Imagine you’re an impala, just chillin’ in the shade somewhere in Botswana, minding your own business, when BAM!, a leopard drops like a missile from a tree about 40 feet up. I knew leopards hung out in trees, but I didn’t know they are basically 130-pound furry death bombs — armed with claws and razor sharp teeth — just waiting to take you out from above.
The stunning display of nature’s ferocity was witnessed by Yasmin Tajik, who also captured the incredible attack in an even more remarkable set of still photos:
The [female] leopard was intently watching a group of impala grazing nearby, and as they slowly moved under the tree we knew we were about to witness a once in a lifetime event. After about 10 minutes, we witnessed the leopard leap from the tree onto an unsuspecting impala below and before we knew it, the struggle had ended with a successful kill.
With the adrenalin pumping through our veins, we moved closer and captured amazing images of the leopard attempting to drag the carcass up a tree. She failed, and elected to eat the carcass on the ground instead. The scene continued to unfold in front of us, as she tore into the flesh of the impala, enjoying the spoils. She then made a second attempt to drag the carcass up into a tree, but the weight of both the leopard and carcass were too heavy for the branches and both subsequently fell to the ground.
[io9]
