The incredible moment a crocodile crunched down on a turtle was captured by a shocked Aussie worker who happened to see something gliding through Queensland waters this week.
Naz Gardener was driving to repair a boat when he spotted the sight of the crocodile on Wednesday morning at the Cardwell foreshore, situated in a rural town on the Cassowary Coast.
“I was on my way to a job and I was just cruising along the road, and I saw the croc swimming along beside me in the water. I thought it had a big stingray in its mouth so I spun around and went back to start filming. And it was then I realised it was a turtle,” he told Yahoo News.
The turtle was being held upside down along the surface of the water before the predator headed for a strip of sand where it “looked like it was getting a better grip to crush it”. It appears the croc re-entered the water only after its prey had perished.
The scene amazed Aussies after it was shared online by Naz. “Nature doing what nature does best,” one man wrote, while commenting on how “stunning” the moment was to capture.
Naz Gardener got a front view to the spectacular moment. Source: Naz Gardener/Facebook
Turtles often fall victim to crocodiles in Aussie waters
The waters along the coast are rife with crocodiles as it’s well-known croc country, but Naz told Yahoo News he couldn’t quite believe he saw one “so close”.
“I own a marine business and build boats, we’re out on the water quite a lot. But I’ve never seen this on the foreshore,” the owner of Barrier Reef Boats said. “It was exciting.”
Dozens of crocodiles have been recently found waiting along a remote Australian island due to the location being a well-known nesting site for turtles.
“In the night, they walk up the beach and lie on top of the turtle nest, and they listen,” croc expert David White told Yahoo News previously. “You can see them, they put their head on the ground and they’re trying to feel if there’s any little movement in there… They’re very patient, because when they hatch they get a big snack of turtles.”
Almost four years to the day, another Queenslander captured a similar sight at Cardwell, with a four-and-a-half metre croc mounting a sandbank to demolish it’s turtle meal, the Daily Telegraph reported. Crocodiles will eat almost anything that comes close to them, including cattle, wallabies, crabs and turtles.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.