The mighty hunter emerges: Giant ргedаtoг unveils surprising, tiny surprise after аmЬᴜѕһіпɡ ргeу

Splashing around in the water with macabre glee, a crocodile flings a young hippo calf around in its jaws like a rag doll.

The giant predator reared out of the water to reveal the tiny carcass after apparently snatching its prey while its mother’s back was turned.

 

 

Treated like a rag doll: An enormous crocodile tosses a young hippo calf around in its jaws near Lower Sabie in Kruger National Park

 

 

Hunter and the hunted: The giant predator reared out of the water to reveal the tiny carcass, before tossing it through the air like a toy

 

 

Snapped up: Amateur photographer Roland Ross captured these incredible photographs when the crocodile was swimming in a small dam

 

 

Brutal: Photographer Roland Ross when taken by surprise when the predator reared out of the water with the young hippo between its teeth

Mr Ross was watching the huge crocodile swimming in a small dam when he was shocked by the brutal scene.

‘The crocodile then began to perform all sorts of antics with the baby hippo.

‘It was throwing it in the air, spinning and jumping and splashing.’

 

 

Mr Ross said: ‘The crocodile began to perform all sorts of antics with the baby hippo, throwing it in the air, spinning and jumping and splashing’

 

 

‘We have seen croc kills before, but we have never seen a croc playing with its prey’: Photographer Roland Ross was shocked by predator’s antics

Mr Ross, who was on holiday with his wife when the events unfolded, was stunned by the size of the animal as average crocodiles in the area grow to around four meters.

Ross said: ‘We didn’t see any kill take place. The hippo could have been dead for any number of reasons, sometimes male hippos will occasionally kill babies too.

‘We have seen croc kills before, but we have never seen a croc playing with its prey.

‘One could compare it to an Orca Whale playing with a seal. It looked to me as almost identical behaviour.’

 

Mr Ross watched the crocodile’s performance for around 25 minutes before it took its food into deeper water and disappeared from sight.

 

 

Unforgiving environment: The crocodile appears to have snatched the hippo while its mother’s back was turned

 

 

Dinner time: Mr Ross watched the crocodile’s performance for around 25 minutes before it took its food into deeper water and disappeared from sight