In pursuit of the title for the largest crocodilian this side of the world, the Toledo Zoo’s saltwater crocodile has some competition.

Baru was meticulously measured upon his 2013 arrival in Toledo from Australia’s Northern Territory, where he had made himself a nuisance by taking ranchers’ cattle for his meals. He was just barely under 17 feet long at the time.

“He was measured while sedated,” Jeff Sailer, director of the Toledo Zoo, said. “And that’s the only reason we were able to measure him like that.”

In South Carolina, a hybrid saltwater-Siamese crocodile at Alligator Adventure near Myrtle Beach may have Baru beat. 

Utan was born on a crocodile farm in Thailand in 1964 and took up residency in the United States in 2002.

Ken Alfieri, park director at Alligator Adventure, said Utan’s last measurement was taken informally in the mid-2000s.

“He had just been fed and laid himself out straight as an arrow,” Mr. Alfieri said. “So I went and grabbed the measuring tape.”

Mr. Alfieri marked the ground at Utan’s head and tail and measured the space between. The marks tallied an inch or two more than 17 feet, he said. As of now, the Alligator Adventure website lists Utan’s length as 18 feet, but the reality is no one is certain of the length of either croc.

Reptiles continue to grow throughout their lifetimes. The Toledo Zoo has not had reason to sedate Baru again and remeasure, but he could now be longer than Utan.

“It slows down as they get older, but they never stop growing,” Mr. Sailer said, noting Baru is estimated at about 50 years old. “We’re very sure in our belief that he is the longest crocodile in the Western Hemisphere.”

Mr. Alfieri concedes that if Baru hasn’t beaten Utan yet, he likely will eventually because he is pure saltie — as saltwater crocs are often called.

“Unfortunately for us, I think Baru has the potential to grow larger,” he said. “I think the true saltie, in the end, will win the length contest.”

But Utan, who weighed about 2,000 pounds upon his arrival in South Carolina, will presumably remain the heavier of the two monster crocs. Mr. Alfieri said Utan has a very stocky bone structure — particularly in his skull — and has gained an unknown amount of weight since 2002.

“He was more lean when we got him,” Mr. Alfieri said. “He has since packed on the pounds.”

Baru, by comparison, is estimated to weigh somewhere between 1,400 and 1,500 pounds after arriving in Toledo on the chunky side at 1,540 pounds. He has since slimmed down to a healthier weight, and continues to awe visitors as a favorite attraction at the historic Reptile House.

“He’s one of the best animals we could have ever acquired,” Mr. Sailer said. “He’s an ambassador for his species, and a great icon for conservation in Australia.”

He added that the Toledo Zoo would not seek out a hybrid animal such as Utan, but might take in one needing rescue so long as it would not compromise available space or resources for purebred animals and conservation efforts.

Rob Vernon, spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said there are fewer than 10 crocodiles measuring 15 feet and longer in the 233 facilities accredited by the organization.

The largest known crocodile in captivity, according to Guinness World Records, is a 17-foot, 11¾-inch saltie named Cassius at the Marineland Melanesia on Green Island in Australia.

Contact Alexandra Mester: amester@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @AlexMesterBlade.

First Published April 23, 2016, 4:00 a.m.