Crocodile Bites Man's Head, Neck While He Was Snorkeling Off Remote Island

A crocodile bit a 33-year-old man on the head and neck while he was snorkeling off a remote Queensland island in Australia. The incident took place Wednesday afternoon, according to local authorities.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service responded to Lizard Island following the attack and the man was transported to a hospital in Cairns where he was treated for his injuries.

The unidentified man was believed to have been bitten in Anchor Bay, which is offshore from Lizard island's luxury resort, a spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Science (DES) said, Yahoo News Australia reported.

"He was treated at the scene before being flown to Cairns Hospital, where he is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries," the spokesperson said, adding the man was in stable condition at the hospital as of early Thursday, Brisbane Times reported.

Wildlife officers from DES will attempt to locate and remove the reptile involved in the attack on Lizard Island, which is about 150 miles north of Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef.

“The Manager of the Lizard Island Resort has offered the use of two of the resort’s vessels to assist with those efforts,” DES said a statement, Yahoo News reported. “All crocodiles that pose a threat to human safety are targeted for removal under the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan.”

The attack is likely the 37th in the state since 1985. Of all the attacks, 11 have been fatal. The latest attack is believed to be the first on Lizard Island in almost five years, DES data showed. The island is a known crocodile hotspot, the Brisbane Times reported.

The crocodile involved in the latest attack was identified as estuarine, also known as a saltwater crocodile. According to National Geographic, saltwater crocodiles can most likely eat a human. An average-size male reaches 17 feet and weighs 1,000 pounds, but some specimens also reach up to 23-foot and weigh 2,200 pounds.

Saltwater crocodiles are mostly found in the brackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, southeast Asia and northern Australia.