The moment a plucky mongoose took on a deadly black mamba snake was captured in this incredible video.
The tiny dwarf mongoose was spotted defending its burrow from one of Africa's most dangerous snakes in the Kruger National Park.
Professional safari guide Brett Horely said he was amazed to witness the brave little animal protecting its home.
Mr Horely said: 'It was a hot summer afternoon and we had not seen much in the afternoon. We came around a corner and our tracker Duncan spotted a black mamba sliding across the bush.
'The black mamba was quite a long one and at first, no one noticed that it was being followed by a dwarf mongoose.
Black mamba snakes are Africa's longest venomous snake and they can reach up to 14 feet in length.
They are also among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 12.5 mph.
They are extremely toxic and they are known to be highly aggressive when threatened as they strike repeatedly and inject a large volume of venom with each strike.
Mr Horely said he felt 'very lucky' to witness such a unique sighting and was amazed at how the mongooses saw off the snake.
He added: 'Never in my 14 years as a safari guide have I ever seen anything like this. The plucky little mongoose was just amazing.'
Eventually the snake found a tree and slithered all the way up to safety, away from the mongoose.
