Photographer Sebastian Lehrke captured a zebra’s stunning counterᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ against cheetahs at the Naboisho reserve in Kᴇɴʏᴀ, East Africa. The planet’s fastest large cat can be seen charging full speed against a herd of zebras that has wandered too ᴄʟᴏsᴇ to its three baby cheetahs.
The zebras attempted to flee when they saw the leopard stalking. However, one of the zebras suddenly turned to defend itself. The zebra abruptly changed directions and began to run in the direction of the big cat.
When the zebra followed ᴄʟᴏsᴇly behind the cheetah, which had appeared sʜᴏᴄᴋed by its prey’s response, it quickly changed course. The zebra chased cheetahs across the field and they were forced to hide in the bushes. Eventually, the zebra made his way back to the herd. The cheetah stayed hidden while its kittens anxiously observed what was happening.
The cheetah, a large cat that lives in the plains of eastern and southern Africa, is a huge animal weighing 36 – 64 kg and being unable to roar. They are the fastest mammals on Earth when pursuing their prey, with top speeds of 113 km/h. Cheetahs can run swiftly for a short distance about 250 m before they start to tire.
The strain on cheetahs’ body when running at maximum speed is so great that they frequently need to stop for a half-hour. The tiny to medium-sized prey that the cheetah consumes includes rabbits, impalas, young wildebeest, and gazelles. Because of the size difference, cheetahs typically follow zebras in packs, but a lone cheetah rarely engages in battle with zebras. Zebras are still under great danger from cheetahs, though.