You DO have the eyes of a hawk if you can spot the clever cheetah perfectly camouflaged as he stalks his prey in this image.
A big cat managed to cleverly camouflage itself among the plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya in pursuit of three unsuspecting gazelles.
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Can you see where the cheetah is lurking ready to pounce? Credit: Richard Costin/National News
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The majestic mammal managed to cleverly hide among the grasses in KenyaCredit: Richard Costin/National News
The incredible image shows a trio of Thomson Gazelles looking a bit tense on a deserted lawn.
And then they discovered that their concerns were justified, as a cunning cheetah was lurking just yards away.
Wildlife photographer Richard Costin (40) captured the unusual animal ambush on camera after following the big cat for several days.
He followed the swift predator, hoping to observe its hunting techniques.
So can you see where the cheetah is waiting for his lunch?
To the right of the herd of gazelles, a large cat can be seen sticking out of the tall blades of grass.
It provided the perfect place for the cheetah to stop and plan its wild attack.
Richard explained: “The cheetah stood still and stared into the distance. Experience has taught us what that means.”
“It breached some potentially vulnerable prey, gazelles in the grass higher than they should be.
“Although cheetahs have incredible acceleration, gazelles can run longer, so if the cheetah can’t get close before charging, it may be outpaced.
“Luckily, the gazelles made their way into the tall grass, so it took them about five minutes to get to them before they ran into them.”
Other notable images show gazelles desperately running for their lives after a cheetah discovers their location.
But after a grueling chase and less than an hour of eating, the fast and ferocious predator was driven off by the hyena.
Richard, who runs photography workshops in the Masai Mara, added: “We’ve seen him stalk and hunt unsuccessfully several times, but this time he killed one of the gazelles.”
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The big cat lurked meters from the three terrified gazellesCredit: Richard Costin/National News
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Extraordinary footage shows the animals fleeing as the cheetah pounced Credit: Richard Costin/National News
“As you can see, cheetahs often have to eat as quickly as possible after a kill, when word of the kill comes around something stronger shows up, in this case a hyena.
“Actually, cheetahs are pretty weak and usually even a few vultures are enough to scare it away from being killed.
“That’s why he dragged the carcass to the higher grass before eating.”
The cheetah is the fastest animal on the planet, capable of accelerating from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just three seconds.
Its top speed is 70 to 75 mph (112 to 120 km/h), but it can only run in short bursts of up to 1,600 ft (500 m).
Previously, we challenged readers to spot a family of four cheetahs scurrying in perfect camouflage across a rocky plain.
The majestic mammals were barely visible in a photograph taken in Botswana’s Mashatu Game Reserve in late July this year.
And why not put your eagle eyes to the test with this photo of a snow leopard hiding in the mountains.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education