Croc head on beach blamed on great white shark

The decapitated head of a crocodile washed up on a South African beach has sparked fears a huge great white shark is on the loose.

The gruesome scene was captured in a 90-second video by locals Brigitte Cary-Smith and husband Neale at St Lucia, 240km north of Durban, and posted to YouTube on January 5.

The couple, aged in their 50s, found the croc head while walking their dogs on the beach at sunrise one morning.

"You can see where the shark has actually ripped it," Mr Cary-Smith can be heard saying in the footage.

"On the side here in the flesh you can see the shark teeth.

"It's quite normal for sharks to swim here in the sea at St Lucia and it's also very normal for very large sharks to be very close to the shore."

Mr Cary-Smith guessed the crocodile, which he estimated would have been 3.5m in length, was set upon by a shark after swimming down river and entering the sea.

A hippopotamus, a tiger shark and a bull shark have all also been suggested as possible culprits but local experts have suggested that only a great white shark could have severed the head so cleanly.

Others believe that the crocodile fell prey to poachers although this too is disputed because the head and the jaw are usually the most valuable part of the animal.

Source: Daily mail