A terrifying video has reavealed the moment an enormous crocodile ate a baby hippopotamus – with its umbilical cord still attached.
The footage shows the crocodile effortlessly swinging the hippo calf as it thrashes in the muddy water of Kenya’s Mara River.
A terrifying video has reavealed the moment an enormous crocodile ate a baby hippopotamus – with its umbilical cord still attached
‘The crocodile already had the baby hippo held in its jaws by the time I approached, and I was fairly certain it was already dead,’ Ms Adamson said.
‘This raised questions in my mind as to whether the crocodile had killed it, or whether it had been still-born and the carcass snatched as I later saw the baby’s umbilical cord still attached,’ Ms Adamson told Live Science.
Ms Adamson says it is generally believed that a crocodile would not threaten an adult hippo for fear of being killed, but adds that they are canny opportunistic hunters.
It could be possible for a crocodile to snatch a live baby hippo from their mother if the chance arose.
‘It is something I had never seen with my own eyes, however,’ she added.
Crocodiles will shake their catches to kill, but also to tear them into smaller pieces which they can swallow
It still isn’t clear whether the crocodile had caught the hippo itself or whether it managed scavenge and abandoned still-born
As seen in the video, crocodiles will roll and shake their prey to kill them, as well as to rip them into pieces small enough to eat.
In the footage, the crocodile can be seen nearly tearing the hind leg off the hippopotamus with the force of its bite before disappearing into the water.
A hippopotamus calf can weigh up to 100 lbs (45kg), showing the raw power of these ancient predators.
In an Instagram post, Governors Camp Collection wrote: ‘It’s certainly not often that these ruthless and most efficient apex predators snatch baby hippos from their mothers — in fact as opportunistic as crocodiles are — they will often avoid hippos as they know just how aggressive an angry hippo can be.’