On September 1, Robert Irwin, son of the legendary Steve Irwin, introduced the public to a new Prince William.
But there is a catch.
This Prince William is a 3,8-meter saltwater crocodile.
The reptile became the 300th crocodile, which scientists tagged as part of a large research project at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in Australia. In honor of such a milestone number, Robert decided to give the animal a special name — and chose the name of Prince William, acknowledging his work in nature conservation and the Earthshot Prize project.
Now the "prince" has been fitted with a small tracker. For about 10 years scientists will monitor where it moves, what it eats, how long it can stay underwater, and how climate change affects its body temperature.
Irwin himself called the crocodile "a big guy" and "a modern dinosaur".
All in all, the compliment to the royal family turned out to be quite specific:
"We deeply respect your conservation efforts. So here's a nearly four-meter crocodile for you."
And we must admit — it's a memorable gift. 😄
So now there are officially two Prince Williams in the world.
One lives in the United Kingdom.
And it's better not to try to shake the other one's hand.
