The younger croc cried out for help but it was too late (Image: Mediadrumimages / Jan Butter)
It’s a croc-eat-croc world out there, apparently, after incredible photos have emerged of a 13ft, half-ton cannibal crocodile grabbing a younger male and then eating him.
The larger croc appeared to be so hungry that it ate one of its own kind for lunch.
In one image, the ravenous 1200-pound adult male dug its four-inch-long teeth into the younger croc’s body.
Another picture shows the younger crocodile appears to cry out in desperation as it was lifted into the air, ready to be carried away and fed upon.
Photographer Jan Butter, 69, from The Netherlands, captured the incredible photos in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
The smaller croc was no match for its adult attacker (Image: Mediadrumimages / Jan Butter)
From just 96-foot away, Jan watched on as the 13-foot-long Nile crocodile chomped down on one of its own.
“It was the first time I’d ever seen anything like this with a crocodile,” Jan said.
“We were ten days into our trip to Kruger. We had been sitting near the water for about thirty minutes waiting for the crocodiles to show up.
The adult croc chomped down on the little crocodile (Image: Mediadrumimages / Jan Butter)
“All of a sudden, we saw one crocodile grab another one in between its jaws. Over the space of about a minute, it tightened its hold and dragged it into the water to eat.
“With its dinner in tow, the crocodile swam away.”
Generally, it’s uncommon for crocodiles to turn on their own kind but adults have been known to occasionally attack younger specimens if they believe they are guaranteed to overpower them.
The victims of these attacks are usually young males as female crocodiles are valued for their reproductive systems.