Watch This Enormous Elephant Flick Off a Biting Crocodile Like Its a Pesky Fly

Having Trouble Watching? Unfortunately sometimes creators disable or remove their video after we publish. Try to Watch on YouTube

Written by Sharon Parry

Updated: November 10, 2023

Share on:
Listen to Article

Continue reading for our analysis...

african-elephant-swimming
© iStock.com/Masixole Msumza

A crocodile literally bites off more than it can chew. In the below clip, we get to see what happens when a crocodile misjudges the size of dinner and ends up with nothing!

Should Elephants Fear Crocodiles?

This extraordinary event was captured at the Kruger National Park in Africa. Here, both the crocodile and elephant are native species.

It is not unusual for a crocodile to attack animals that are crossing a river. Crocs get quite a feast during animal migrations when there can be hundreds of potential prey in the water at one time. You can sometimes see crocodiles working together to bring down larger prey but this does not include elephants.

Animal Facts: Elephants

Fit adult elephants are rarely targeted by crocodiles

©Roger de la Harpe/Shutterstock.com

Very young, old, injured, or sick elephants may be overcome by a crocodile. There are also reports of Crocs grabbing elephant trunks. However, a lone croc has virtually no chance of dragging a fit, adult elephant under the water let alone achieving a death roll. Elephants are huge! They can weigh up to 12,000 pounds and stand 12 feet high! You will see that as soon as the larger animal reaches dry land, the croc knows that the game is up and releases its grip before it gets trampled!

What Do Crocodiles Usually Eat?

World's Scariest Animal: Nile Crocodile

Nile crocodiles are carnivores that feed on fish and large mammals. The croc above is feasting on an impala.

©Mari Swanepoel/Shutterstock.com

Nile crocodiles are found in several locations in Africa and can grow up to 20 feet in length. You will find them throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile basin. They are carnivores so they need to catch other animals to survive. Their hunting method is to lurk around in the water looking like a partially submerged log! Then, when prey passes them, they lunge at it and bite with incredible force.

Their diet is made up of fish and large mammals. They will work as a team to trap fish in one location before eating them. When it comes to larger prey, they target zebra, antelope, hippos, and buffalo. They will not turn their noses up at animals that have been killed by other predators and are willing to steal food from other animals too!


Share this post on:
About the Author

Dr Sharon Parry is a writer at A-Z animals where her primary focus is on dogs, animal behavior, and research. Sharon holds a PhD from Leeds University, UK which she earned in 1998 and has been working as a science writer for the last 15 years. A resident of Wales, UK, Sharon loves taking care of her spaniel named Dexter and hiking around coastlines and mountains.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.