Three hungry lionesses square up to angry croc in fight over elephant carcass

• Kai Banks filmed the showdown at Samburu National Reserve in Kenya
• One lioness approached a Nile crocodile to defend her meal
• She called for backup as the croc began thrashing its jaw

By Sarah Dean For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 18 August 2014

Three lions and a crocodile have come claw to jaw in a show of wildlife at its fiercest in Kenya. Fascinating footage posted on YouTube from a family's visit to Samburu National Reserve shows a lioness tentatively squaring up to a large croc in shallow water. The lioness sticks out her paw but as the croc begins to stir and thrash around, snapping its dangerous jaw, two more lionesses arrive on the scene to help out their friend.

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Jaw to claw: A Nile crocodile and a lioness square up in a Kenyan wildlife reserve over a nearby elephant carcass

The huge reptile and the lionesses are fighting for a nearby elephant carcass. At one point there is a brief lull in the fight, as they crocodile remains still, but then the second round begins with the lionesses eventually triumphing and tucking in to their prize win.  'My family and I managed to catch an extremely rare event on camera during our recent trip to the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. 'We knew it was something special when our guide's mouth dropped open as soon as the lions jumped onto the crocodile. Take a look!,' Kai Banks wrote on YouTube when he published the video on Monday.

Paw attack: The lioness appears to try and touch the crocodile's head but it quickly opens its jaw

Back up: Two more lionesses run on the scene to help out their pal

Outnumbered: The lionesses ambush the crocodile in a show of power 

The crocodile survived the August 6 ambush and swam away afterwards. Samburu National Reserve is located on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Kenya, about 350 kilometers from Nairobi. 

The Samburu National Reserve was one of the places where conservationists George Adamson and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness made famous in the best selling book and award winning movie Born Free.

The Ewaso Ng'iro river in the heart of the reserve also contains large numbers of African Nile crocodile, the second largest extant reptile in the world after the saltwater crocodile

Tucking in: Four lionesses claimed their prize of an elephant carcass after the crocodile fight

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