Photographer James Armstrong captured the adorable incident while on an annual bush holiday in South Africa
THIS is the hilarious moment a young Nile crocodile unexpectedly crawled onto the back of a hippo after mistaking it for a rock.
The tiny croc was spotted relaxing on the back of what appeared to be a rock on the edge of a watering hole at a nature reserve in South Africa.
The crocodile at first appeared to be resting on a large rockCredit: Caters News Agency
The back of the hippo looked identical to a partially submerged stoneCredit: Caters News Agency
But it was actually seeking refuge on the back of a massive hippoCredit: 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 hippo had submerged itself beneath the water to cool down and with its back only visible from above the water, the young crocodile hopped on mistaking it for a rock.
This funny moment was captured by photographer James Armstrong, 39, while on an annual bush holiday with friends, at Klaserie Private Game Reserve.
James, from Johannesburg, said he didn’t notice straight away but it didn’t take long before he spotted the crocodile perched on the back of one of the hippos.
He said; “We were in the game-viewing and the waterhole was one of the only water sources for kilometers around due to the drought and the hippos were around 10 meters away from us.
“It was absolutely unplanned, as soon as I saw the crocodile and hippo relationship, I quickly began taking pictures.
“This isn’t a common sighting at all, from various comments I have had on the pics, it really doesn’t happen often. In fact, almost never.
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.”