The mother of all food fights: Pack of lions take on angry crocodile in vicious battle over prey
- A pride of lions were trying to eat a dead elephant when they noticed a crocodile had taken an interest in their meal
- The crocodile then crawled out of the Kenyan river and tried to challenge the pride for a nibble of their kill
- Hung Ta who witnessed the fight said the lions clawed and bit at the reptile's legs while carefully avoiding its jaws
It was a battle of claw versus jaw, but the king of the jungle reigned supreme in his battle against a crocodile.
The
two killing-machines fought over feeding rights at a Kenyan river in
Samburu, Africa after the crocodile tried to take the lion's lunch - a
dead elephant.
The
lion was among a pride that was about to eat the elephant when the
crocodile crawled up and tried to take a bite. The lions then began to
drive the beast away by clawing and biting at the armoured reptile's
legs.
Jaws versus claws: The lion and the
crocodile square-off at a Kenyan river in Samburu, Africa, after the
reptile tries to take the big cat's lunch
Paws for thought: The lion lifts one of its paws and prepares to strike the crocodile which lunges forward baring its teeth
Eventually the crocodile retreated to the safety of the deeper waters.
Photographer Hung Ta, 50, captured the battle unfolding.
He
said: 'For a while there was a Mexican standoff with neither making the
first move but I believe the lion was fearing for the safety of its cubs
and made the first move.
'It
wasn't long before other lions moved in and began to claw and bite at
the legs of the crocodile all the while making sure to stay clear of its
huge jaws.
Dine in, but not takeaway: The lions
guard the dead elephant and appear to be looking towards the water
cautious of the crocodiles intentions
Lowest of the low: The crocodile
slides along on its belly as a young lion hovers on the waters edge,
keen to deter it from lunging futher
Fancy a pedicure? The lion nips at the
reptiles claws as it thrashes about in pain, trying to edge back into
the safety of the water
Two on one: An adult lion and a young cub leap at the crocodile whose open mouth looks big enough to swallow them whole
Back you go: A lion bites the soft underside of the reptile, left, as another stands on its back and attempts to push it away
On your tail: The crocodile seems to
acknowledge defeat as three lions straddle its rear quarters and force
it back into the water
'The crocodile actually tried to get closer for a second time but was soon overwhelmed so it backed off.'
Mr Hung said it was 'amazing' to watch the fight.
He said: 'It's not very often these two predators fight and neither animal underestimated its opponent.'
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