During a business trip to a swamp in the Pantanal, Brazil, British photographer Paul Goldstein was impressed by a mutant crocodile with a hump on its back. According to photographer Goldstein, this is probably the first crocodile with a hump in the world.
The black crocodile has a big hump on its back
Mr. Goldstein said he encountered this deformed animal while walking around the swamp to do business. This crocodile is about 3.3 meters long. Even though it tried to hide behind the reeds, the crocodile was quickly discovered because of its unusual appearance.
As a photographer and wildlife expert, Mr. Goldstein affirmed that this was the first time he and the indigenous people here saw this humped crocodile. “I’ve been to the Pantanal quite a lot but have never seen this strange animal. And most importantly, no local person has ever seen it like me.”, he said.
While crocodiles with more beautiful appearances are often raised in tourist areas, this humpback crocodile is isolated. But Mr. Goldstein said, the crocodile’s health is currently stable and shows no signs of being affected by the tumor on its back.
Hiding behind the reeds but still being discovered
According to the diagnosis, this hump may be the inevitable consequence of a previous life-and-death battle or due to a congenital deformity.
It is known that the humpback crocodile belongs to the black crocodile (caiman) species, which is an animal on the IUCN red list.
