A Kung Fu Mantis Takes On A Jumping Spider In This Epic Interspecies Face Off

You might think you have to fight epic daily battles negotiating shopping carts down at your local grocery store. But that's nothing compared to the struggles going down in nature.

For most living creatures surviving in the wild is a constant battle, an 'eat or be eaten' existence that starts the moment you are born. Take for instance this face off between an orchid mantis and a jumping spider, narrated by none other than voice of nature himself, David Attenborough.

The footage is taken from the BBC's incredible nature documentary series Life Story.

Both the mantis and jumping spider are known as very good hunters but the way they both hunt differs. Whereas the mantis relies on the art of camouflage and ambush, the jumping spider is stealthy and sneaks up on its prey before pouncing.

So it's a very interesting development when a jumping spider looking for some lunch happens upon an orchid mantis, and a game of chase ensues. If you are a fan of martial arts movies then you have probably seen this face-off between rivals with different fighting techniques many times.

Eventually the mantis is cornered but don't give up on it's chances just yet. it has something up its sleeve—as an act of self-defense it starts doing some pretty cool kung fu moves, like it's practicing tai chi on a leaf.

Wait around to the end too, because it finishes on a bit of a shocker.