Watch a Lioness Capture a Crocodile and Keep It All for Herself

In this video, it looks like a small crocodile and a lioness are facing off. The crocodile is coming in from the right side of the screen and the lioness is coming in from the left. They seem to be aware of each other’s presence, but the crocodile is probably distracted.

Crocodiles have a greater advantage when they’re submerged underwater. Since their eyes are on top of their heads, they can lurk, and use their incredibly strong bite to capture their prey. Their eyesight is good, especially at night. The croc in this video looks like a juvenile.

Although crocodiles are apex predators, they need time to develop their skills. Younger crocs may do better when they’re in the water, waiting for prey to approach close enough so they can strike. They move quickly, but sometimes not quickly enough.

In the video, when the croc notices the lion is lunging forward, it tries to scramble away toward the safety of water just a few feet ahead. However, the lion is much too fast for the scrambling crocodile. You watch the moment when she chomps down on the crocodile. For a few seconds, there is a dirt cloud that conceals them both. However, the video cuts to the next moment when she has it in her mouth and starts running off to the side.

She has two other lions behind her. They let her take the lead and when she looks back at them, they start running toward her. As if to say she’s absolutely not sharing this rather small meal, she runs off to enjoy her catch. The video doesn’t show the moments leading up to when she pounces but the way lions hunt is they first start by stalking their prey.

That crocodile likely had no idea it was being watched and hunted. Lions can be very sneaky, moving ever so carefully, crouching down close to the ground, and remaining still and quiet. When they’ve reached close proximity, they move forward with a short charge and then they pounce.

In this case, the crocodile was on the smaller side, so she was able to pounce. In cases of larger prey, a lioness may attempt to knock it over. They can hunt in prides, or they may choose to go solo. In this case, this lion had two members of her pride with her.

Up Next, Watch More Lion Behavior in the Wild:

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