A fully grown buffalo and a fully grown Nile crocodile faced off in a painful but awe-inspiring showdown of strength recently, showing just how powerful each species is.
Greater Kruger, South Africa (18 January 2023) – Buffalo are the preferred dinner for a pride of lions and it takes a fully-fledged pride to take one down. One hopeful Nile crocodile tried its luck in bringing down a buffalo, and it got taught a life lesson.
Before going into the breakdown of the video, we want to share a disclaimer. Many might find the video hard to watch, and it is, but we would never share anything overly graphic – this one will leave you with a bit of a tender nose. This video shows just how powerful the buffalo is. Wild animals live a life of adversity, having to fend off attacks from other animals and even mother nature herself. As they say in the Lion King, it’s the circle of life. The buffalo in this video while a little injured, will live as long a life as nature allows. So let’s dive in…
Dr Marc DeBerardinis was staying at the Sabi Sands when he filmed the sighting of a buffalo pulling a Nile crocodile from the water where it was hiding. The crocodile had latched onto the buffalo’s nose in the hope of pulling it into the water, where it could perform its “death roll” and feast on its catch. Had the chosen prey been an impala or any smaller buck, the crocodile would have been soaking in the sun with a full belly.
In this case, he bit off a bit more than he could chew!
Dr DeBerardinis shared the sighting with Latest Sightings and he says this is what happened.
“We ventured down to the dam in front of Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge to watch the hippos. The sun was starting to set, and the air was beginning to cool. The rumble of buffalo feet made the earth tremble as a massive herd approached the waterhole. They settled in to have their evening drink when chaos erupted from the depths of the dam.”
“As the buffaloes began drinking, the eruption took place at the front of the herd. A crocodile was latched onto the snout of a massive bull who was drinking. I sat there in disbelief and amazement. The buffalo let out a deep bellow that echoed through the surrounding bush. The rest of the herd watched in shock. The battle continued with the buffalo trying to free itself and the crocodile holding on with all its bodily fibers.”
“In the end the buffalo broke loose and the crocodile retreated back to the safety of the water. Buffalo 1 crocodile 0”
While the buffalo may sport a bruised nose and lips for a few days, he will recover soon enough; we are not so sure about the crocodile’s bruised ego…
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