Burt, the giant crocodile from Crocodile Dundee, dies aged 90 | Film

Burt, the giant crocodile who starred in the hit Australian comedy Crocodile Dundee, has died.

Crocosaurus Cove, an aquarium and exhibit in Darwin, Australia, where Burt was housed, announced the news on social media, saying the crocodile “died peacefully” and was “estimated to be over 90 years old”.

Burt, a saltwater crocodile, was reported to be 5.1m (16ft 8in) in length and 700kg (110st) in weight and had been at Crocosaurus Cove since 2008. Named after movie star Burt Reynoldshe was caught from the Reynolds River in 1980 and subsequently found by filmmakers at a crocodile farm, according to Crocosaurus Cove CEO Penny Priest. In Crocodile Dundee, Burt appears in a scene where American reporter Sue Charlton (played by Linda Kozlowski) is saved by Mick Dundee (Paul Hogan) from a crocodile attack. While much of the sequence was shot using models, Priest said, “The scene … was actually filmed using the movements of Burt and him launching out of the water.”

Burt was also used as a visual effects model for the 2007 killer hook film Rogue, and in 2018 became Australia’s answer to Paul the octopus, correctly predict the result of the World Cup final by choosing to bite a French flag over a Croatian one with chicken pieces attached.

Crocosaurus Cove said Burt’s “fiery temper” meant he was a “confirmed bachelor”. Priest added: “Burt was a force of nature, he was one of a kind and had a great personality.”