By Tim Binnall
In one of the weirder showdowns between two members of the animal kingdom, a pugnacious leopard wound up on the losing end of an odd battle with a porcupine in South Africa. The strange conflict reportedly unfolded in the middle of a road crossing through Kruger National Park and was captured on film by wildlife photographer Mariette Landman. Before an audience of several captivated tourists safely watching in their cars, the skirmish began with the ferocious feline stalking the quill-covered rodent before finally making its move and swiping at its intended prey.
Alas, the big cat's plan of attack proved to be rather foolish as the porcupine was able to deftly maneuver itself so that the quills protruding from its body provided a natural shield. Nonetheless, the determined leopard kept attempting to claw at the creature until it wound up with one of the spikes in its paw. While one might think this put an end to the battle, it had actually only just begun as the porcupine opted to remain in the road, leading to several more 'rounds' between the two animals which saw the rodent continually get the best of the big cat. Amazingly, the odd encounter lasted a staggering 90 minutes before the leopard finally gave up and the fight came to an end with the porcupine being the clear victor.