Shakira was left shaken while on holiday in Cape Town after a surprisingly violent run in with a sea lion. 

The 'Hips Don't Lie' singer took to her official Facebook page on Sunday, February 12 and explained to her fans that the supposedly cuddly animal had a nasty change of mood that left her with a bleeding hand:

"This afternoon I happened to see some sea lions and seals. I thought to myself how cute they were so I decided to get a bit closer than all of the other tourists and went down to a rock trying to pet them doing a baby talk while taking pictures..."

"Suddenly, one of them jumped out of the water so fast and impetuously that it got about one foot away from me, looked me in the eye, roared in fury and tried to bite me. Everyone there screamed, including me. I was paralyzed by fear and couldn't move, I just kept eye contact with it while my brother "Super Tony" jumped over me and literally saved my life."

"We both got our hands and legs scratched by the rocks while trying to protect ourselves," she continued. "I believe what happened is that it confused the shiny reflection of the blackberry I was taking these pics with, with some sort of fish. It probably thought I was teasing it with food and then taking it away from it."

"Wow! It's funny that only half an hour before I was complaining to my guide Andrew that I never get to see wild animals up close on adventurous trips."

Watch her music video for 'Rabiosa' below: