This was the moment an uninvited guest turned up at meal time and made off with the main course.
A pack of wild dogs had hunted down and killed an impala, having already devoured their first, and were all set to tuck-in, completely unaware that a crocodile had been spying on them from the shallows of the Olifants River in South Africa.
And as the canines bit into the carcass, the crocodile picked its perfect moment to pounce and snapped up the impala without any trouble.
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Snatch and grab: The crocodile sneaks out of the water at the Olifants River in South Africa and snatches the wild dog’s lunch
What do you fancy for lunch? The dogs play fight with one another on their way towards the river, where they hope to find some food
Top nosh: The dogs bite down on the impala on the riverbank, unaware that an uninvited guest is watching their every move
It then retreated back into the river to enjoy its meal in peace, while the shocked dogs helplessly looked on.
Photographer Christa Niederer was watching as the hungry reptile made its play.
She said a brief stand-off occurred as the dogs eyed the scaly predator – as the impala carcass remained in the no man’s land between them.
But before the dogs could reclaim their catch, the crocodile snapped it up.
Ms Niederer explained how the stand-of ensued: ‘This big fat crocodile had been lurking below water level with just its eyes protruding from the water and attentively following the action on the sand bank.
No one invited you: One of the dogs spots the crocodile in the water and waits to see what he will do next, before returning to his meal
Oh, you shouldn’t have: The crocodile spots the impala on the river bank and patiently waits to challenge the dogs for their meal
Go time: The crocodile accelerates swiftly out of the water, moving from stealth mode to catch and kill
Thanks, it’s very moist: Having claimed the impala, the crocodile slides back into the river where he can enjoy his meal in peace
How’d that happen? One of the dogs watches the crocodile leave, confused about how his meal plans went so awry
Cooling off: With nothing left to do, two of the dogs decide to take a relaxing swim and forget all about the robbing reptile
‘With the dogs moving the carcass, it also moved closer and suddenly lunged onto the sandbank with surprising speed.
‘The dogs had all gathered around the slain impala in the meantime and apprehensively stood back.
‘The scene of the crocodile and dogs – eyeing each other for a few second – will remain etched in my mind forever.’
Ms Niederer said it was ‘inevitable’ that the crocodile would win the showdown.
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