KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — A Miami artist is hosting a memorial for an American crocodile that died while fighting capture after biting two swimmers.
The 12-foot, 300-pound crocodile was known as "Pancho" and had been relocated twice from the suburban Miami canal where it bit two people swimming at night in August.
Artist Xavier Cortada will unveil a portrait of Pancho Wednesday night at the memorial for the crocodile. The event also includes presentations by biology graduate students and a ceremony at the water's edge.
Cortada says Pancho is survived by a host of coastal creatures struggling to survive on Biscayne Bay.
The crocodile's wake also marks the closing reception for Cortada's exhibit "Littoral Creatures" at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center. The exhibit includes paintings of seahorses, corals and other marine life.
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