This is the extraordinary moment a brave mother rabbit squared up to a hare four times its size.

The large brown hare initially looked to be about to attack the rabbit but was rocked back on its hind legs when the bunny launched itself at the startled animal.

Wildlife photographer Andrew Fusek-Peters, 52, spent three hours lying in a cramped hide to capture the sequence of unlikely shots.

The mismatched fight was captured in a smallholding near Churchstoke, Powys in Wales on Saturday evening.

The hare was poised to attack the diminutive bunny which is four times smaller than it

Oh no you don't: the bunny had other ideas and launched itself at the hare to protect itself

The encounter between the furry animals was captured by photographer Andrew Fusek-Peters

The stunned hare retreated after the surprise attack from the little bunny

Andrew, of Lydbury North, Shropshire., said: 'I could not believe it, I thought my God that's mad.

'It was a wonderful site but I did not actually see what had happened, it was only later when I realised, when I looking back over what I'd taken on my camera, that I saw the pictures.

'The baby bunny was feeding when the hare came along, it thought 'I'm not having this' and had a go at her.

'I'd never seen anything like this before in my life, which is amazing because hares have seen a stratospheric decline in numbers recently.

'Around here you have the practice of lamping where people go out at night, shine bright lights on them in the dark and shoot them.'

The mother's baby hare had been frolicking nearby.

Hares are distinguished from rabbits because they are larger and have longer legs and ears with black tips.

In early spring brown hares are at their most visible when the breeding season encourages fighting or boxing when males battle for social dominance.