Watch an Alpha Crocodile Anger a Huge Hippo While Wrestling a Wildebeest
The alpha crocodile of this river has spotted a potential meal. A heard of are making their way to the river’s edge to take a drink. The croc takes a good look at the herd before disappearing under the water – becoming invisible to the wildebeest. But he makes an amateur mistake and gets too close to the herbivores before submerging. This causes panic and he has to watch his meal retreating from the water’s edge. All is not lost! He can’t believe his luck when the wildebeest make a break for it and try to cross the water a little further downstream. This time there will be no mistakes. The croc targets a mature male and drags it down into the water. Despite hundreds of trampling wildebeest feet, he holds firm.
Now he faces another problem. The water is not deep enough for him to drown the prey and all of their splashing around has attracted the attention of another grumpy animal. A hippo is not happy about this intrusion into its territory and makes this quite clear to both the wildebeest and the croc. Meanwhile, the reptile is running out of energy and air because it has been submerged for so long!
What Do Nile Crocodiles Normally Eat?
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The individual in this clip is probably a . They are found in waterways throughout and western Madagascar. In total, they can be spotted in 47 African countries and . They live in lakes, rivers, and streams and can also be found in brackish coastal swamps.
These crocodiles have a very diverse diet. The juveniles live on insects such as water bugs and beetles although older juveniles will catch freshwater crabs, toads, and small birds. Adult Nile crocodiles can kill and eat just about anything that approaches the river. They will feed on frogs, , and fish which are the mainstay of their diet. However, they do like to feed on medium to large terrestrial mammals and this includes wildebeest, impala, and giraffes. They can eat up to 20 percent of their body weight in one meal.
How Do Crocodiles Normally Catch Their Prey?
These crocodiles use an ambush technique. As we can see in this clip, they silently swim under the water so that they can approach the prey without being seen. Then, they launch their body at the prey – grabbing it and hauling it under the water. The plan is to drown the stricken animal and then to dismember it so that it can be eaten in chunks!
