This is the incredible moment two honey badgers took on three lions who then ran away from the tiny aggressors.
The small badgers were confronted with the much larger predators on a dirt road on a safari in South Africa.
But instead of running away from the ‘Kings of the Jungle’ the brave carnivores were not intimidated and stood their ground.
The pair of black and white weasel-like mammals hissed and snarled at the lions so much the trio were scared off and ran away.
Video footage captured by safari-goers in the Thornybush Nature Reserve, Rivonia, South Africa, in September witnessed the incredible stand-off between the huge beats and the tiny honey badgers.
Face off: The two much smaller mammals stood their ground against the ‘Kings of the Jungle’
Back for more: After running off into the long grass, one honey badger even returned to charge at a female lion again
Mobile phone clips recorded the hissing and trademark ‘rattle’ made by the badgers, which are famous for their ferocity, as the pair repeatedly squared up to the female lions.
The pair then ran off into the undergrowth before one plucky badger returned again to repeatedly charge at a female lion.
After the second confrontation it dashed under a safari vehicle as the amazed spectators watched on.
One safari-goer said, ‘I’m surprised they didn’t try to kill them’, as the drama unfolded.
As the honey badgers ran through the long grass, the two female lions and one male slowly followed and their hissing could still be heard, one man added, ‘boy, those things are loud’.
Ya’ want some?: Both honey badgers hissed and snarled at the big cats who eventually backed off at the Thornybush Nature Reserve, Rivonia, South Africa
The lions searched the undergrowth for the plucky honey badgers but gave up after more hissing was heard coming from the bushes
The clip showed the honey badgers attempting to get away from the trio of lions without completely turning their backs and letting their guards down.
Despite one female lion getting close to the badgers before repeatedly backing off, their hisses and charges proved to be enough to make the big cats go about their business elsewhere.
An employee at the reserve said: ‘The badgers are extremely fierce animals, and lions generally stay away from them.
‘Some lions needed a new lesson on what they are capable of doing.
‘The video was taken on my morning game drive. We were tracking lions and found them but the lions got up and were moving.
‘While they were moving, the lions and us in the game viewing vehicle stumbled upon the honey badgers.
‘The badgers now had to move away from the vehicles and try and scare the lions away, which is not easy when you are drastically smaller than both.’