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El cocodrilo salió de entre las rocas.

El cocodrilo salió de entre las rocas.
The crocodile came out from among the rocks.
From Lesson 573:Complex spatial prepositions (de entre, por entre)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about El cocodrilo salió de entre las rocas.

Why do we need the double preposition de entre instead of just saying salió de las rocas?
While salió de las rocas means "came out of the rocks," adding entre emphasizes the nature of the space. De entre translates to "from among" or "from between." It paints a vivid picture of the crocodile emerging from a hidden spot within a cluster of rocks, rather than just leaving a general area.
The lesson also mentions por entre. Could we use por entre in this sentence instead?
You could, but it changes the focus. De entre highlights the origin of the emergence (coming from among the rocks to the outside). Por entre focuses on the route. If you said pasó por entre las rocas, it would mean the crocodile moved through the rocks, navigating the gaps between them.
Does the verb salir dictate the use of de here?
Yes. The verb salir (to go out / to leave) commonly pairs with the preposition de to indicate the starting point of a movement. Because that starting point happens to be a space "among the rocks" (entre las rocas), the prepositions combine into the grouped preposition de entre.
I learned that entre means "between". How do we know it means "among" here?
In Spanish, entre covers both "between" (two things) and "among" (multiple things). Because las rocas is plural and implies a scattered group or pile of rocks rather than exactly two, "among" is the most natural English translation for this context.

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