Watch This Unlucky Zebra Wade Into Crocodile-Infested Waters and Ignite a Feeding Frenzy

A Nile Crocodile seen on a safari in South Africa
© Rudi Hulshof/Shutterstock.com

Written by Sharon Parry

Updated: October 21, 2023

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Zebras have no choice but to cross this river! This gruesome footage was captured at a crossing of the Mara River where several species of animals, including zebras, cross to get to more fertile feeding grounds during migration. That sounds great in theory, but in practice, there are hazards along the way and a bunch of hungry Nile crocodiles is a hazard that no zebra wants to run into.

It was an Unfortunate Crossing for the Zebra in this Video

Nile Crocodiles Hunting Together

Nile crocodiles have a reputation for being highly aggressive and are not an animal that you think would cooperate with each other. But they do! By working as a team, they give themselves a better chance of bringing down a large animal like a zebra. As the video at the bottom of this page shows, zebras do not exactly give in easily. They are very strong and agile creatures who can leap out of a crocodile’s jaws. They also have a strong kick and when there are a lot of them running around it can confuse and disorientate a predator. A group of zebras is not called a dazzle for nothing!

The crocodiles are not easy to spot in this choppy and muddy water and one comes from nowhere to snap at a zebra. The poor creature leaps right out of the water in fright but the crocodile has hold of its leg.

Animals that sweat – zebra

A group of zebras is called a dazzle!

©Henk Bogaard/Shutterstock.com

Not a Great Day For The Zebra 

Once the zebra begins to struggle, the rest of the crocodiles join in with the kill. Zebras can weigh over 900 pounds and a single crocodile may struggle to keep hold of it.  

It is a startling and upsetting sight to watch this lovely creature being gradually pulled under the water. The crocodiles literally take chunks out of its flesh before it is even dead. Nile crocodiles have a bite force of up to 5,000psi!

These huge reptiles are apex predators and also hunt buffalo and antelope. They will even eat smaller hippos. A group of crocodiles in the water is called a float but these guys are doing a lot more than floating! Before long, there was very little of the zebra left to see – it really was a feeding frenzy!


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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.

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