NGORONGORO CRATER: Fed-up zebra fly-kicks fellow stallion in the face as gentle horseplay turns violent

It began as a spot of horseplay.

But the play fighting between these two stallion zebras soon turned nasty after one fly-kicked the other in the face.

The zebras were spotted taunting each other while grazing, playfully nipping each others tails and ears.

But one of the animals soon became irritated and responded by planting its front feet on the ground and launching a double kick.

His hoofs flew through the air and clattered the unfortunate zebra in the face, knocking back his head and possibly inflicting a case of whiplash.

The photos were taken by 16-year-old Joe Sulik, from Fargo, North Dakota, USA, on a sunny morning in Ngorongoro Crater.

Joe travels the country with his dad taking snaps of wildlife, and was in Tanzania in March when he took these shots.

He said: 'These stallions consisted of a bachelor group, and at first it appeared to be harmless play.

'While one was carelessly grazing, another male would sneak up and bite him in the tail or legs, or they would get confident and go straight for the ears!

'This seemingly trivial annoyance soon instigated quite aggressive battles between the males.

'Oddly enough, just as soon as a brawl would start, the two stallions in question would settle down and revert back to their docile grazing; but soon enough one would start to feel confident again, and another nip in the ear would initiate round two!

'It actually became quite difficult keeping up with them as they darted after each other at full force.

'The effort paid off however, when two of the stallions chased each other up a hill, and a powerful kick was delivered against the blue sky.'

The zebra brawl unfolded in a crater formed by the collapse of an ancient volcano, and it is the largest caldera with a full circle of unbroken walls surrounding it.

This makes for a sort of 'natural enclosure' as it is quite difficult for many of the animals to migrate in and out of the crater.

It is a major stronghold for biodiversity in the region, with some of the highest densities of fauna in Africa.

Joe added: 'Zebras are often written off as docile and good natured animals, but in reality these extremely aggressive duels have been a part of the Zebra's regular behavior for millennia.'

By RICK DEWSBURY