Horrific Darwin crocodile attack where bones ‘pop and crunch’ filmed

A gruesome scene during an iconic Aussie river cruise has been caught on camera, with tourists helpless as bones “popped and crunched” below the surface.

Nature can be pretty bloody brutal, and this viral video taken from a tourist boat bobbing on the murky waters of the Adelaide River is no exception.

Adelaide River Cruise passengers were left notably gasping after a fight over food took a gruesome turn.

According to tour operators at Adelaide River Cruises, who operate just a short drive from Darwin, a three-metre crocodile was being fed when another croc, known as Dominator, snuck up behind it.

But instead of stealing the lunch being provided by the cruise operator, the Dominator went for the other croc’s leg.

Speaking to the NT News, Adelaide River Cruises Business Development Manager John Dearly said the horrific scenes happened in minutes — with those on board witnessing the attack hearing a gruesome “popping and crunching” sound under the water.

“They [tour operators] were just explaining the differences between males and females and how they might pair up during the mating seasons,” Mr Dearly told the publication.

“All of a sudden, Dominator’s just come from underneath – he grabbed this crocodile and did a few big spins, and (then) you hear this really loud popping sound from underwater.

“Then he comes up and he’s got this poor croc’s leg in his mouth.

“He parades it in front of the boat and just shows everyone, and then crunches it up.”

It is unclear if the wounded croc survived the attack, however Mr Dearly said the beasts are pretty resilient and can overcome “disease and infection in the water, so as long as it hasn’t been too seriously damaged … it’ll be all right.”

The 3-metre croc came over for a feed while tourists watched on.

The smaller croc had its leg bitten off in front of a boat full of spectators.

The video comes just days after a family were filmed fishing and a young child happily playing by the water’s edge in an area notorious for its mammoth population of crocodiles.

The video, which copped backlash online, was filmed by tour operator Jack Tanner from Cyaround Australia Tours.

In the video, a boy can be seen climbing over rocks near the murky water while several adults stand and fish nearby as several huge saltwater crocs lurk nearby.

Sharing the clip to Instagram, Mr Tanner described the behaviour as “a croc attack waiting to happen”.

“This family was literally having a picnic on the road with the kids constantly on the water edge and absolutely zero crocodile sense,” Mr Tanner said.

“At this time there was close to 10 visible large crocs within 50m of them and probably another 25 crocs we couldn’t see at the time.”

Shocked viewers flooded the comments section with criticism, with one fellow tour guide describing it as “f***ing ridiculous”.

– with Shannon Molloy