These stunning photographs show the moment a jackal took to the air as it attempted to fly after its prey during a hunting session in South Africa.
After lying in wait, the predator pounced on a flock of unsuspecting sandgrouse at a waterhole in the country’s Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
Pictures show the jackal leaping up and flying through the air in an attempt to clamp its jaws around one of the birds.
‘They have a set way of hunting – the male jackal will lay under a bush a few metres from the waterhole, and the female jackal will lay just at the water’s edge.
‘They wait until the sandgrouse have nearly landed – for just a split second during landing, it takes the grouse that bit longer to resume flight, and that is when the jackals strike.
‘When they pounce on the birds, it looks like they’re flying too!
‘When they catch one they eat it right away, they gobble the whole bird in less than a minute.
‘We were amazed to see such a well-coordinated hunt – they knew exactly what to do, and they work together perfectly.’
