You dirty rat: Daring rodent shows puzzled leopard exactly who's boss by stealing its lunch

It's not so much snatching victory from the jaws of defeat as dinner from the jaws of danger.

But even the imposing presence of an adult leopard at feeding time is not enough to get between plucky young Rattus Norvegicus (better known as the brown rat) and a free meal.

This extraordinary series of images were captured by photography student Casey Gutteridge, as he trained his camera on the leopard for a course project.

Sheena, bemused by the interloper coming between her and the remains of dinner, padded over on paws big enough to wreak vengeance with a single swipe.

But rather than giving the thief at very least the hearty set down it deserved, she gingerly lowered her nose for an exploratory sniff.

'But the leopard was pretty surprised - she bent down and sniffed at it and flinched a bit like she was scared.