Trending: Incredible video shows the brutal scene in which three lions take on a crocodile

It’s dog eat dog in the wild, or in the case of this video captured by a visitor to the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya, it’s a matter of crocodile or lion eats elephant.

When an elephant died at the side of a lake in the African reserve, leaving enough meat to feed a multitude of animals, a group of hungry lions and a crocodile with a serious meat craving immediately clocked the easy catch.

But the elephant meat wasn’t easy for either predator to win if this video of a rare stand-off between crocodile and lion, uploaded to YouTube by Kai Banks, is to be believed.

No sooner than each animal spots its ready-killed prey, the young male lion and muscular Nile crocodile, the world’s largest reptilian predator, which boasts over 30 teeth in its gargantuan jaw, begin to eye each other up.

Eyes on the prize: a pride of lions gorge on the tough-won dead elephant that will feed them well

It might initially seem that the crocodile has the evolutionary upper hand, killing creatures as it has been for over 250 million years and outliving even the dinosaurs, but as two more lions join their daring companion, pinning the reptile down in the water, it starts to seem like this is anyone’s game.

Much splashing ensues and although one lion is left with blood on its leg, the first round of fighting leaves the crocodile and cat on a level peg.

It might be three against one, but this is by no means an easy ride for the lions.

A massive 99 per cent of young crocodiles end up being eaten by fish, lizards and even other cannibalistic crocodiles, so the ones who end up surviving are the toughest of the tough, with a jaw so powerful it’s thought to rival that of a T-rex.

An issue experienced by YouTuber Kai Banks filming this jaw-dropping scene means that the second fight is seen in a dramatic slow motion succession of still shots that see the lions slap the crocodile around the snout like house cats batting string.

The reptile weakens as the lions pile onto the ancient reptile, one of them even blighting it further by biting its pointy webbed foot.

As the battle concludes, the crocodile retreats, crippled and defeated. The lion who picked the fight stands water-soaked and triumphant over its weakened opponent while the rest of its pride descend to gorge on the elephant prize.