Lolong
Lolong was declared the largest crocodile in captivity by the Guinness Book of World Records in July 2012.

A giant saltwater crocodile named as the largest in captivity by the Guinness Book of World Records has died from a bloated stomach.

According to local reports, the monster reptile, named Lolong, who weighed more than a tonne and measured 6.7m in length (22ft), passed away after being unwell for almost a month.

"He refused to eat since last month and we noticed a change in the colour of his faeces," Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde told the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper.

"Our personnel also noticed an unusual ballooning of the reptile's belly."

In 2011 Lolong was captured by a team of 30 men after a three-week hunt. It was suspected of killing two people.

Last July, the leviathan dethroned the previous record holder, Cassius, a 5.48m Australian crocodile weighing just under a tonne.

An official certificate presented to the town by the Guinness Book of Records read: "The largest crocodile in captivity is Lolong, a saltwater crocodile, who measured 6.17 m. Lolong's weight was also measured at a truck weigh-bridge and verified as 1,075 kg."

The leviathan quickly became a celebrity and a major tourist attraction in Bunawan, a remote Philippine town with a population of under 5,000.

An ecotourism park was been built around the crocodile's enclosure, with town officials claiming to have already made roughly $60,000 from ticket sales.

Elorde now plans to have the crocodile preserved so villagers can still see the reptile that made their town famous.