A pride of lions got to see quite the display when a river crab got caught away from the safety of its burrow; the crab played the smarter game and got away safely.
Greater Kruger, South Africa (29 June 2021) – Lions are pretty tough and almost nothing can scare them, that was until a pride of lions met a feisty little crab who doesn’t think size matters all that much!
The crab had ventured from its burrow in daylight, an unusual adventure and was trying to cross a river at the MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa.
The Kambula pride, famous for its size in the region, saw the crab and a few of the pride’s individuals went to inspect their crabby new friend. The crab raised itself to its biggest height and put on a show with its claws in the air.
The crab managed to dazzle and dodge the lions’ attention all while making its way back towards the safety of its burrow.
Rangers Ruggiero Barreto, 30, and Robyn Sewell, 27, captured the clawsome encounter on video at the MalaMala Private Game Reserve.
The 33,000 acre Big Five reserve is one of the oldest and biggest in South Africa in the Kruger National Park which is full of predators.
But they didn’t expect a lone crab to take on a pride of lions – and pose for them for a shellfie!
They told LatestSightings.com: “We left the camp at sun rise with the hope of finding lions and were lucky enough to find a pride at a riverbank.
“They were sheltering from the wind in the Mlowathi Riverbed and were sleeping so we thought we would drive on and look back a little later.
“But suddenly we noticed one of the sub-adults get up and start staring at something and at first we thought it was a scorpion but it was a crab.
“They normally only come out after dark but this one was crossing the river in daylight and it aroused the curiosity of the young lions in the pride.
“The lions were surprised by the appearance of perhaps something they had not seen before and the first lion went over to investigate what it was.
“The crab went up on its back legs and had its claws at the ready.
“The poor little fella was trying to make it to the riverbank where its burrow was when more lions came over to check it out until there were five of them.
“The crab kept its claws up at the lions as it backed up until it made the bank and disappeared into a burrow and then the young lions lost interest.
“Not many betting people would have given the crab good odds on making it across the river past a pride of lions but this little fella was up for it” they said.
Take a look at the fun wildlife sighting below.