Video: Fisho captures moment saltie makes meal of turtle in Bynoe Harbour

Proving that slow and steady does not always win the race, a crocodile made light work of a huge green turtle in Top End waters. Watch the video.

The beautiful, and beastly, reality of nature has been captured on film by a fisho in the Top End.

Territorian Owen McKellar bore witness to the incredible display, something he said was a “one-off” sighting during his 30 years in the NT.

During a fishing trip earlier this month, Mr McKellar caught the moment a large saltwater crocodile tracked down and snapped up a green turtle on video.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.

“I’ve seen turtles, I’ve seen crocs, but never like that.”

Mr McKellar said he was out fishing with a mate on Bynoe Harbour, near Turtle Island, when the scene, not unlike that from a nature documentary, unfolded.

“We saw the croc and backed off waiting for it to clear off,” he said.

“We waited for him for a bit and saw the turtle’s head pop up so I started filming.

“I saw that he had the turtle in his mouth and we sort of circled around him and he swam off with the turtle.”

Owen McKellar captured a very one-sided battle between croc and turtle at Bynoe Harbour.

Not wanting to take any chances, the pair moved their boat out of the way to let the crocodile, and the battling turtle, pass

“(The croc) had his back flipper and the turtle was upright so was still able to breathe,” Mr McKellar said.

“He was buggered — and where he took him he would have taken him and finished him off I reckon.”

Mr McKellar said while witnessing the moment was an awesome experience, it wasn’t the closest he’d ever been to a crocodile in the Top End.

“Depends how much I’ve had to drink — I’ve been close enough to touch the buggers in the past but that was silly,” he said.

“I generally give them a wider berth.”

While the fishing trip may not have ended how he’d like, Mr McKellar said the memory he was able to reel in made it all worth it.

“It was a good day out but a disappointing one as far as fishing goes — that was a one off for me to see the croc with a turtle in its mouth,” he said.

According to an NT government website, all turtles are listed as threatened species.

Originally published as Video: Fisho captures moment saltie makes meal of turtle in Bynoe Harbour