African Elephant fights off hungry crocodile in exhilarating video

This croc’s eyes were certainly bigger than its stomach.

Thrilling video captures the moment an elephant thwarted an attack by a hungry crocodile by swinging the reptile from its tail.

The colossal animal was wading in the shallow waters of the Luangwa River in Western Zambia when the crocodile latched on.

The elephant frantically ran toward land, but stopped short of the shoreline when it realized the crocodile wasn’t going to give up a potential meal so easily.

It spun in circles numerous times, alternating the direction every few seconds, while seriously flicking its tail/

The elephant finally shakes the hungry croc loose with one last fling of its tail before nonchalantly storming onto dry land, leaving the reptile to slink back beneath the murky water.

One lucky group of safari guides just happened to be driving past the river in time to witness the drama unfold.

“It was one of those days where we were heading back to camp from home on our off days. Just a regular drive, or so we thought. Little did we know that we were about to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event,” 53-year-old safari guide Emmanuel Sauti, who filmed the encounter, told LatestSightings.com.

Sauti said he couldn’t help but feel nervous for the crocodile, who clearly picked on too large of a target.

Wild crocs tend to feed on smaller prey, such as antelope, lizards, small frogs and fish, according to Australia’s Northern Territory government.

“I was absolutely thrilled to witness something so rare. And boy, was it a sight to see! The elephant was putting up a good fight, and the crocodile wasn’t backing down either,” Sauti recalled.

“I must say, that was one of the most exhilarating moments of my career as a safari guide. And the fact that it was my first time seeing an elephant fight with a crocodile just made it all the more special.”

Sauti said it will go down as his favorite wildlife sighting that he’s witnessed on the job.

“It’s not every day that you get to witness something like an elephant fighting a crocodile. These sightings are rare and precious, and it’s moments like these that make me grateful for the job that I have.”