This is the amazing moment a feisty zebra turned the tables on a cheetah mid-charge – and successfully chased it away into a bush.
The extraordinary photo sequence shows the fastest big cat on earth sprinting menacingly towards a zeal of zebras who wandered too close to her three young cubs in Kenya.
In what appears to be a foregone conclusion, the striped mammals scatter and run for their lives as the protective mother hares after them.
But in an astonishing turn of events, one zebra suddenly decided to turn defence into attack.
The mammal made a sharp about-turn and began galloping right towards the oncoming cat.
The cheetah, seemingly stunned by the incredible bravery of her stripey foe, skidded to a brief halt, before tearing off in the other direction as the much larger quadruped bore down on her.
The zebra chased the cheetah across the plains and sent her cowering into the bushes, before strutting away victorious.
The cheetah remained hidden as her anxious cubs looked on in disbelief.
The fascinating scene was captured by photographer Sebastian Lehrke, 30, at the Naboisho conservancy in Kenya, East Africa.
Cheetahs live across the plains of eastern and southern Africa and are counted as big cats, despite typically weighing in at a meagre 80 – 140lbs and being unable to roar.
They are the fastest animals on Earth, capable of reaching roughly 70mph when chasing down their prey.
But cheetahs can only sustain these incredible bursts of speed for a very short distance – only around 250m – before they need to slow down.
The stress on the body is so exceptional that cheetahs often have to rest for up to half an hour after a short sprint before being able to sprint again.
According to National Geographic, a cheetah’s diet typically consists of small- to medium-size animals, such as hares, impalas, wildebeest calves, and gazelles.
Cheetahs have been known to successfully hunt zebras in a pack, but a lone cheetah will rarely attack a zebra given the considerable size discrepancy between the animals.
The big cats still pose a considerable threat to any zebra, though, so the brave quadruped who chased down this momma cheetah certainly earned his stripes!
