Lolong is in Metro Manila — but be not afraid.

The 20.3 ft. crocodile is still at home in Mindanao. But a non-violent twin — a replica — is set to be the latest exhibit in a science museum in Pasay City.

Lolong is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest crocodile in captivity.

He was captured in the marshlands of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur in September by a team of crocodile experts led by the late Ernesto “Lolong” Coñate, from whom he got his name.

And Lolong remains in Agusan del Sur as the star attraction of the Bunawan Ecopark and Research Center.

However, his replica will be the latest, scaliest showcase of SM Mall of Asia’s Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center once it reopens in September.

Arturo Carballo, the museum’s senior operating manager, said that Lolong (the replica) is just one of the many new interactive exhibits that the newly renovated museum will feature.

The replica is also featured in a preview held at the mall’s Music Hall and attended by representatives from Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

Other exhibits in the preview are about marine life, transportation, astronomy, chemistry, and physics.

At the event, Parks and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) director Theresa Mundita Lim spoke about the importance of protecting the country’s marshlands and other wetlands — where Lolong had been captured — as they are vital to the Philippines’ biodiversity.

‘Marshlands are [an] important habitat of some of our endangered species… It is not only for crocodiles, but it is a home for migratory birds, a lot of fishes, and the communities living within the area,’ Lim said.

Lim also said that the center’s Lolong exhibit is a collaborative project of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), PAWB-DENR, and the NFSDC.

DOST Science and Technology Information Institute director Raymund Liboro said that these initiatives will encourage students as well as parents to study and learn more about science. — BM/HS, GMA News