It's just a snake doing what a snake does, but these images of a mouse valiantly trying to save his friend from the jaws of the hungry reptile can't fail to move you.
The pair were placed in a tank as snacks for the snakes at Hangzhou Zoo, China, and nature inevitably took its course.
When it was clear the snake had won the battle, the remaining mouse scampered to the other side of the tank - where it was promptly devoured by another of the reptiles.
Scroll down for more images