Taken by French photography duo Laurent Renaud and Dominique Haution, these incredible photos show a group of lionesses stalking a lone hippopotamus on the plains of Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
But instead of becoming dinner for the pride, the brave hippo fights back and the lions turn on their heels – fearing they might get a taste of their own medicine.
Mr Renaud said: ‘To be close to animals is an incredible feeling.
‘It’s amazing that the hippo manage to escape and to rejoin the river.’
In the photographs, a male lion circles the hippo before two lionesses jump on it and try and bring it down.
They appear to be winning when the hippo is forced into a ditch and four lionesses jump on its back.
But within a few moments the hippo has bared its teeth and managed to shake the pride off.
The lions are sent scrambling onto the grasslands and the hippo even starts to chase them away as it snarls victoriously.
Ms Haution said: ‘We discovered Kenya in 1982 and every year since we’ve returned to photograph African wildlife.
‘Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa are our favourite countries.
‘We regularly accompany travel groups on their voyage of discovery through the wonderful continent of Africa.
‘It’s characterised by such a wide variety of moods and characters and we share our passion for wildlife and photography along the way.
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