Photos shared online do not show a real crocodile in Bristol: UK expert

Photos shares online do not show a real crocodile in Bristol: UK expert

(Reuters) – Photos shared online do not show a real crocodile in Bristol, southwest England.

An individual posted two images purporting to show a reptile in the River Avon under Bristol bridge on August 2 that was shared 1,700 times (here) (here).

The photo likely gained traction following rumours of a “Bristol crocodile” circulating at least since 2014 (here).

Some Facebook users were suspicious of the crocodile’s authenticity, but others seemed convinced. One user wrote: “TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT SAID CROCODILES ARE NOT IN BRISTOL ——— I WAS RIGHT !” (here).

Dr Tom Stubbs, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Bristol who has worked on crocodiles (www.tomstubbs.co.uk/about.html , twitter.com/DrTLStubbs), reached a different conclusion.

“The image is almost definitely a fake crocodile, probably a remote-control plastic crocodile or alligator head,” he wrote in an email, noting that it was a “decent lookalike” compared to most sold on eBay or Amazon.

Stubbs added that crocodiles do not live in England because it is too cold and flagged a map from the National Geographic showing that wild crocodiles prefer the warmer climates of Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas (here). The colours of the crocodile head are also “slightly off” and there is no visible body attached, he said.

Indeed, the supposed crocodile looks very similar to prank racing boats available to buy online (here , here , here) and the water trail matches videos of the fake crocodile heads (here , here).

Avon and Somerset Police (www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/) said they had no information about the images.

VERDICT

False. This image does not show a real crocodile in Bristol. It resembles a fake and anyway, the reptiles do not inhabit England because it is too cold, said an expert.