Earning its stripes

Taken by wildlife photographer Paolo Torchio, 54, the pictures show the crocodiles swarming around the zebra after it was first attacked, then ripping it to pieces in the water.

The dramatic scenes unfolded on the Mara River, in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve, which is regularly crossed by migrating zebra and wildebeest - but also home to hundreds of crocodiles.

Every year in east Africa, around 1.5million wildebeest and 300,000 zebra travel north from Tanzania to Kenya in search of food and water.

Other images taken by Mr Torchio show a range of zebra and wildebeest being hunted down and savaged by the huge reptiles at the start of the annual crossing.

However, the 1,800 mile journey is treacherous and an estimated 250,000 wildebeest do not safely reach their destination.

Mr Torchio, a photographer from Italy who is based in Nairobi, Kenya, has been photographing wildlife for 25 years.

He said: 'During this long journey the herds are forced to cross through many rivers - some are small streams but some, like the Mara river, are big and infested by hungry crocodiles.

'In my career as wildlife photographer I have seen many predators like lions and leopards killing other animals - that is just a part of nature.

'But I will never get used to the way crocs hunt and kill prey, especially when the water is not deep enough for a croc to drown the prey and kill it fast.

(dailymail.co.uk)