A jogger killed a mountain lion with his bare hands after the animal attacked him on a trail in the foothills of the Rockies.

The runner heard the wild cat behind him and, as he turned, it pounced and began savaging him, pouncing at his head, and clawing and biting his face and arms.

He managed to fend it off with his forearms and then jumped on top of the animal, somehow managing to suffocate it.

The man, who has not been identified, suffered bites to his face, arms, legs and back.

But he was still able to hike to hospital, where he was being treated for serious, non-life threatening injuries.

The attack happened on the west ridge of Horsetooth Mountain, a park 66 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado.

Rebecca Ferrell, spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said: "It’s an amazing story. Everyone is baffled and impressed. He had no weapons, no knives or trekking poles with him. How did he do it?"

The body of the mountain lion was found at the scene and was described as a "juvenile" thought to have weighed about 80lbs.