THIS is the hilarious moment a young Nile crocodile unexpectedly crawled onto the back of a hippo after mistaking it for a rock.

The crocodile at first appeared to be resting on a large rock Credit: Caters News Agency

The back of the hippo looked identical to a partially submerged stone Credit: Caters News Agency

But it was actually seeking refuge on the back of a massive hippo Credit: Caters News Agency

All of a sudden the “rock” moved, lifting the crocodile out the water and it quickly became apparent the rock was in fact a HIPPO.

The giant creature allowed the baby crocodile to sunbathe for a long timeCredit: Caters News Agency

But it eventually became fed up and started splashing aboutCredit: Caters News Agency

Incredibly, the crocodile just climbed back on top of the hippo to continue sunbathingCredit: Caters News Agency

“The hippo did get a little perturbed by us and did some thrashing around with a bit of a grunting show, which sent the little croc sliding into the water.

“But the crocodile clearly didn’t mind as it just climbed right back up onto the crocodile’s back again and the hippo didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

“When I saw my images I was exhilarated. It is a really unusual sighting, and I knew I had captured something pretty special when I went through the shots.”