Watch the sighting here:
Retired couple Bob and Rosa Swart, submitted their video to Latest Sightings after recording it near Shingwedzi Camp in the Kruger National Park.
Cheetahs on the hunt
According to the Swarts, the drama began when they found three cheetahs in the dry riverbed near to the camp. They said, “The cheetahs were alert and focused on something in the riverbed. We waited for over an hour until a group of waterbucks approached, including some youngsters.”
The hunt
The cheetahs, who appear to be a female and her sub-adult cubs, began stalking the waterbuck a short while later.
Then, having decided the time was right, launched their attack, managing to bring down one of the calves.
Above, we can see the cheetahs chasing the calf, having successfully separated it from it’s mother.
Need to rest
Ordinarily, after hunting, cheetahs need to rest before they feed. However, they are also susceptible to losing their prey to other predators, so time is of the essence.
On this occasion, their respite would be short-lived.
Watched!
While the drama of the hunt was unfolding, several crocodiles that had been sunning themselves nearby, witnessed it. And it didn’t take long before one of them moved in for a closer inspection.
Slow
Given that, by cheetah standards, the crocodile was only approaching slowly, one can imagine that the three cats thought they had ample time. However, to be on the safe side, they dragged the carcass a bit further away.
Patient
While crocodiles may be relatively slow on land, they are infinitely patient. So, taking its time, the croc inched ever closer.
Meanwhile, the cheetahs’ calm was replaced by agitation as yet more crocs made their way toward them.
Finish your meal
Because cheetahs often lose their meals to scavengers, and given the presence of the crocodiles, the trio fed with gusto. All the while, they kept an eye on the approaching crocs.
From time to time, the Swarts report, the cheetahs would hiss and snarl at the crocodiles but to no avail. The prehistoric lizards approached regardless.
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One step backward
Repeatedly, as the crocs got closer, the cheetahs would drag the kill a bit further and resume their frantic feeding.
Had to happen
Whether the cheetahs had eaten enough or decided the risks of fending off the crocodiles were too much, the cheetahs eventually surrendered the carcass to the first and largest crocodile.
With no obstacles remaining, another arrived with others on the way.
One more bite?
For reasons best known to itself, one of the cheetahs returned to the kill on which two crocodiles were now feeding. Weary of becoming a meal itself, however, it again backed off.
Not for sharing
Although twelve crocodiles made their way over, it was only the largest that really got a decent meal, with the others having to make do with scraps.
Is this unusual
While it is certainly a very special sighting, crocodiles are not at all averse to scavenging a meal from other predators. In fact, this is true of most predators, with the determining factor usually being a size or numerical advantage.
Long-lived (up to 70 years in the wild), crocodiles have evolved several ways to prolong their natural lives. This includes a cold-blooded metabolism which allows them to go long periods with little food.
Having changed very little in the past 200 million years, it would appear that evolution has gifted them with everything they need to be successful as a species.