When it comes to elephants, the term “gentle giant” is frequently used but makes no mistake: when threatened (or simply in a bad mood), these hose-nosed tanks will wreak havoc. This was a lesson learned all too well by one unlucky crocodile who stumbled upon the wrong elephant in the Kruger National Park. The tragic encounter, which was caught on camera by Latest Sightings, was a one-sided conflict, with an African elephant trampling the crocodile into the shadow world.
“Then she goes back to eating grass like a boss,” another added. The crocodile did not fare well beneath the stompers of the world’s largest mammal, according to the video’s caption, and died before the day was done. Elephants are herbivores; therefore, killing is not something they do often. Despite their enormous size, they are still prey for a variety of predators, including crocs. As a result, it is possible that they will beat the living daylights out of something if they believe it to be a threat to themselves or the herd’s younger members.
A similar video from ABC 7 in 2017 explains why elephants, with their supposedly exceptional memories, may harbor a grudge against crocodiles. A herd showed wading across the water as a crocodile lunges out and grabs a juvenile’s trunk. Things are not looking good for the baby elephant, which is stuck with the unyielding reptile on its snoot. Until the herd gets involved, that is. After first recoiling in terror, the other elephants quickly regain their composure and walk-in confidently to trample down the croc’s approaches. The strategy appears to be working, as the imprisoned elephant is shortly liberated. The crocodile’s condition, on the other hand, was… dubious.
With all the stamping and splashing, it is impossible to tell which species of crocodile is shown in the films, but the Nile crocodile is the largest of all the species known to inhabit Africa (Crocodylus niloticus). It is the world’s second-largest predator, measuring up to 5 meters (15 feet) in length and weighing roughly 227 kilograms (behind the absolute unit, the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)) (500 pounds).
When compared to African elephants, which weigh over 6,000 kilograms (13,228 pounds) and may grow up to 7 meters (24 feet) in length, it is easy to see why they are such powerful opponents. Their mass is so great that a crocodile was discovered crushed to death beneath an elephant that had apparently succumbed to injuries and had fallen lifeless on top of it. Ouch. If there are any crocodiles out there that have a grudge against elephants, let it go, or you will be living the pancake life.
