I've been tangoed! Crocodile turns orange after chewing through pipe filled with tannins

By Daniel Miller


Nice tan mate: According to owner Tracey Sandstrom, who runs Roaming Reptiles in Melbourne,
Australia Snappy ate part of a filter in his pool which allowed red algae to flourish turning him orange.

Snappy the bad-tempered salt water crocodile got a little more than he'd bargained for when he decided a pipe in his tank would make a tasty meal.

The pampered croc from Melbourne, Australia, turned a bright shade of orange after it turned out to contain tannins produced by a type of red algae.

Owner Tracey Sandstrom from Roaming Reptiles believes Snappy had chewed through a filter a few weeks earlier which caused the algae to flourish.

She said: 'I think it caused the pH levels in his water to soar which has led to the change in colour.'

Cranky Snappy, who sleeps in his own heated pool at night and is 2.6m long, became infamous after biting Tracey during a reptile show last year.

She is now looking to sell him as he has become too dangerous for her to handle.

She added: 'He's the prettiest croc I've got, and he's such a lovely animal ... apart from that time, he's been quite predictable.'

Crocked: Bad-tempered Snappy now has a bright orange tan to match his fiery temperament


The salt-water croc has no one to blame for his colour transformation but himself


source:dailymail