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How do crocodiles capture animals that come to drink at the water’s edge?

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Illustration of an estuarine or saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) with its mouth open, showing scaly skin and powerful limbs, alongside a scale bar for size reference. — crocodile Estuarine, or saltwater, crocodile (*Crocodylus porosus*), found in brackish waters from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar east to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu and south to Australia.

To capture land animals that come to drink at the water's edge, crocodiles employ a patient, ambush-based hunting strategy. They remain motionless or float passively at the edge of the water where prey habitually drink.1

When an unsuspecting animal approaches, the crocodile launches a sudden lunge to seize its victim. Once captured, the crocodile drags the prey into the water to drown it. If the prey is large, the crocodile may grip portions of the animal in its jaws and rotate its body rapidly in the water to tear the victim apart.1