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Lions are unique among cats in that they live in a group, or pride. The members of a pride typically spend the day in several scattered groups that may unite to hunt or share a meal. A pride consists of several generations of lionesses, some of which are related, a smaller number of breeding males, and their cubs. Each pride has a well-defined territory consisting of a core area that is strictly defended against intruding lions and a fringe area where some overlap is tolerated. Some prides have been known to use the same territory for decades, passing the area on between females.
King Mdogo of Kilo Saba Pride was seen sitting comfortably on the savannah plains during a photography safari on an early morning game drive in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.
One more photo from my last trip to Masai Mara, as we are on our way to listen to the folks from Serea camp, where I've been two times, who visits Norway and our photography club tonight.
This leopard cub was eating on a large newly killed impala, that its mother had brought up in the tree. She was resting on the ground.
(Leopard-unge, med impala moren hadde drept, in Norwegian)
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Watching a leopard in his natural environment was one of the most exciting moments I had during my Tanzanian safari.
We stopped to observe the beast for almost one hour: he was sleeping on the tree, then he woke up and jumped down, ready to hunt. We watched him lying in ambush, but actually he was not so hungry: better for the antelopes ;)
View on black!
just walking on the street, singing:
Doo wah diddy diddy dum diddy doo
Just back from a fabulous big cat Safari to Ngorongoro, Ndutu and Serengeti in search of the great migration.
If anyone has ever been to the Serengeti, especially the busy Seronera area, he will know how lucky you are, when you have a sighting like this without any other vehicle around.
Now, what can I say, we´ve been that lucky.
While other visitors where watching a bushbuck staring in one direction (a sign that there is a predator around), our guide said, that he heard a strange call of a guinea fowl.
So he said, let´s go there, they usually only call that way, when there is danger around.
What can I say, we drove 1 km and there he came.
Just for us. Saimon, our guide, was yelling and screaming from one ear to the other.
What a sighting!
Just to tell: in the morning we saw a leopard moving in the gras while exactly 50 cars were watching the cat (believe me, I counted!).
All rights reserved. © Thomas Retterath 2013
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nThambo Tree Camp | SOUTH AFRICA
Such an intimate moment with this beauty. So lucky being able, or better blessed to observe them this close.
Die Leopardin "Luluka" im wunderschönen Morgenlicht (Masai Mara, Kenia).
The leopardess "Luluka" in the beautiful morning light (Maasai Mara, Kenya).
Red-billed Oxpeckers on a wounded Cape Buffalo (Buphagus erythrorynchus)(Syncerus caffer caffer). Biyamiti, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
The Cape Buffalo has been gored by another buffalo creating this wound. The Oxpecker birds will peck at this wound to keep it open so that they can feed on the blood.
Two Lions (panthera leo) coming up the road early in the morning in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa
The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae.
Lions live in large groups called prides. A pride consists of multiple related females and their dependent offspring along with two or three unrelated males. A typical pride has about 15 members, although some prides as large as 40 members have been observed.
Lions spend much of their time resting; they are inactive for about 20 hours per day. Although lions can be active at any time, their activity generally peaks after dusk with a period of socialising, grooming and defecating. Intermittent bursts of activity continue until dawn, when hunting most often takes place.
Female lions, sisters, live together for life. Their female cubs also stay with the pride, even after they’re grown, but male cubs must venture out on their own once they reach maturity.
This beautiful Queen of the Savannah was captured during a photography safari on an early morning game drive in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.
South Africa.
Hluhluwe Game Reserve. Hluhluwe is pronounced something like "Shluh-shloo-ee".
KwaZulu-Natal
The white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists of two subspecies: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 20,405 wild-living animals in 2013, and the much rarer northern white rhinoceros. The northern subspecies has very few remaining, with only four confirmed individuals left (three females and one male), all in captivity.
A popular theory of the origins of the name "white rhinoceros" is a mistranslation from Dutch to English. The English word "white" is said to have been derived by mistranslation of the Dutch word "wijd", which means "wide" in English. The word "wide" refers to the width of the rhinoceros' mouth. So early English-speaking settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the "wijd" for "white" and the rhino with the wide mouth ended up being called the white rhino and the other one, with the narrow pointed mouth, was called the black rhinoceros. Ironically, Dutch (and Afrikaans) later used a calque of the English word, and now also call it a white rhino.
Ein Löwenjunges des "Topi pride" Löwenrudels in der Masai Mara (Kenia).
A cub from the "Topi" lion pride in the Maasai Mara (Kenya).
Most lionesses reproduce by the time they are four years of age. Lions do not mate at a specific time of year and the females are polyestrous.
Usually, the mother does not integrate herself and her cubs back into the pride until the cubs are six to eight weeks old. Sometimes this introduction to pride life occurs earlier, particularly if other lionesses have given birth at about the same time. When first introduced to the rest of the pride, lion cubs lack confidence when confronted with adults other than their mother. They soon begin to immerse themselves in the pride life, however, playing among themselves or attempting to initiate play with the adults.
The Queen of Rekero was resting in the grass nearby as her three very cute cubs were busy playing with each other. Captured during a Photography Safari on a late evening game drive in the Rekero area of Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.
Immer mehr, immer schneller, immer besser - alles möglichst zugleich - ist die Devise von uns Menschen…
Nicht so bei diesem Leoparden:
seine ganze Konzentration und Wahrnehmung ist hier gebündelt auf nur eine Sache: sein Fressen.
We were able to watch this Leopardess for 15 minutes as she strolled on the pad.
South Luangwa NP, Zambia, is an absolute capital for Leopards. We had 9 Leopard sightings, 2 during daytime.
explore # 259, 28.12.2011
Copyright Thomas Retterath 2011. All rights reserved
He should have used a napkin after lunch.
Lion after feeding on a Wildebeest.
Kwando Lagoon, Botswana
All rights reserved. © Thomas Retterath 2012
KRUGER NATIONALPARK | SOUTH AFRICA
When we arrived, these two bulls already stood in the lake and confronted each other. It seemed like the left one was the aggressor.
They stopped, got away from each other, just to turn around and charge again. In between both left the water and we thought it was over, but they came back, out of the bushes, only a minute later and once again the angry one chased his opponent into the water once again and it started all over.
Considering the time-infos in my pictures they fought for half an hour straight.
I got over 400 pictures and several minutes of video from that astonishing sighting.
King Lorkulup of the Black Rock male is no longer with us!
The Mara’s most famous lion - perhaps the most photographed currently in the world is no more!
Kenya's Wildlife Service (KWS) has confirmed. The fable given is that Lorkulup died from an Eland Horn injury, It’s also confirmed the image of the hyena carrying his leg, also belongs to him. Both the animals remains have been taken, and will be investigated.
Lorkulup was a very experienced and determined hunter who would regularly bring down Buffalo hunts for his pride, getting injured and killed by an Eland doesn't seem to be the whole truth.
King Lorkulup tragically passed away in his prime at the age of 7.5, in the same location at Maji ya Fisi, as his Brother Olobor exactly a year ago.
My last encounter with Lorkulup was captured on a Photography Safari on an early morning game drive very near to the Talek Gate where the whole Black Rock Pride was busy feasting on a Buffalo hunted earlier, in Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.
Having finished eating his breakfast up an acacia tree, this magnificent male Leopard finally climbed down and proceeded to sweep the entire area burying all evidence of his prized unfinished meal which was still stacked up a tree for later. All the blood and other bits and pieces were buried within a few minutes so that any passing by scavenger doesn't pick up his scent.
Photographed on an early morning game drive in Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.
A heartwarming scene of a family of elephants quenching their thirst at a watering hole in the wild. Their dusty coats glisten in the sunlight, reflecting their long journey and the resilience of nature’s gentle giants. A powerful reminder of the beauty and importance of wildlife conservation.
The king had probably just overslept that morning. His pride had already set off without him.
When he realized that he was completely alone, he set off in search of him with a loud lion's roar.....!
Kenya - Masai Mara
All rights reserved. © Uli Assmann
Leopard in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
All rights reserved. Copyright Thomas Retterath 2018
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Male lion stalking a herd of Zebras in the South Luangwa Valley, Zambia.
We wanted to see some Saddlebilled Storks at a waterhole and suddenly we realized a pride of lions there.
The lions came closer to our place. After a while some Zebras came drinking at the waterhole, not realizing the lions there. Luckily for the herbivore, they choosed to drink quite a distance away from the cats. So we only could see how the lions covered and this one stalked. Still thrilling.
We witnessed a lot of action this time with predators in the South Luangwa NP.
Leopards stalking 3 times, lions stalking the Zebras.
All rights reserved. © Thomas Retterath 2015
A pied kingfisher sits on the head of a cape buffalo in the Kazinga Channel of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda