Tense Footage Shows Leopard Stealing Food Out Of Crocodile's Mouth

Amazing footage shows a hungry leopard risking its life to steal food from the jaws of a massive crocodile.

The cheeky big cat is definitely down to eight lives after creeping up on the huge reptile while it looked to be asleep - but the croc was awake all along.

Filmed at South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, the feline was seen scrapping with other animals earlier in the day. Confirming it clearly has no chill whatsover, it decided to take on the crocodile later that night.

When it thought the croc was sleeping, it cautiously sneaked over to nick a snack straight out of the beast's mouth.

As the leopard lightly pawed at scraps of antelope clenched in the croc's teeth, the green-eyed monster slowly opened one of its eyes - slyly shooting a knowing look in the direction of 29-year-old Nicole Dangoor's camera.

The leopard returned for second helpings and yanked an antelope leg from between the croc's teeth. Then the reptile's eyes sprang open - forcing the spotty predator to scamper off.

Wildlife filmmaker Nicole, from East Finchley, London, said: "I was a bit scared for the leopard, but that's nature - they know what they're doing.

"The leopard is really getting inside the crocodile's mouth but he's very careful.

"The croc is actually awake and he slyly opens his eyes.

"It shows how brutal nature is and how they can all fend for themselves. In the end, the leopard managed to grab a leg and runs off.

"It was an amazing experience to see how nature works and how they fight with each other."

The clip was shot by a river near Mfuwe Lodge, owned by the Bushcamp Company, while Nicole sat for hours watching the crocodiles, leopard and other animals all fight for the meat.

Though she feared the leopard could attack the 'snoozing' reptile, she soon learnt the crocodile was far more vicious and capable of fighting.

Nicole said: "We were driving back to the lodge and we saw a leopard near one of the smaller rivers where the crocs rest.

"We saw the end of the tail, then all of a sudden two crocs came and stole the meat off the leopard, then the leopard was following the croc trying to grab its meat.

"Crocodiles keep the meat in their mouth because the leopard is more scared of the crocodile - it takes the risk to eat."

Featured Image Credit: Kennedy

Topics: Animals

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. After a few years working on festivals and events, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

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