Crocodile attacks elephant - and immediately regrets it
A British teacher has captured the moment a crocodile tried to take on a large adult elephant.
The opportunistic predator leaped out of the water as a herd of elephants stopped for a drink at the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa.
See also: Most dangerous animals in the world
Gareth Andrew Larkan, 22, captured the moment the crocodile, nicknamed Jaws, grabbed onto the elephant's trunk.
But the 16ft reptile almost immediately realised his efforts were futile as the elephant's friend charged at it.
Speaking to the Mirror, Gareth said: "The main reason why I love these images because it reminded me of stories I read as a child about the old tale about how the elephant got its trunk.
"As the story goes, an elephant used to have a short trunk and it went down for a drink of water.
"Upon arrival a crocodile bit and held onto the elephant's trunk and as the elephant pulled away, it stretched and that is how the elephant got its trunk to be so long."
The Weather Network reports that he continued: "Crocodiles do not often take on such massive animals, but have been known to attack smaller elephants.
"Despite the croc being much smaller than the elephant, it is still a big croc and the power that they possess is immense. Many people feel extremely sorry for the elephant, but one has to realise that animals still need to feed."
He added: ""These images show what lengths an animal will go to for food and to survive. Even a massive animal such as an elephant still has to fight for its life."
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