15-Foot Crocodile Turns Into Cranky Dental Patient When Muscle Relaxer Wears Off — Australia

A 15-foot-tall giant crocodile was captured on camera becoming cranky while having dental work done at his Australian home. According to experts, the muscle relaxer wore off.

Elvis and His Three Teeth

Three of the teeth on Elvis, a large saltwater crocodile housed at the Australian Reptile Park in New South Wales, were growing in the wrong direction and developing an abscess. According to Billy Collett, the park operations manager, the croc was not pleased when keepers restrained the reptile to remove them. During the procedure, the enormous reptile awoke and started shaking his head.

Since his first visit to the park in 2007, Elvis has evaded capture.

Elvis is known to be a particularly irritable crocodile. After wreaking havoc by attacking boats that sailed in his natural habitat in Darwin, he entered the park.

The crocodile devoured two of his mates after getting to the park.

In a notorious incident that happened in 2011, Elvis snatched a lawnmower that was being operated in his enclosure. Two parkkeepers had their mowers taken by the crocodile after it lunged at them. He guarded it after that and wouldn't give it back. The keepers used meat to entice the crocodile away.

The park said on its Facebook page that the surgery has been one of the toughest challenges they have ever encountered because of the large, half-ton saltwater crocodile.

Collett says in the video that the crocodile's tooth had a "really unusual" growth pattern.

According to their website, The Australian Reptile Park is proud to be the original hands-on zoo in Australia. It is home to around 2,000 animals and is situated in a natural bush setting on New South Wales' picturesque Central Coast.

No Muscle Relaxer Strong Enough

Elvis was given a muscle relaxant by Keepers to make sure he was as calm as possible, but this didn't prevent Elvis from waking up while the procedure was going on. After removing the first tooth, the vet discovered two more that were bothering the reptile on an x-ray.

As soon as the second one was out, Elvis woke up and started to thrash. The Keepers piled on top of Elvis to restrain him, but Collett claims that because of his strength, the animal continued to thrash around.

Elvis is doing well since the operation, according to Lauren Mann, an Australian Reptile Park marketing assistant, who spoke with Newsweek. The Keepers have been keeping an eye on the crocodile as they would with any surgery, and things are healing quite well.

The keepers examined his size while they had him restrained, which was a rare opportunity.

While they have him waiting, according to Collett, they will use the time to conduct a thorough health check. It turns out that he is a whopping 15 feet long.

Saltwater Crocodiles

Australian native saltwater crocodiles are known for being more hostile than their freshwater cousins. Although the enormous creatures rarely attack when provoked, they are capable of doing so if they feel threatened, Newsweek reports.

According to National Geographic, the estuarine crocodile or saltwater crocodile is the biggest crocodilian on Earth and, according to some, the one most likely to consume a human. Males can grow to be 17 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds on average, but specimens up to 23 feet long and weighing 2,200 pounds is not unusual.