View allAll Photos Tagged leopard
I haven't done a burn to black edit for a while, nor have I posted anything for a while!
This is Sayan, the male Amur Leopard at Colchester Zoo. Amur Leopards are critically endangered with only an estimated 60 individuals surviving in the wild, though thankfully their numbers appear to be rising thanks to conservation work.
This trip was a quick test run for my new lens - the Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3. It's real test comes on my planned whale watching trips in the coming weeks! Any feedback is, as always, welcome.
Colchester Zoo, Essex, UK
We had been looking for leopards all evening until our guide got a call on the radio from another group that had just found one. The driver whipped in out of the bush and flew down the bumpy road. We approached the vehicles parked off the road and slowed down to see where they were looking. After driving over some small bushes, our guide positioned our truck in just the right spot. The Leopard was slightly covered by some vines and grass, but I was able to come away with this image.
Fast Fact.
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Protection status: Endangered
Leopards are graceful and powerful big cats closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.
The leopard is so strong and comfortable in trees that it often hauls its kills into the branches. By dragging the bodies of large animals aloft it hopes to keep them safe from scavengers such as hyenas. Leopards can also hunt from trees, where their spotted coats allow them to blend with the leaves until they spring with a deadly pounce. These nocturnal predators also stalk antelope, deer, and pigs by stealthy movements in the tall grass. When human settlements are present, leopards often attack dogs and, occasionally, people.
Location: Bali Safary Park
See also this shot at National Geographic Magazine.
You have to consider yourself very lucky if you get a chance to see this very elusive beautiful cat. I took this shot in South Africa at Sabi Sabi game reserve which is very close to Krugar National Par k. I was in awe looking at this beautiful creature which has the strength to pull a full grown Impala up a tree. Their spotted pattern is designed to make them blend into their surroundings as you can see here.
It's always somehow very special to see a predator in its natural habitat. The lonely leopard is really something else... Quite an amazing creature.
Liski must have been one tired cat - looks like she poured herself over the rock, all ready for a nice nap!
Liski the female Amur Leopard
Photographed from a safari vehicle in the Serengeti, Tanzania
=> Please click on the image to see the largest size. <=
Whenever I was looking at the face of a leopard while we were in the Serengeti, I was glad that the closeup view was because of my lens and not because I was within reach of it's claws. The leopards we saw and photographed were always calm but intimidating.
Ogni volta che guardavo il volto di un leopardo mentre eravamo nel Serengeti, ero contento che la vista del primo piano fosse dovuta al mio obiettivo e non perché ero a portata di mano degli artigli. I leopardi che abbiamo visto e fotografati erano sempre calmi ma intimidatori.
AB2A7586-1Flkr
Second group of shots taken with new lens. Canon 100-400mm. A bit of a challenge, Need a lot more practice
Sri Lankan Leopard / Leopardo de Sri Lanka.
EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 II
Uploaded in 1080x720 but available in 4500x3000.
Subido en 1080x720 pero disponible en 4500x3000.
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Profile/Perfil : Leopard 2
Leopard (Panthera pardus) stretching after just waking up from a nap in the sun. Image taken in the Serengeti of Tanzania.
We saw six leopards whilst in Tanzania and it was definitely a case of saving the best till last. This one was in a tree right next to the road and allowed me to take a few photos before climbing down and disappearing into the long grass
Her name is Lady Asja. She is about 10 months old. The Amur Leopard is listed as critically endangered, with about 30-40 in the wild. A rescued animal.
Such a sight to see--- this leopard was in a tree with its kill, having its dinner. The raw power of the cat, and the sheer beauty of his grace and strength were a sight to behold.
We watched in awe for nearly an hour as it dined rather obscured by the leafy branches, and then came out on a branch to clean its whiskers and lounge in the setting sun.
The camera GPS and this photo map says we were in Tanzania for this shot, but we must have been just on the border in the Masai Mara of Kenya, because we hadn't crossed the river into Tanzania yet.
More photos to come! Here is my African safari album link