SYDNEY >> Australian police say a man who died during a spearfishing dive may have been attacked by a crocodile.

Queensland state police say search crews found the man’s body Tuesday, one day after he vanished in waters off the remote Cape York region of northeast Australia. His name was not released.

Police say the condition of the man’s body indicated he may have been attacked by a marine animal, and note that the waters off north Queensland are well-known crocodile habitats. Officials will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Crocodiles have become plentiful across Australia’s tropical north since they became protected by federal law in 1971.

Saltwater crocodiles can grow to up to 23 feet (7 meters) long and are the world’s largest reptile.