The wildebeest fiercely fights back against a crocodile in the water, but ultimately succumbs to the jaws of a larger crocodile.
A crocodile lunges out of the water and catches a young wildebeest.
Twin sisters Nicole Cromme and Alex Cromme filmed the unusual hunting behavior of a crocodile while visiting Kruger National Park in South Africa on December 13. They spotted a crocodile in the Gezantombi Dam and decided to stop and observe as a herd of wildebeests approached the water to drink.
Crocodiles hunt using an ambush technique. They lie in wait and then attack their prey unexpectedly. They can remain motionless even when an animal comes within just a few dozen centimeters. “Patience is not always rewarded in nature. But this time was different,” Nicole and Alex remarked.
The crocodile lunged out of the water and caught a young wildebeest. Initially, the predator grabbed the wildebeest by the mouth. When it went under the water, it momentarily lost hold of its prey but then managed to grab the right front leg. The wildebeest didn’t give up, attempting to fight back and reach the shore. However, a much larger crocodile was also swimming nearby and watching the chaos unfold.
“We believed the first crocodile wasn’t strong enough to take down the wildebeest by itself. As it got closer to the shore, it was seized by the larger crocodile, which ended the struggle. There was a moment when we thought the wildebeest would escape. However, its leg was severely injured and surely very painful. That prevented it from surviving,” Nicole and Alex observed.
The wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is native to Africa. They are herbivores and often travel in herds, sometimes mixing with zebras to form large groups. In the wild, their main enemies are lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, and crocodiles.
