Giant 16ft crocodile pounced on a gazelle as it entered a river to drink in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve
The predator dragged its prey by the leg and hauled it underwater to drag it before attempting to devour it
But after finding the gazelle too big to swallow whole, the crocodile ripped the animal in two with its jaws
This is the moment a crocodile launched a ferocious attack on a gazelle, before tearing it in half using its powerful jaws.
The 16ft reptile was lying in wait as its thirsty prey ran into a river to drink in the Masai Mara National Reserve, in Kenya.
Snatching the female by its leg, the half-ton beast dragged the gazelle underwater and drowned it before hauling its prey closer to the shore.
But after realising the Thompson’s gazelle was too big to eat whole, the predator used its jaws to break the antelope two.
Dramatic pictures capture the moment a crocodile launched a ferocious attack on a gazelle, before tearing it in half using its powerful jaws
Snatching the female by its leg, the half-ton beast dragged the gazelle underwater and drowned it before hauling its prey closer to the shore
The 16ft reptile was lying in wait as its thirsty prey ran into a river to drink in the Masai Mara National Reserve, in Kenya
The male crocodile was then able to swallow its dinner in just two gulps.
Wildlife photographer Jeffrey Wu, of Toronto, Canada, was in Kenya when he saw the ‘shocking’ attack unfolding.
Mr Wu said: ‘I was leading a photographic tour in Kenya and Botswana and we were waiting on the shore of the Mala river in the hope of capturing the wildebeest crossing.
‘Gazelles regularly cross the Mala river in migration season as they follow the rain for grass.
‘But they usually mix with large herd animals like wildebeest and zebra when they try to cross, as crocodiles tend to hunt the larger mammals.
‘That afternoon, despite the threat of the crocodiles, a gazelle was too thirsty to care about the predators.
‘It ran straight into the shallow water and the rest of the small herd, made up of around 12 gazelles, followed.
Attack: The male crocodile dragged its prey underwater before ripping it to shreds. It was then able to swallow its dinner in just two gulps
The gazelle were trying to cross a river in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya when a 16ft crocodile launched a frenzied attack
Gruesome: Wildlife photographer Jeffrey Wu, of Toronto, Canada, was in Kenya when he saw the ‘shocking’ attack unfolding
‘They were intercepted by crocodiles, four gazelles were killed by five huge crocs and this set of images captured one of them.
‘The rest of the herd went back to shore and had to watch the others being eaten but that’s how they learn and next time they’ll be more careful.
‘The crocodile closest to the gazelle snatched it by the leg then pulled it underwater for about 7 to 8 minutes to drown it.
‘The crocodile then carried the dead body across the river to the shore and bit into the middle of the gazelle before lifting it up and firmly slapping it against the water again and again until the body snapped into two, which took around 15 seconds.
‘The gazelle was quickly swallowed – the lower body and upper body – in two gulps. It was like a snack for the crocodile.’
At first the crocodile was unable to eat its prey whole. Instead, the 16ft predator shook the gazelle in its jaws until it broke in two
Gruesome pictures show how the gazelle was torn to shreds by the massive 16ft crocodile, which had sneaked up on its prey as it crossed a river
The 51-year-old added: ‘To see a half-ton crocodile hunting and eating this gazelle was frightening and the power and brutality was shocking.
‘This one was a male, about five metres long and at least 10 years old.
‘From the gazelle stepping into the water to being snatched by the crocodile only took about 30 seconds.
‘We were about 25 metres away from the crocodile and seeing this, I felt the true power of nature displayed by these pre-historic killing machines.
‘The scene was wild and raw from the speed and precision when they attacked to the strength and fury when they slapped the gazelle like a ragdoll. It was unbelievable.’