Saltwater crocodile fight ends in loser being eaten

A ferocious battle between a pair of prehistoric reptiles in a Queensland waterhole has ended in gruesome fashion, with the loser being devoured whole by its bloodthirsty adversary.

Photographs of the duel between the saltwater crocodiles at Rinyirru National Park in the state's north shared online by wildlife authorities show the key moments of the brutal, if somewhat lopsided stoush at Catfish Waterhole.

Taken by Sandra Bell, the pictures show the larger saltie destroying its considerably smaller opponent, which gets tossed like a ragdoll before being munched down in what is undoubtedly the most decisive possible way to end a fight.

In posting the photos to its Facebook account, Queensland National Parks noted that the deadly encounter occurred just a few hundred metres from crocodile warning signage.

The authority might consider replacing the cartoon croc on the signs with a reproduction or two of Ms Bell's outstanding shots – there is perhaps no better way to deter would-be swimmers than the image of the smaller crocodile being cracked like a whip in the jaws of its hungry cousin.