Watch this kangaroo rat kick a rattlesnake in the face

The desert kangaroo rat is a black belt among rodents. In addition to living in the hottest, driest deserts of North America, this tiny mammal fights off rattlesnakes with the speed and agility of the best kung fu fighters, making good use of its extralong, muscular hind legs. Now, biologists have captured just how it uses those legs: by kicking its would-be killer in the face.

Researchers caught 13 radio-tagged sidewinder rattlesnakes (Crotalus cerastes) on film as they lunged for kangaroo rats (Dipodomys deserti) during their evening hunts. The rattlesnakes’ aim was good about 80% of the time, but they landed a bite less than 50% of the time. That’s due, in large part, to the kangaroo rats’ agility: The aptly named rodent can leap almost eight times its body length while kicking, twisting, turning, and even flipping over to avoid capture. And when it’s nabbed, it uses its hind legs to kick the snake off, sometimes propelling the attacker a meter away.