Angry buffalo sends lion skywards

And THIS is why you don't mess with a water buffalo. Even if you're a lion.

A young lion bit off more than he could chew in this incredible footage, as he found himself on the pointy end of about three-quarters of a ton of angry water buffalo.

The footage was shot in South Africa by Ian Matheson, 52, during an early morning safair with his son Oliver, 16, and two of Oliver's friends in the Mjejane Reserve on the border of the Kruger National Park.

The young lion was one of two who had spent hours stalking a number of buffalo, eventually bringing down one.

However, as he was distracted prior to despatching the beast, one of the buffalo's companions seized his moment, driving a horn into the lion's flank and tossing him skywards like a rag doll.

Amazingly all of the animals walked away from the encounter with no major injuries, except perhaps some bruised egos on the lion's part.

The footage has gone viral on YouTube since being posted on Friday last, with over 16m views to date.