The world's smallest crocodiles have been filmed hunting bats deep inside a cave system in Gabon, Central Africa, for the first time. Footage released Oct. 1 shows African dwarf crocodiles in the Abanda caves ambushing bats in total darkness, a hunt researchers knew happened but had never been able to record, Live Science reported.

The clip comes from National Geographic's new documentary series Africa: Earth's Wild Home, which premiered Oct. 2. It was not produced as part of a new scientific study, but it offers rare visual evidence of how this isolated population survives underground.

The footage also renews attention on a small group of crocodiles that scientists say is drifting away from its forest relatives. The caves sit outside Gabon's protected areas, and the researcher who has studied the animals for years says the population is at risk until that changes.

Infrared Cameras Catch a Hunt in Total Darkness

Dwarf crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis) grow to about 5 feet (1.5 meters) and usually live in forest streams, rivers and swamps across West and Central Africa. In the Abanda caves, a population lives far from daylight, in tunnels covered with bat droppings.

Getting the shot was difficult. Filmmaker Lillian Todd-Jones, who directed the cave shoot, told Electronic Design that the team adapted off-the-shelf cameras to record infrared light. To the animals, the cave still looked pitch black. She said it was "after quite a long time of having people monitoring those feeds day and night that we finally saw the crocs getting a bat."

Matt Shirley, a conservation ecologist at Florida International University and a Rolex National Geographic Perpetual Planet Explorer, has studied the population for years. "I've been working with this population for almost 15 or 16 years now, and that's something we've never been able to see," he told Live Science.

What is new here is the footage. According to National Geographic, Shirley had previously seen bats pouring out at dusk get tangled, fall to the cave floor, and be seized by crocodiles, and the crocs occasionally leaped to grab a meal. What had never been captured was a hunt filmed in the dark, without people disturbing the animals.

A Cave Population Unlike Its Forest Relatives

The crocodiles were first spotted in the caves in 2008 by archaeologist Richard Oslisly, and a scientific team documented them in 2010. Researchers have estimated 100 to 200 crocodiles living across 10 to 12 caves, according to a 2018 National Geographic report on the team's work.

Their diet sets them apart. A peer-reviewed study in the African Journal of Ecology, published online in 2016, found that cave crocodiles fed only inside the caves and ate mostly cave crickets and bats. Forest crocodiles nearby mainly ate freshwater crustaceans and insects. Juvenile cave crocodiles were in significantly better body condition than forest juveniles, likely because prey is plentiful and predators are few.

Some cave adults are also orange. Living in chemically harsh bat guano gradually changes their skin color, according to the researchers. Genetic sampling has found a distinctive genetic signature in the cave animals, suggesting the group is becoming isolated from crocodiles above ground.

"It's very 'Jurassic Park,' you know — life-finds-a-way sort of a scenario. This is evolution in action," Shirley told Live Science. In another interview, he explained the cave move simply: "They found obviously a very abundant food supply, and then they just decided to stay."

Life in a Guano Slurry

Studying these animals is physically punishing — and smelly. Shirley described wading through droppings that turn into a thick mud when it rains. "Sometimes, to catch the crocodiles, I'm either literally standing with up to my neck in bat guano, or I'm having to lay down to crawl through tunnels and basically move through bat guano slurry, head to toe," he said.

The bats are central to the system. Large colonies roost in the caves, and they provide a steady supply of food and droppings that also feed the crickets the crocodiles eat.

Scientists still have open questions. The footage shows hunting behavior, but it does not tell researchers how often the crocodiles succeed, how many bats they eat, or how the cave population's numbers are changing. The bat species shown in the clip have not been identified publicly.

Protection Still Pending

Dwarf crocodiles are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, though Live Science notes the species has not been reassessed in decades. The main threats are overharvesting for meat and habitat loss. Every year, commercial hunters ship tens of thousands of dwarf crocodiles from remote forests to African cities to be eaten, National Geographic reported, and Shirley is helping develop a permitting system to cap the catch.

The Abanda caves sit outside Gabon's protected areas, but the Gabonese government is working through a process to protect them as a reserve. "I don't think we're worried about extinction of the species, but until that classification of a protected area comes to fruition, the cave population is definitely at risk," Shirley said.

For U.S. readers, the story is less about a direct threat and more about why isolated habitats matter. Caves, springs and islands can shelter populations found nowhere else, and a single disturbance can wipe them out. Readers who want to support conservation of such species can follow updates from established groups such as the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group.

Nature World News previously reported on research suggesting the cave crocodiles may be evolving into a new species, a story focused on their orange skin and genetics. The new footage adds the first filmed look at how they hunt.

The next step is official protection. Until Gabon designates the reserve, the cave crocodiles remain one of Africa's most unusual wildlife populations, living with no formal safeguards in a place few people can reach.

What Readers Want to Know

What did the new footage show? Infrared cameras filmed African dwarf crocodiles ambushing and catching bats in the dark inside Gabon's Abanda caves. It is the first time the hunt has been filmed.

Is this the first time crocodiles were seen eating bats? No. Researchers already knew the cave crocodiles ate bats and had seen them seize bats that fell to the cave floor. The new clip is the first filmed record of the hunt without people disturbing the animals.

Where did the footage come from? It is part of National Geographic's documentary series Africa: Earth's Wild Home, which premiered Oct. 2, 2026. It is not from a new scientific study.

Why are some cave crocodiles orange? Researchers say living in chemically harsh bat guano gradually changes the color of their skin.

How are cave crocodiles different from forest crocodiles? A peer-reviewed study found cave crocodiles eat mostly crickets and bats, while forest crocodiles eat mainly crustaceans and insects. Genetic sampling also shows the cave group is becoming distinct.

Are dwarf crocodiles endangered? They are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Hunting for meat and habitat loss are the main threats, and the Abanda caves are not yet protected.