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It's no doubt tiring work roaming the sun-drenched plains of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park.

Luckily for this lioness, nature provided the perfect spot to recharge her batteries.

Russian photographer Petr Banny captured the amusing sight of the sleepy animal letting all four limbs hang down from a tree branch as she dozed in the afternoon sun.

Do not disturb: Photographer Petr Banny got within 20 metres of the lioness but she didn't seem to notice

Mr Banny, who is an experienced safari travel guide for photographers, got within 20 metres of the animal to take the photograph and said he has never seen anything like it before.

'When I noticed her she was already lying on the tree', he explained.

'In my presence she was asleep for about 10 minutes, then she woke up and started changing poses.

'It was late in the day around 5.30pm and she was sleeping.'

Branching out: Mr Banny said it was rare for lions to climb trees - at least while they were being watched

A brief paws: The lioness was asleep for 10 minutes before she changed her position

Petr left Russia in 2002 to travel the world, embarking on photography tours in Japan, Zambia, Yemen and Colombia.

He was on one such photo tour in Tanzania when he spotted the lioness.

Petr, 42, added: 'In Tanzania wild animals get used to the tourists so if the tourists behave calmly, the animals do not pay attention to the people.

'Lions climbing the trees is a rare phenomenon - at least while they are being watched.

'Perhaps they do this because after seasonal rainfall, grass in the savannah is long so it could be easier for the lions to notice the prey when they are up on a tree.

'It means it can be a sort of observation point - and watching it made me smile.' 

Balancing act: Mr Banny said that lions sometimes use trees as an observation point when the grass is long