Sweetheart (crocodile)

Sweetheart was the name given to a 5.1 m (17 ft) male saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) which Northern Territory folk legend claims was responsible for a series of attacks on boats in Australia in the 1970s.

[2] In July 1979, Sweetheart was finally caught alive by a team from the Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission due to fears for human safety, but died while being transported when he became tangled with a log.

[4] The crocodile's mounted body was prepared for an Australian tour by Ian Archibald[4] and eventually placed on permanent display at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

[5] The story of Sweetheart was interpreted with considerable artistic licence by filmmaker Greg McLean in his 2007 creature feature Rogue, starring Michael Vartan, Sam Worthington and Radha Mitchell.

[6] Sweetheart's dimensions were expanded by two metres in the film, which saw Academy Award-winning creature designer John Cox[7] win an AFI Award for his construction of the crocodile used on screen.