It’s the classic battle between two age-old enemies as these two creatures stare into each other’s eyes.
This epic showdown between mammal and reptile sees an Indian grey mongoose taking on one of the world’s most poisonous snakes – a king cobra.
The pair warily circle each other looking for a weak spot, before the snake strikes in rapid succession at its enemy’s face.
But the mongoose is just too quick as it leaps and dances out of the way before closing in to try and bite the cobra’s head.
The two arch nemesis then attempt to stare each other down before striking at each other again to be bring their duel to a close.
The footage was taken in southern India after the mongoose stumbled across one of its favourite foods in the wild.
King cobra venom is able to kill a human within just 30 minutes, according to National Geographic.
Indian mongoose are popularly used to fight and kill venomous snakes, because of their rapid reactions and thick coat.
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