A fearless muntjac deer weighing just 50 pounds went head-to-head with a nearly two-ton rhinoceros at a zoo in Poland in a caught-on-camera David and Goliath bout for the ages.<\/p>\n
A caretaker at Wroclaw Zoo in Poland captured the standoff between Maruska the rhino and Mundzak the Chinese muntjac deer in a video viewed millions of times on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone probably forgot to look in the mirror this morning. Respect for Maruska for her angelic patience!\u201d Wroclaw Zoo captioned the video on its Instagram.<\/p>\n
The clip shows the diminutive deer squaring off with its much-larger opponent in a snowy zoo enclosure as the 3,750-pound armor-plated beast rears its head.<\/p>\n
The tiny muntjac takes a tiny step backwards, as if momentarily asking itself if this scrap was a good idea, but stands its ground before lowering its head and charging right at the horn of the hulking black rhino.<\/p>\n
The rhino sways its head back and forth a few times, seemingly in disbelief, before charging right back at the brazen combatant 1\/75th its size.<\/p>\n
But rather than turning tail and fleeing, the deer again charges forward, delivering a second head-butt, which sends the rhinoceros running as its tiny foe gives chase.<\/p>\n
Appearing to capitalize on the rhino\u2019s lack of confidence, the deer\u2019s spindly legs furiously propel it forward in pursuit, leading to one final face-to-face before the rhino runs off.<\/p>\n
The heart-stopping \u2014 but ultimately harmless \u2014 scuffle was the result of Munzak having a surplus of built-up testosterone because his \u201cgirlfriend\u201d had a \u201crash,\u201d according to the zoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has to discharge energy and show who\u2019s boss \u2014 even if the sparring partner weighs 1.7 tons. Who would have thought that such a warrior sleeps in this tiny body?\u201d the zoo\u2019s translated Instagram post concludes.<\/p>\n
Despite the animals\u2019 tussle, the pair remain friends, a follow-up video posted by Wroclaw zoo shows the former sparring partners happily munching on some hay side by side a few days later \u2014 along with Mundzak\u2019s girlfriend.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what does their relationship look like every day? Exactly as you can see on this video,\u201d the zoo wrote, sharing that Mundzak\u2019s nickname among caregivers is \u201cDaddy Munchkin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRhinos with munchkins have lived together in our zoo for years, they have separate bedrooms, but a common \u2018yard.\u2019 They ate hay together from more than one plate and, as you can see, there is usually full agreement here,\u201d the translated post continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you saw in the record-breaking popularity of the movie is natural behavior, albeit very rare. Dad Mundzak defended his territory because the female has a ravine. Maru rakka treated it as a form of fun. Luckily she is very delicate and remembers that she weighs about 100 times more than her colleague!\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wroclaw Zoo is the oldest zoo in Poland, opening in 1865. It covers 82 acres and boasts 10,500 animals spanning 1,132 species.<\/p>\n