View allAll Photos Tagged bigfive
A striking ostrich stands tall amidst the arid African savanna, its black and white plumage contrasting beautifully against the dry landscape. As the world’s largest bird, this magnificent creature is built for speed, thriving in the wild with its powerful legs and keen awareness of its surroundings. Captured in its natural habitat, this image showcases the essence of African wildlife.
This is one of the two lions that decided to settle next to my car. He sat there, and kept his eyes on the grazing Impala. He would look at me for a moment and get back to stalking the antelopes. This was an experience of a lifetime, and my heart rate was rising with excitement.
© Ben Heine || Facebook || Twitter || www.benheine.com
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I took this in Kenya some time ago and
spent a few hours editing it this morning
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For more information about my art: info@benheine.com
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Cheetah Outreach, Somerset West, South Africa.
My Future In Your Hands highlights the plight of the very survival of this species in Africa.
African Lion (Panthera Leo). Letaba, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Taken on foot in the Letaba River bed. We caught sight of this lioness from the Letaba bridge and hence diverted the morning walk to take a closer look. The fact that she stayed put in our presence (about 50m away) suggested that she has cubs in the nearby bush.
The Kruger National Park lies in the north-east of South Africa and runs along the border of Mozambique in the east, Zimbabwe in the north, and the southern border is the Crocodile River. The park covers 20,000 square kilometers and is divided in 14 different ecozones, each supporting different wildlife. It is one of the main attractions of South Africa and it is considered the flagship of South African National Parks (SANParks).
The infrastructure of the park is outstanding by African standards and roads inside the park are of very good quality and potholes on the main roads are rare. Smaller sidetracks are close to the originals landscape, but manageable with a normal car, although a 4x4 offers probably a better comfort on this type of terrain. KNP roads have speed limits range from 20 to 50 km/h and it is not wise to go much faster, because game tends to cross the roads out of nowhere.
Éléphants d'Afrique : Loxodonta africana
Les éléphants sont les plus grands animaux terrestres au monde. Avec un poids allant jusqu’à 6 tonnes, l’éléphant d’Afrique est le plus imposant tandis que l’éléphant d’Asie, plus petit, peut peser jusqu’à 5 tonnes.
Leur trompe, une extension de leur lèvre supérieure et de leur nez, est utilisée pour communiquer et attraper divers objets, au-delà de leur permettre de s’abreuver et de s’alimenter.
L’autre caractéristique notable des éléphants se situe au niveau de leurs larges oreilles qui, en plus de leur fonction auditive, permettent de refroidir le corps.
Quant aux défenses, larges incisives modifiées se développant tout au long de la vie de l’éléphant, elles sont utilisées pour se battre, creuser, se nourrir ou bien se repérer. Hélas, celles-ci attirent la convoitise des braconniers pour alimenter un insatiable appétit d’ivoire causant la mort de 20 000 à 30 000 éléphants chaque année…
Les populations d’éléphants ont chuté dramatiquement aux 19ème et 20ème siècles. Sur le continent africain, l’espèce compte aujourd’hui environ 415 000 individus (contre 3 à 5 millions au début du 20ème siècle).
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Répartition / Habitat
En Afrique (37 pays) : Afrique centrale (Cameroun, Tchad, Gabon etc.), Afrique de l’Est (Ethiopie, Kenya, Ouganda, etc.), Afrique australe (Botswana, Mozambique, Afrique du Sud, etc.) et Afrique de l’Ouest (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinée, Togo)
Dans les forêts tropicales et subtropicales humides de feuillus, les savanes et zones herbeuses inondées, la région boisée du Miombo et les savanes d’acacias
Population
Éléphants d'Afrique : 415 000 individus environ
Taille
En moyenne, 3,3 m pour les éléphants d’Afrique
Poids
En moyenne, 5 à 6 tonnes pour les éléphants d’Afrique
Régime alimentaire
Herbivore : se nourrit principalement de plantes et ponctuellement de fruits. Son régime varie considérablement selon les régions parcourues (des forêts équatoriales aux steppes) et selon les périodes de l’année.
Statut
Éléphant de savane d’Afrique (Loxodonta africana) : en danger d'extinction (UICN)
Éléphant de forêt d’Afrique (Loxodonta cyclotis) : en danger critique d’extinction (UICN)
Tarangire - Tanzanie
Février 2024
The Kruger National Park lies in the north-east of South Africa and runs along the border of Mozambique in the east, Zimbabwe in the north, and the southern border is the Crocodile River. The park covers 20,000 square kilometers and is divided in 14 different ecozones, each supporting different wildlife. It is one of the main attractions of South Africa and it is considered the flagship of South African National Parks (SANParks).
The infrastructure of the park is outstanding by African standards and roads inside the park are of very good quality and potholes on the main roads are rare. Smaller sidetracks are close to the originals landscape, but manageable with a normal car, although a 4x4 offers probably a better comfort on this type of terrain. KNP roads have speed limits range from 20 to 50 km/h and it is not wise to go much faster, because game tends to cross the roads out of nowhere.
A lioness sits out atop a rock outcropping watching over the horizon. From here she can see for miles, looking for prey for a next meal and watching for problems. Lions prefer to hunt during the early morning hours or at dusk. Some even hunt at night.
Ein Leopard im Moremi-Wildreservat (Okavangodelta, Botswana).
A Leopard in the Moremi Game Reserve (Okavango Delta, Botswana).
Ein Leopard im Moremi-Wildreservat (Okavangodelta, Botswana).
A Leopard in the Moremi Game Reserve (Okavango Delta, Botswana).
While driving through Tarangire National Park, we came across this elephant rubbing up against this tree. Amazing creatures to witness in the wild!
World over, on this day, singles fight it out to win over their love; but the true spirit of St. Valentine is celebrated in the wild, daily. Animals in their quest to find the perfect mate push themselves to unbelievable limits. In picture is a young bull challenging the established male of a herd as we cruised along the Kazinga channel at Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.
at sunrise on the Okaukuejo waterhole, Etosha NP, Namibia
All rights reserved. © Thomas Retterath 2015
Ein Kaffernbüffel im Moremi-Wildreservat (Okavangodelta, Botswana).
A Cape Buffalo in the Moremi Game Reserve (Okavango Delta, Botswana).
Der Leopard "Split Nose" auf einem Baum (Masai Mara, Kenia).
The leopard "Split Nose" laying on a branch (Maasai Mara, Kenya).
Ein Löwenjunges im Savuti Game Reserve (Chobe-Nationalpark, Botswana).
A Lion Cub in the Savuti Game Reserve (Chobe National Park, Botswana).
Die Leopardin "Luluka" in der Masai Mara (Kenia).
The leopardess "Luluka" in the Maasai Mara (Kenya).
One of three beautiful male lions that relaxed together in the heat in Masai Mara this past autumn.
My album of photos from Africa here.
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African Leopard. Phalaborwa, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
We came across him crouching deep in the dried mud eyeing up the impala. After realising he'd been spotted and had no chance of a meal he eventually moved off to watch the waterhole from a more strategic position in the bush.
Within another fifteen minutes of this image, a big, old, male warthog came down to the waterside. Covered in Oxpecker birds, he enjoyed a drink whilst being groomed. The warthog then promptly decided to have a nice relaxing lie down in the cooling mud.
Of course, the leopard was watching this with interest and not being one to let sleeping hogs lie, moved slowly out to investigate this opportunity. The leopard literally walked up to the warthog, pawed him to check for signs of life, and pounced.
Ten minutes later, the leopard stood over the carcass panting to catch a breath and guarding his spoils. He then decided to drag the warthog into the safety of the nearby bushline.
Alas, I don't think he got to enjoy his meal though. Within two minutes the bushes he had disappeared into began to shake and disappear into a cloud of dust. A herd of around five hundred Cape Buffalo then came thundering from the bushes down to the water (no doubt having trampled the carcass of the warthog to a pulp in the process!)
Soon after spotting this leopard on the side of the road, it started moving, in full stealth mode. After a pause on our side it disappeared into the thick bush. A bit further forward we saw a lone bushbuck in a stream bed, looking somewhat apprehensive - I would have been too!
The king of the jungle casually showing its teeth, lying in a green bush in the southern part of the Serengeti National Park (on the border of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area), Tanzania, Africa. Such a majestic animal!
This photo was taken using an M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro lens @150mm.
See where this photo was taken (approximately - the coordinates are a bit out of sync...)
This lion, of whom I have posted a few images before, was photographed in the wild in the Kgalagadi.
In the vast, golden expanse of the Mara, an ancient ritual unfolds. The Fig Tree pride gathers as one life given sustains many, a quiet, powerful moment written in the language of the wild. The air is still, holding the weight of both an end and a beginning, as the great hunters claim their hard-won prize under the watchful savanna sky.
During the afternoon game drive on our third day in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, we were treated to something very special.
Female leopard Makhomsava had been located, and as the daylight gave way to twilight and eventually total darkness, we were spotlighting, photographing her in the thickets on the ground.
We had barely been on the scene for a minute or two, when all of a sudden, Makhomsava sprinted a few metres to our right and captured a large scrub hare. She quickly killed it, and then scrambled up a nearby tree, as a hyena was on the scene.
She then proceeded to devour her meal as we watched, photographed and videoed her.
This was a first for us. We saw the chase, the capture, the kill, the climb, and the meal consumption.
It was an intense sighting that I will never forget.
For the entire duration of our time in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, we have wanted to photograph a leopard on a mound in good light.
It is the quintessential image of an African leopard.
We have had leopard sightings every day, but the leopards were all active and on a mission, crossing a lot of terrain in dense lowveld bush, which made photographing them difficult.
Additionally, we have had overcast skies and rain.
Finally, the right elements aligned, and leopardess Tiyani, who we have seen several times, was perched high atop a mound, with lush greeen foliage behind her in the very distant foreground.
Tiyani gave us what we have wanted, and which has taken us a decade to witness, let alone photograph.
Early into a lengthy and rewarding sighting with female leopard Tiyani in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, she stopped in the dense bush for a minute or two and yawned before continuing with her search.
Leopards are mostly nocturnal, but they can also be quite active during the day.
This is Makhomsava, a female leopard who inhabits the Sabi Sands Game Reserve.
She had been located, and was making her way through the bush.
In this image, I captured her out in the open as she intently moved through her territory.
We had no idea just what we were to soon witness.
Ein Leopard im Moremi-Wildreservat (Okavangodelta, Botswana).
A Leopard in the Moremi Game Reserve (Okavango Delta, Botswana).
This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be embedded or used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Bruce Finocchio.
Wild elephants are not that friendly creatures that people often see in zoos - They are extremely temperamental and, in a certain sense, quite unpredictable; the utmost caution is advised
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