was getting territorial.
"He raised his back to show he was bigger than us.
"I'm sure if one of us had jumped in the water he would have taken us as a bonus and a nice snack."
Julius assumed that it had lost the front part of its top jaw in a fight but according to Adam Britton, a leading crocodile expert from Charles Darwin University, it likely "ate" its own face when its bottom teeth protruded the top jaw.
"There may have been a bit of damage and it could have been exacerbated by the fighting but it shouldn't be a problem because it still has its nostrils and teeth," Britton said.
"It's only a problem if they lose too much of their jaw, maybe half of it, that's pretty much the end for the croc but because they are so resilient they can last for a year or two years before they die."
