Crocodile marked 110th birthday with 20kg cake made of dead chickens

A FAMOUS north Australian animal turned 110 this week - but there was no letter from the Queen as supposed

Instead, Cassius the croc had to make do with a cake made of chicken necks.

And it took him less than a minute to devour the birthday treat.

Far North Queensland keepers of the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity sang the old croc Happy Birthday before giving him the 20kg meat cake topped with candles.

"He destroyed it in about 30 seconds," Marineland Melanesia croc wrangler Billy Craig said. "It's one of the biggest meals he's had - we decided to spoil him."

The 5.48m giant reptile normally eats about 1kg of chicken and fish a day.

It isn't known exactly how old Cassius is but keepers, who estimate his age at about 110, decided it was time to celebrate anyway.

"Crocodiles usually replace their teeth but normally, once they're old and sick, they'll stop replacing them," Mr Craig said.

"The fact he's still got his teeth and that he's in pretty good shape means he could live another 30 years."

Cassius was caught in the wild in the Northern Territory 26 years ago after being deemed a nuisance for attacking boats.

No one wanted the croc so Mr Craig's grandfather, George, who owns the Green Island farm, gave him his new home.

In 2011 the reptile, named after legendary boxer Cassius Clay, was officially declared by Guinness World Records to be the biggest crocodile in captivity.