The lioness made the potentially fatal mistake of entering the elephant’s territory, and when she was discovered the grey beast was, quite literally, hot on her tail.

And stay there!: The lioness was forced to seek refuge in a tree after she was set upon by an elephant who took offense at the lioness entering her territory on the Central Serengeti savannah

Not so brave now: The lioness was forced to make a quick dash up the tree when she was separated from the rest of the pride during a hunting session

Elephants can’t jump: Although they are the ‘king of the savannah’ a lion does not stand a chance against an angry elephant, and the lioness made the right choice when she clambered on to the tree trunk

‘The elephant then reached up to try and pull the lioness from the tree. In the end though the elephant gave up. Eventually the lioness came down from the tree and was reunited with her cubs.

S.O.S.: The lioness desperately growls for help as she is stuck in the tree with the furious elephant waiting below

Catch me if you can: The elephant made several attempts to reach up to grab the lioness by her tail, but the feline kept it to herself

Giving up: The elephant finally gives up and leaves, allowing the lioness to make her way down and be reunited with the rest of her pride

Photographers Dalida and Andrew Innes from Sydney caught the battle between the elephant and the lion while on a safari on the Serengeti in Tanzania