Human remains found inside crocodile captured in Annan River, Cooktown, believed to be taken NSW man

Human remains have been found inside a large crocodile that was captured and killed in far north Queensland, ending the search for a NSW man taken from a riverbank.

The remains found inside the crocodile removed from the Annan River near Cooktown on Monday are believed to be those of the 40-year-old NSW man who was taken on Saturday afternoon.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Human remains found inside crocodile.

It’s been reported the crocodile has measured in at 4.9m.

Further testing will be conducted to confirm the identity, but the search for the man has been suspended.

Police believe the man fell into the water from a riverbank before being taken by the crocodile in front of his wife and children.

“He was at the top of the bank and has fallen into the water, and it’s quite a large drop there,” Acting Chief Superintendent Shane Holmes said on Monday.

The man, who was travelling in the area with his wife and children in a caravan, did not resurface, sparking an extensive search involving police and wildlife officers using boats and drones.

The croc that took the man was seen as having a distinctive white scar around its snout.

That animal was caught by rangers on Monday afternoon after being spotted from a helicopter in a creek about 4km upstream from the attack, before being put down.

“Wildlife officers have humanely euthanised a large crocodile that is believed to be responsible for the fatal attack on the Annan River,” the department said in a statement.

“The animal had markings on its snout that were consistent with it being the target animal.

“Wildlife officers are removing the animal from the creek and will hand it over to the Queensland Police Service.”

Wildlife officers on Monday revealed they were investigating social media videos that have emerged of people feeding a crocodile at a location that appeared to be the Annan River.

Authorities fear the feeding of crocodiles on the river may have habituated them to humans.

“Feeding of crocodiles at riverbanks or boat ramps encourages them to hang around, waiting for their next meal,” a spokesperson for the state environment department said.

“This can place future visitors to the area at a much greater risk of attack if they approach or enter the water.

“People should never feed crocodiles or give easy access to food or fish scraps. Crocodiles have been around for millions of years, and they can source their own food.

“They have a highly developed sense of smell, allowing them to detect prey or animal carcasses on the land and in the water from long distances.”