A brave Polish immigrant became world famous after she shot a giant 28-foot crocodile with one shot to save her daughter’s life.

Krystyna Pawlowski became one of the world’s most celebrated female snipers of a generation after she easily captured the fearsome crocodile that had wreaked havoc on locals for decades.

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The skilled marksman known as Krys shocked the world when she took out the beast with a single accurate bullet – all while wearing red lipstick and a fierce nails.

Hunters were reportedly impressed by the new crocodile killer and amazed that a 5-foot-4 blonde mother of three could kill such a prey.

Krys, then 30, is believed to have been on the banks of the Norman River in Queensland, Australia with her young children when she saw the terrifying creature.

In a split second, Krys grabbed her gun and aimed it at the giant crocodile lurking around her five-year-old daughter Barbara.

One bullet pierced the scales of the seemingly impenetrable reptile below its eye, bringing the animal to a halt.

Images of the fallen saltwater crocodile quickly made Krys a global icon in 1957.

The 8.5 metre tall monster was the largest reptile ever killed or captured in Australia, a record that still stands today.

Guinness The Book of Records even commemorated the impressive murder that made Krys a world celebrity.

The mother was soon aptly nicknamed “One Shot” for her unmatched skills with a rifle.

The legend surrounding her also claims that in her 15 years of hunting life she missed only three shots.

She could easily hit a moving crocodile and skinned her finds faster than anyone else.

By the end of her career, Krys, along with her proud husband Ron, is said to have killed over 10,000 reptiles.

Despite her long and successful hunting career, Krys saw her first crocodile shot at close range in 1955.

In a similarly chilling manner to the iconic encounter years later, a creature measuring over 12 feet tall is said to have stalked the then three-year-old Barbara.

George Pawlowski, Krys’ son, told Daily Mail Australia: “My brother came outside and saw it and shouted ‘Barbara, crocodile’ and my dad grabbed a gun and shot her between the eyes.”

Ron, also a Polish immigrant, was an accomplished kangaroo shooter when he moved to Australia in 1949.

My mother was a little different. She was up to her waist in thick mud, but she always wore lipstick and red nail polish

George PawlowskiThe son of Krys

Being strapped for cash and with a dead crocodile lying in their front yard, Ron and Krys took the animal away to be skinned.

They made a profit of £10 and realised they could make a career out of life-saving injections.

They both rose to fame when they toured Australia as one of the most impressive couples.

George continued: “My parents were both legends, but my mother was something special.

“She was up to her waist in mud, but she always wore lipstick and red nail polish.

“I think it was a contrast to what she did for work, and it made her feel a little different.”

The world record for killing crocodiles was forever immortalised with a full-size replica.

In honor of Krystina it was even nicknamed “Krys the Savannah King”.

Today the statue is a popular tourist attraction and is visited by thousands of people each year travelling through Normanton, Queensland.

There is a plaque listing the date, location and size of the crocodile, as well as Krystina’s name and some details about the murder.

I would never shoot one of those again, it was such a beautiful specimen

Krystyna Pawlowskispeaking about her historic murder

Krys would later express regret over her famous shot with another crocodile of similar size, which was never found again.

She said, “I would never shoot one like that again. It was such a beautiful specimen.”

Sadly, any photographs the Pawlowskis were able to take of the crocodile were lost forever after they were washed away in a flood in 1974.

The family would later play a central role in the Australian reptile conservation movement.

They established a reserve to study the behavior of crocodiles, from breeding to feeding.

Ron established Australia’s first experimental crocodile farm, where he helped breed the reptiles by collecting their eggs from the wild.

After retiring as hunting dogs, the couple traveled the world, Ron becoming a filmmaker and Krys a taxidermist.

Krys died in March 2004 at the age of 77. Ron still lived in Australia.

The saltwater crocodile

SALTWATER CROCODILES are the largest crocodile species in the world and the largest living reptile in the world.

Male saltwater crocodiles have been recorded reaching 7 metres in length, with Krys the Savannah King being an exception.

Females are much smaller, growing to about three metres in length.

The largest crocodile in the world is currently named Cassius (pictured) and he lives in a wildlife park in Queensland, Australia.

Saltwater crocodiles communicate using a variety of sounds, including barking, hissing, growling and chirping.

They are among the oldest creatures to walk the Earth, first appearing 240 million years ago, at the time of the dinosaurs.

While other species have evolved into different shapes and sizes, crocodiles have stuck to the same structure for 200 million years.

Saltwater crocodiles breed during the rainy season. Females can lay up to 50 eggs, which they then build nests on the banks of the nearby river.

The eggs are incubated for about three months before hatching, but only one percent of the young survive to adulthood.

Other crocodile species include the Nile crocodile, the American crocodile, the freshwater crocodile, the gharial crocodile and the American alligator.

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