South African leopard plays meerkat

A leopard in a South African nature reserve has been spotted doing an unusual impersonation of a meerkat.

The animal raised itself up into a standing position to be able to see over tall grass after it had caught sight of some gazelle - but a canny photographer also caught sight of it and captured its distinctive pose.

The big cat was able to stay frozen for several seconds before its target suspected something was amiss and got away.

Safari guide Anton Walker spotted the strange incident at the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, which lies on the outskirts of the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

He told reporters that the safari tour group he was accompanying were delighted by the sight of the leopard.

He said: "This young female leopard was walking down the road, scent marking, when she heard three impala in the distance.

"She then got up into a comfortable position to peer over the long grass to get a better look at them.

'They however ran off and so she missed the opportunity to hunt them. She then continued to walk and she found a tree to climb up into and rest."