A fearsome crocodile that shared a cabin with a Russian sailor has taken up residence in a new £1.5 million swamp enclosure at Paignton Zoo.

The Cuban crocodile, Crocodylud rhombifer, which can reach 3.5 metres (11ft) long, is found in the wild only in two freshwater swamps, both of them in Cuba. It has almost 70 dagger-like teeth.

This specimen has been kept at the zoo since being discovered by shocked Customs officials several years ago during a search of a ship that had docked at Liverpool. The sailor who had it in his bath was hoping to keep it as a pet.

The crocodile is one of six to move into a new enclosure at Paignton Zoo in Devon. It is one of three female Cubans. Their neighbours include two Nile crocodiles and a saltwater crocodile. Simon Tonge, a zoo director, said: “We've been dreaming of this croc swamp for ten years and now it's open we're very proud of it. I don't think there's anything quite like this in the country. What attracts people to the exhibit is fear.”

The three Cuban crocodiles are classified as endangered and they are thought to be the first to go on display in Britain.

They could form the basis of a captive breeding population in the future but there are no immediate plans because there are concerns that it would be difficult if not impossible to find suitable homes for hatchlings.

The crocodile found on board the ship en route to Russia had been kept at Paignton out of view of the public until the opening of the new facility.

Its long-term survival is in doubt because hunters prize its skin and it also finds itself in competition for prey with another species of crocodile.

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