‘Crocodile corpse’ found cut in half on a Liverpool street

Does it look real to you?

Liverpool has been left baffled after gruesome pictures emerged apparently showing a ‘crocodile’ cut in half close to three hospitals.

One woman, who claims to have spotted the ‘animal’ as she was leaving work last night, first thought it was a branch and then a stuffed toy, before claiming that it was in fact a dead, scaled creature.

However, others are not convinced by the pictures, some of which appear to show straw around the body.

It is also unclear how a crocodile-like creature could end up chopped in half – or whether any would-be innards were seen on the street. None of the pictures or videos circulating on social media show any blood around the body.

The mysterious object, in Fazakerley, North Liverpool, was repeatedly photographed around the area throughout the day, before being captured cut in half on the pavement.

One resident, who did not want to be named, forwarded a number of pictures to the Liverpool Echo and said that when she told people what she saw, they didn’t believe her.

She explained: ‘I was walking with my boyfriend on Lower Lane, about to turn onto Longmoor Lane, and didn’t really take any notice of it.

‘I thought it was maybe a branch or something but as we got closer he said ‘that’s a crocodile’ but I told him it couldn’t be.

‘We got closer and I could see all the features and colour and scales so assumed it was maybe a teddy but we got right up to it and you could see its bones and teeth.’

By the time the woman had seen the ‘crocodile’, it had ‘become cut in two’ – but after posting about it on social media, others told her they had seen it fully intact earlier in the day.

She added: ‘People have been commenting saying they saw it on the road and then on the grass verge so I don’t know whether it has been run over or someone has cut it in half but you can see its spine sticking out.’

Social media users have suggested a number of ways it could have ended up on the street, if it is a crocodile corpse.

The woman said: ‘Some people think that maybe someone kept it as a pet and it got too big so they’ve let it out and it has died. Or maybe it has escaped from somewhere.’

On Facebook, people could not get over the find.

A woman said: ‘Oh my god, what on earth. I need to know how on earth a crocodile has ended up chopped in half.’

Another added: ‘This is so so weird. Where’s that come from and what’s snapped it in half.’

But others noted the amount of straw around the animal and suggested it could be a taxidermy croc.

There are various types of crocodiles, caimans and alligators, and this one does not appear to be particularly large.

Three hospitals – the Walton Centre, Fazarkerley Hospital and Aintree University Hospital – are around the area.