Amazing photos of leopard attacking crocodile

[syscom3]

These are the incredible pictures which show the first ever leopard attack on a crocodile.

Hal Brindley snapped the amazing moment a leopard snatched a crocodile at a South African game reserve on the only occasion this behaviour has ever been documented worldwide.

Clash of the Titans: The leopard attacks a crocodile in Kruger National Park The American wildlife photographer was taking pictures of hippos from his car at a waterhole in Kruger National Park when a speeding shape came out of the bushes and headed for the water.
After an initial struggle, onlookers stared in disbelief as the leopard emerged dragging a thrashing crocodile up the bank. With its' snout pointing upwards, the crocodile snapped and attempted to fight back as the predators flipped and tumbled in a dramatic battle. But the leopard, who had it caught by the throat, remained in control as the crocodile's legs clawed frantically at the cat's belly, its jaws snapping at air.

Predator vs. Predator: The wily cat slams full force into the crocodile

Tussle: The leopard begins dragging the crocodile away from the water Despite being outweighed, the leopard was able to sit on top of the crocodile and suffocate it. The big cat eventually dragged its' prey into the grass and out of sight as park visitors are forbidden from leaving their cars.
There have been recorded cases of crocodiles killing leopards but never the other way around as the meat a crocodile provides is not sufficient enough to justify the risk.


Defeat: The croc hangs lifeless and limp from the leopard's jaws Brindley said: 'I asked many rangers in South Africa if they had ever heard of anything like this and they all said no. 'It just doesn't make sense. The meat you get out of a crocodile is just not worth the risk it takes a predator to acquire. 'The whole scene happened in the course of about 5 minutes. Then the leopard was gone.
He added: 'I drove away, elated in disbelief. It may have been the most amazing thing I've ever seen.'

Victory: The leopard gains control and gets on top of it, suffocating it

[lesofprimus]

Frickin awesome, but defiantly a juvenile Croc...

[Gnomey]

Amazing, not something I would of expected to happen at all.

[seesul]

great pics and rare and sure unexpected event for a crockodile...
leopard must have been pretty hungry

[Lucky13]

Now, the important question....how did he/she catch it...using a fly or normal fishing rod??

[RabidAlien]

...an old crank-style telephone, and two sticks of dynamite.

Awesome pics, though!

[timshatz]

What the hell was the crock doing that far from water? Dumb crock. Maybe it was moving from one water hole to another.

[wilbur1]

Amazing pics, id like to see that leopard take on a 12 foot gator though

[ccheese]

Definately caught that croc out of his element. Would have been different
in two feet of water !!

Charles

[syscom3]

Dont the crocs and gators slow down when they are in hot weather and cant cool down?

[Catch22]

Wow.

[Gnomey]

Originally Posted by syscom3

Dont the crocs and gators slow down when they are in hot weather and cant cool down?

Not really, they need a certain about of heat to warm up their bodies before they can move around but generally the sit around because the like to conserve energy because they only eat every 2-3 months or so. They can be very quick when they need to be (in or out of water) so the fact they are just lying there doesn't mean too much its just them conserving energy/sunbathing. They can cool down by opening their mouths or going into the water so getting too hot isn't really a problem unless there is no water around when they can dehydrate and die.

[Henk]

I have seen those before great shots.

Just show you guys how tough things are down here. Leopards are eating crocs now and not the other way around. LOL

[Wayne Little]

Wow thats great timing. Top shots!......Lucky? Brave? Desperate? what really applies......or just plain crazy!

[Henk]

When you are hungry you will also take a chance to eat something.