Dylan Pons sent this amazing video to Latest Sightings. He filmed it near Shingwedzi Rest Camp in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
An unlikely stand-off
In the footage that Dylan sent to us, we see a small pride of two lionesses and two young males socialising in a dry riverbed. With full bellies, they appear well-fed and in great condition.
Then, in a subsequent clip, we are met with an unusual sight. One of the young males has discovered a Nile crocodile on the sand.
Weary of one another, the two predators face off. As the lion circles the croc, the croc turns on the spot, reluctant to let the lion outflank it.
Help arrives
After this went on for a while, a second young male lion arrived on the scene, its curiosity piqued by the unusual happenings.
Now faced with two aggressors, things have taken a turn for the worse for the croc. Whereas before it fended the lion off with its fearsome, snapping jaws, it now struggles with compromised defences.
Distracted
Consequently, it was just a matter of time before they were breached. As the croc lunged at one lion, its sibling pounced.
However, the croc fought back and managed to free itself. Once again, the adversaries resumed their deadly dance.
Time and again, the crocodile managed to fend off the lions’ assaults, snapping its jaws and lashing its thick tail whenever they got too close.
More trouble arrives
As good a job as the croc had done in defending itself until then, its troubles subsequently multiplied with the arrival of the two lionesses.
Surrounded and with no chance of escape, things were looking increasingly dire for the poor croc. Nonetheless, it never gave up, repeatedly repelling the lions’ attempts to pin it down.
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Game over
Unfortunately for the reptile, its luck ran out once again. Whether by accident or design, we’ll never know, but the lions, practiced in cooperative hunting, managed to outmanoeuvre the croc.
One of the males pinned it to the ground before flipping it over and seizing it by the throat. With that, the battle was all but over.
With its jaws now out of the equation, the croc was helpless on its back. In this position, it could no longer use its legs for leverage.
Sensing victory was theirs, the lions gathered around their prize. Even though they had full bellies, they were not about to turn their noses up at this unexpected meal.
Tough customer
However, unlike most of their prey, the crocodile’s heavily-scaled hide was not easy to breach.
This led to a grisly tug-of-war. With the male still gripping the croc by its throat, one of the lionesses took its tail in its jaws and pulled.
Unfortunately, the video gives us no clue as to whether the unfortunate crocodile was still alive at this point. Regardless, as the video comes to its end, the lions are settling down around its body. Sooner or later, they would tear it open, and feeding could commence.