Interactions between predator and prey animals tend to be violent affairs that end badly for the unlucky prey. In a heartbeat these animals might find themselves fighting for their very lives.
This footage does show something slightly different, however, as a brave warthog slowly but steadily approached a crocodile which was lying dormant in the cool mud right on the water’s edge.
It seemed a bit of a gamble for the warthog to test how hungry the crocodile actually was, but it had a small bird for moral support. The brief, but dangerous, fight took place near the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in Zimbabwe.
Trail Located
The footage sent to Latest Sightings shows the warthog down on its knees snuffling at the ground. This kind of behavior isn’t uncommon for them as it helps them reach low lying food, but this one didn’t appear to be feeding.
Instead it was almost like it was hunting. Warthogs will eat meat on occasion, rather than limiting themselves to plants, but they don’t actively hunt for it. Nevertheless, this one was following some kind of trail.
A large vulture was crouched down near the hog, so it’s possible there was some carrion in the area that the hog was sniffing for, but its trail was only going to end in one place, and the vulture wanted no part in what followed.
A Thorough Investigation
The warthog looked like it had gone all the way around the water hole in search of whatever scent it was following, meaning it must have been a powerful pong.
Although the vulture might have sensed what was coming and kept its distance, a much smaller bird had followed the warthog the whole way, seemingly never straying more than a meter away from the big hog.
That was when the hog saw, relaxing in the wet mud, the still form of a large crocodile. An animal which would typically hunt the warthog from just below the water’s surface as it came to drink, the crocodile meant trouble, but the hog just didn’t seem to care.
The Threat Of Violence
The little bird stayed close to the hog, giving it some kind of emotional support, while the warthog assessed the situation. It didn’t seem at all stressed by the presence of the croc, despite the risk it posed.
The crocodile didn’t seem inclined to move at all, and didn’t even acknowledge the arrival of the warthog of its friend. No doubt it was keeping a close eye on the pair as they slowly crept closer, but it wasn’t about to move unless it absolutely had to.
Scaring predators away is a daunting task, but there’s not much else that would explain this warthog’s behavior. It was acting as though it really wanted to push the croc back into the water, but it was too scared to actually make contact with it.
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Winning A Response
Instead of actually pushing the crocodile, the warthog decided to use its long nose and tusks to throw wet mud at it instead. Antagonizing a predator is a strange choice, but this warthog was determined to get a response.
When the crocodile finally grew irritated enough to react, it snapped its large jaws together, a small motion which absolutely terrified the warthog. It fled as quickly as its legs could carry it, shocked at the sudden movement.
When spotting an animal with a purpose, it’s always worth sticking around to see where they end up, but any kind of interaction between creatures like this is amazing to witness.