SYDNEY, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- An extraordinarily large saltwater crocodile was found shot dead in a river in the Australian state of Queensland on Thursday, with the crocodile said to have been one of the biggest ever seen in the state by authorities on Friday.
The 5.2-meter large reptilian was found floating in the Fitzroy River near the town of Rockhampton on Thursday, and police and environmental officers said they are investigating the incident.
The crocodile was found with a single bullet hole to its head, according to Koorana Crocodile Farm owner John Leaver, who told local media on Friday that a crocodile this size had not been caught in Queensland for decades.
"There may have been some others shot in the wild that we don't know about, but from my recollection, over the past three decades this would be the largest," Leaver said.
The shot to the head was most likely caused by a "fairly large calibre rifle" and Leaver suggested that it was possible that whoever shot the giant creature felt "very threatened."
Authorities believe the huge reptile had been dead for a few days before a member of the public discovered its remains.
