A 660-pound tiger was caught on camera launching a ferocious 30-minute attack on the world’s deadliest man-killing bear.
In one swipe of its paw, the beast knocked the 300-pound sloth bear to the dirt as he gained the upper hand in the vicious scrap.
But in another, the six-foot-tall bear stood up and went for the big cat, swiping at him with his huge claws and teeth.
The astonishing fight was photographed by naturalist and tour leader Arpit Parekh, 33, at the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, India.
Their rare encounter took place just 1,000 yards away from Arpit's vehicle, lasting a whole 30 minutes.
"The tiger was enjoying his afternoon siesta when he suddenly charged ferociously into the nearby thicket," Arpit said.
"We heard screeching and soon realised the tiger had gotten into a fight with a sloth bear. They eventually moved out into the open.
"The tiger was able to sink his teeth into the bear and we thought the bear would die but the tiger soon became exhausted and let go. The bleeding sloth bear charged at the tiger and bit him on the leg.
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"Finally, after a gruelling battle, the two behemoths decided to call it quits and walked away from each other.
"It was a once in a lifetime moment to witness and it goes to show how difficult life in the forest can be.
"Look what both animals had to do to get to the water; they had to face life and death challenges. It really emphasises what a precious resource water is."
Sloth bears may have an adorable furry face, but they are the deadliest bears around.
The most notorious of this species was known as "The sloth bear of Mysore".
Shot in 1957, this particular bear killed 12 people and mauled two others.
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