This is the incredible moment a tenacious zebra turned the tables on a charging cheetah and successfully chased it into a thicket.
The incredible photo sequence depicts the world’s fastest large cat rushing menacingly towards a herd of zebras that got too close to her three young cubs in Kenya.
The striped creatures scatter and flee for their life as the protective mother hare pursues them in what looks to be a foregone conclusion.
But, in an unexpected change of events, one zebra chose to go from defense to attack.
The creature suddenly turned and began rushing straight for the approaching cat.
The cheetah, apparently astonished by her stripey foe’s extraordinary daring, skidded to a standstill before blasting off in the opposite direction as the much larger quadruped came down on her.
The zebra chased the cheetah over the plains, sending her fleeing into the bushes before triumphantly striding away.
The cheetah remained hidden as her terrified cubs stared in bewilderment.
Sebastian Lehrke, 30, snapped the interesting image at the Naboisho conservancy in Kenya, East Africa.
Cheetahs inhabit on the plains of eastern and southern Africa and are considered huge cats despite weighing only 80-140 pounds and being unable to roar.
They are the fastest animals on the planet, capable of reaching speeds of up to 70mph when pursuing prey.
However, cheetahs can only maintain these extraordinary bursts of speed for a limited distance – roughly 250m – before slowing down.
The strain on the body is so great that cheetahs frequently have to recover for up to half an hour after a short race before sprinting again.
A cheetah’s diet typically comprises of tiny to medium-sized animals like as hares, impalas, wildebeest calves, and gazelles, according to National Geographic.
Cheetahs have been observed hunting zebras in packs, however a lone cheetah will rarely attack a zebra due to the significant size difference between the animals.
The large cats are still a significant menace to any zebra, so the brave quadruped who pursued this mother cheetah surely earned his stripes!
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