A lucky hyena barely escaped being eaten by an angry hippo that it had mistaken for being dead.

Safari guide Carlos Ismail was leading a tour in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, on November 1 when he spotted an opportunistic scavenger wading through some water.

Tense footage shows the hyena creeping up on the behind of a seemingly immobile hippo half submerged under the algae.

Suddenly the hyena turned tail and just in time as the hippo swung its huge body around and chased the pesky animal from the water almost catching it in its powerful jaws.

Carlos said: “This hyena was very lucky. It was on its own and I think it thought that the hippo was dead and would be an easy meal.

“It just managed to escape in time before it was caught in the hippo’s huge jaws. It barely managed to make it to dry land.

“I have been a guide now for nine years and have never seen anything like this before. Although I have seen the same hippo chase after a lioness.

“They are not scared of anything!”