Watch as a Pride of Young Lions Attacks and Toys with a Crocodile

A relaxing day of basking in the sun was cut short for this unfortunate crocodile. In the video that you can find below, a crocodile becomes the plaything for a large pride of lions. 

Watch the Ferocious Fight!

The video begins with a singular lion and crocodile standing by each other in an extremely shallow mud flat. Just when you may have thought they were friends, they begin to take swipes at each other; the lion with his huge claws, and the crocodile with his sharp teeth. 

Soon enough the crocodile becomes outmatched when a pride of lions joins the fight. The lions swarm around the alligator, taking swipes and grabbing at his tough armor. Likewise, the crocodile fights back with intense swings and sharp bites. 

After some time, the pride backs away, once again leaving the crocodile with one opponent. Just as the video began, it ends showing the crocodile and the lion in a standoff with no clear victor. 

Why Did the Lion and the Crocodile Fight? 

In the video, it seems as though the lion and the crocodile began fighting out of nowhere, with no real cause. Although both animals were likely sitting in peace before the video, there are many reasons why a lion and a crocodile would fight. 

First of all, crocodiles are one of the main predators that enjoy eating lions. With that in mind, the crocodile may have been looking for a quick meal, with no idea that a pride of lions would be close enough to defend their friend. 

Additionally, both crocodiles and lions are incredibly territorial. In other words, both animals tend to stick in one area, which they defend from any intruders. Thus, the fight shown in the clip may have been due to one of the animals feeling the need to protect the area they were residing in. This is especially true in the case of pride animals such as lions, which also tend to protect each other. 

Who Would Win a Fight Between a Lion and a Crocodile? 

Even though it wasn’t shown in the video, you may be wondering who would actually have won the fight. In reality, many different factors could impact who would win in a fight between a lion and a crocodile, but some of the most important are size, speed, aggression, and armor. 

Between a lion and a tiger, both are incredibly strong, however, crocodiles are extremely large in comparison to most tigers. This makes them somewhat more sizable, which gives them a leg up in fights. 

In contrast, lions tend to be faster and can run for long distances, whereas crocodiles can mainly make short fast movements. Both are also aggressive, animals, which makes them strong in a fight. 

Lastly, and probably most important is that crocodiles have thick scaly armor, whereas lions do not. As seen in the video, the crocodile was able to take multiple bites and claws without taking much damage. 

Thus, with all of these factors together, the size, aggression, and armor of a crocodile give them a slight leg up on their competition. It is important to keep in mind though, with fights like this that include two formidable predators, there is usually no real winner.

Is This Normal Behavior?

A lion can go after any animal in the wild that it is capable of taking down. But lions will generally avoid going after crocs unless other food sources are scarce. Why? Because both animals are apex predators. Lions will likely go for animals that congregate in herds on land like zebras, gazelles, cattle, and such.

Crocodiles are masters of their domain–water. However, crocs do bask in the sun at times. Since the sun rises their temperature slowly, crocs can spend quite a while on land. As they are slower on land than lions, this can put them in a vulnerable position. If a lion spies a crocodile relaxing, it would be tempting not to take the opportunity for a meal!