Tourists get the view of a lifetime as opportunistic cheetah uses their vehicle as a vantage point

Without any trees to climb, hunting on the plains of Africa can be a tricky game.
But this cheetah seems to have found the perfect vantage point for snaring its prey.
The predator stunned a group of terrified tourists as it leapt onto the roof of their safari jeep - and prowled along the edges of the open-topped vehicle looking for antelope in the distance.
The party of amateur photographers came within inches of the big cat as it used their safari 4x4 as a vantage point, ignoring those inside vehicle.

Smile for the camera: This cheetah finds an unusual vantage point hunting for antelopes on the African planes as it walks along the roof of an open-topped jeep full of tourists

Expedition leader Richard Costin, from Kent, managed to hold his nerve - and capture several photos as the beast as it scoured the landscape of the Masai Mara in Kenya for its dinner.
Mr Costin, 30, said: 'I'd heard that very occasionally a cheetah will jump onto the vehicles for a better vantage point, but I couldn't believe it when it happened.

'The cats in the Mara generally see the vehicles as something to be ignored, a non threat as they see then regularly.
'I think they see us as part of the jeep because it didn't really take that much notice of us.

Just don't come any closer: An amateur photographer on the safari expedition holds his nerve to photograph the beast as it lounges on the roof of the 4x4 in the Masai Mara in Kenya

On the prowl: The predator displays its ferocious mouth as it walks along the roof of the jeep. Thankfully it was more interested in snaring antelope than tucking into the tourists watching

'Cheetahs being the least dangerous of the cats in the Mara are the only ones my guide would tolerate on the vehicles, not that the others do this at all.
'However on a separate occasion when this cat was on our vehicle again, a small moped passing by about 200 metres away was enough to scare it into running away as they perceive these differently, as a threat.
'Whilst the cheetah was relaxing and on our vehicle, a fair few other vehicles came to see.
'Our decision to stay with her paid off as we ended up being the only vehicle that witnessed the hunt as the others had left to find the next animal to ''tick'' off their lists.

Hitching a ride: The cheetah looks out into the distance oblivious to the tourists inside the jeep. They are the least menacing of all the big cats in the African plains and are known to occasionally jump on vehicles

Razor sharp: The amateur photographers were close enough to the cheetah to get this detailed shot of its feet and the claws

Poser: The cheetah stares into the distance as its long tail hangs over the side of the jeep. A handful of trees that can be used as vantage points are seen on the plain, but this cat clearly prefers vehicles for watch points

'I prefer to stay with a find, especially a cat on the lookout for dinner, for a day if possible, that is how you capture the more unique image, rather than the typical tourist shots.'
Mr Costin added: 'We didn't have to wait too long for the hunt, as it saw something from the jeep and was stalking it within half an hour or so.
'We were there for the duration and were lucky enough to witness and photograph the hunt and the kill. It was a truly magical day.'