A brave squirrel avoided multiple snake attacks to chase the predator away from its babies.
Francesca Carli and her husband Mario were on holiday in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, when their guide alerted them to a leaping ground squirrel near them.
Incredible footage captured the rodent sparring with the mole snake, managing to dodge lightning fast bites from the reptile.
Having leapt into the air to escape the attacks for almost 15 minutes, the squirrel managed to chase the snake off the grass and into a nearby tree.
Francesca said: “It was so exciting but the thing that impressed us the most was the courage of the little squirrel who kept jumping against the snake.
“The squirrel spreads its tail and places it over its head to make it look bigger, but in reality the snake is much bigger and stronger than it.
“Everything was very quiet due to the high temperatures. We saw something moving in the middle of the valley on our right.
“We stopped immediately and saw the squirrel jumping. Only later we realize that there was also a snake.
“They fought for about 15 minutes then the snake escaped and took refuge in a bush.
“The squirrel kept looking in the direction of the snake, making the alarm sound.
“The ranger explained us that the squirrel probably had the den nearby. He wanted to drive away snake because it is a great danger.”
00:00While on holiday, Francesca Carly and her husband Mario witnessed something extraordinary.
00:22Their guide pointed out a frantic ground squirrel, but this wasn't just any nervous rodent.
00:30What they saw was an act of sheer bravery.
00:48A mole snake had come too close to the squirrel's burrow, where her babies were hidden.
00:53In a heart-pounding standoff, the squirrel faced off against the much larger predator.
01:00The walnuts made it up.
01:08The walnuts then woke up.
01:20The walnuts then woke up with a fiery lighthouse.
01:22It's called...
01:23It's called the walnuts.
01:2448 hours later.
01:25The walnuts then woke up.
01:2519 hours later.
01:2620 minutes later.
01:2650 years later.
01:27For nearly 15 minutes she leapt, dodged and darted away from lightning fast strikes, never giving up.
01:57Incredibly, her courage paid off, she forced the snake out of the grass and up a tree, defending her young and proving that even the smallest creatures can show the biggest bravery.
02:27I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but this is a challenge for me.
02:34The last thing I can do now, is to allow me to show if I was there.
02:42If you are at home, you'll have to go home, back home, and come back home.
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