An unlucky leopard got more than it bargained for after trying to catch and eat a honey badger.
David and Goliath: An unlucky leopard got more than it bargained for after trying to catch and eat a honey badger in Botswana, Africa
Nip: Captured on camera by Dutch wildlife photographer, Vincent Grafhorst, 40, in Botswana, Africa, the leopard decided to give up on its lunch after receiving some nasty injuries.
Swipe: ‘The badger did not seem injured but the leopard clearly was,’ said the photographer who chronicled the savage battle
However, instead of running away from its attacker, the animal, famed for its ferocity, manages to land some vicious bites and scratches of its own.
Face-ff: The two combatants bare their teeth during a lull in the frenzied fight. Neither the photographer nor his guide had ever seen a fight like it
The honey badger was able to get free thanks to its loose skin, which allows it to twist and escape the grasp of predators
Pick on someone your own size: The honey badger latches onto the leopard’s jaw.
‘Badgers have thick skin which is also very loose and allows them to twist inside their skin when grabbed and are also armed with a dangerous set of teeth as well as enormous claws.
Post-fight analysis: The leopard is left to rue its failure – and lick its wounds – after the honey badger fought it off