South-east Sri Lanka.
It’s the middle of the dry season.
This is the only remaining waterhole for miles around.
Mugger crocodiles.
Giants, five metres long.
This male has been travelling for hours.
The waterhole is the only place where he has a chance to catch a deer.
A single adult would be enough
to feed him for the entire dry season.
But hunting prey that knows you’re here
requires something truly remarkable.
He creates
a trap.
He digs down into the mud,
deep enough to hide beneath the vegetation.
Perfect camouflage.
He has built his trap
right on the water’s edge,
so it’s the first place
that thirsty deer will come to drink.
These crocodiles have learned to exploit
the deer’s desperate need for fresh water.
