Known as the King of Beasts, it is not often a lion comes across another predator fearful enough to make it flee for its life.

But one male was turned into a big scaredy cat in Botswana after spotting a crocodile while out swimming, with a photographer perfectly capturing the expression of horror on his face. The up-close snaps, taken at Duba Plains in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, show the lion leisurely wading through the river before he spots the killer croc and jolts in shock.

Photographer Marnel van der Walt, who took these photos, said that the male lion was trying to follow a lioness through the water when he saw the crocodile. Pictures and story courtesy of the Daily Mail UK.