You're not laughing now! Hyena narrowly escapes the jaws of an angry hippo after mistaking the sleeping giant for a carcass

A hyena that mistook a sleeping hippo for a carcass had the last laugh when it managed to avoid the angry beast's jaws, a dramatic video has revealed.

The carnivore narrowly escaped after initially mistaking the sleeping giant for a carcass to feast on.

Exciting images show how the hyena crawls to the back of an apparently immobile hippopotamus, which is half covered in algae.

As the opportunistic scavenger cautiously approached the hippo and strolled toward it through shallow waters, the semi-aquatic animal raised its head and looked around.

The hyena turns its tail just in time as the hippo swings its huge body around, chasing him out of the water before leaping towards him – inches away from catching him with his powerful jaws.

The incredible footage was captured by safari guide Carlos Ismail, who was leading a tour in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, when he saw the animal was near death.

Carlos said, “This hyena was very lucky. It stood alone and I think it thought the hippo was dead and would be an easy meal.

'It managed to escape just in time before it was caught in the hippo's huge jaws. They barely managed to reach dry land.

'I have been a guide for nine years now and have never seen anything like this. Although I have seen the same hippo chasing a lioness.

“They're not afraid of anything!”

Hippos are extremely aggressive and are considered the deadliest mammals in the world.

It is estimated that around 500 people are killed by hippos in Africa every year, both in direct attacks and when the animals capsize boats.

They have very sharp teeth and are also known as fast runners, meaning that the lone hyena, and possibly any onlookers, in this case had a lucky escape.