
These humorous pictures capture the moment a dog squares up against a sea lion as they fight it out over a fish.

The hungry hound confronted the sea lion after the fish was thrown on the ground, but got the fright of its life when the beast snarled and bared his teeth.

After a tense face-off, the dog thought better of it and went off with its tail between its legs.

Face off: A sea lion snarls at a dog after grabbing a fish in its mouth right in front of the hound's nose in a battle for food on a pier in Chile

The hound confronted the sea lion after a fish was thrown on the ground, but got the fright of its life when the beast snarled and bared his teeth

Victory: The dog backs off as the sea lion sidles back down to the water with his spoils. The fight happened near Taltal, on the coast of Chile

The fight happened near Taltal, on the coast of Chile, where it's a dog-eat-dog world as animals battle it out for handouts.

Photographer Alberto Ghizzi Panizza, who caught the stand-off on camera, said: 'Funny scenes like this happen every day.

'The manager of the local cafe throws waste pieces of fish to his dogs. Sea lions and pelicans are always trying to steal them.

'The dog was friendly, but not the sea lion it's a big and aggressive animal. The big male sea lion won this fight but the dog still got his piece of fish!'

The dog keeps an eye on the sea lion as they wait for fish. Photographer Alberto Ghizzi Panizza said: 'Funny scenes like this happen every day'