Archive for 'Felidae'

Southern Lion (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

Southern Lion (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

Three linonesses of a pride of more than 10 quenching their thirst in one of few places left with water as the drought deepens with a seemingly never ending heatwave of 40c during day and barely a couple of hours before dawn with nearing pleasant temperatures. One of the lionesses was stung in the eye […]

Southern Serval (Leptailurus serval ssp. serval)

Southern Serval (Leptailurus serval ssp. serval)

Following this beautiful southern server during its morning hunt was amazing. It did not pay much notice to my presence and I was therefore able to see its natural hunting behavior. Watching it pounce on its insect, reptile or rodent prey was as good as it gets. It was mostly strolling leisurely looking for opportunities, […]

Southern Serval (Leptailurus serval ssp. serval)

Southern Serval (Leptailurus serval ssp. serval)

Following this beautiful southern server during its morning hunt was amazing. It did not pay much notice to my presence and I was therefore able to see its natural hunting behavior. Watching it pounce on its insect, reptile or rodent prey was as good as it gets. Although this was my only such encounter during […]

Southern Lion (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

Southern Lion (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

A young lion giving me the stare, wondering what to make of me.

Southern and Eastern African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus ssp. jubatus)

Southern and Eastern African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus ssp. jubatus)

A female cheetah leading her cubs to a new resting site as the rising sun heats up the land, leaving fewer and fewer shades to be found.

Southern Lion (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

Southern Lion (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

Just like humans – when all needs are met laziness sets in and the only frustration that might arise is where and how to position the body and how to adjust it to those miniscule discomforts like heat, flies or your brother coming too close for comfort. This is one of two brothers chilling out […]

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

Once these magnificent felines were plentiful in Africa and India. Now they are extinct in India, and in Africa their numbers are dwindling, and the cheetah is now a threatened species. Although many game farms and private reserves have their own cheetahs they are often restricted by fences and thus are practically prisoners, this is […]

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

In the soft hues of the sunrise, everything becomes magic, even more so when you see such incredible creatures as the cheetah. Unfortunately this species, as most others, is threatened. And even though Namibia seem like a haven, cheetahs are fenced in by a network of private properties, cutting off the free flow of genes, […]

Southern Lion (Panthera leo melanochaita)

Southern Lion (Panthera leo melanochaita)

This lion was in search of shade as the sun was rising ever higher in the morning sky, a commodity not easy to find during the dry season near the Etosha Pan. Southern Africa is experiencing a deep drought while north-eastern region flooding – an ever more common scenario of extremes.

Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

This mother is taking her female cubs to a new resting-play place for the hot hours to come. During the cool hours of the night the mother will hunt, and she had her kill at the previous location now exhausted. Lucky for me the tiger prefers to utilize the roads for territory borders and thus […]

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

A proud mother of two cubs playing with her young ones. In this series we see here from the initial stealth-mode, assessing her “prey”, to the explosive attack-mode towards one of the cubs, learning it the ropes of prey versus predator. Elevation: 287 meters.

Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

Seeing a tiger in the wild is absolutely amazing, but a mother and her cubs is just so special in so many ways! Here two sisters are testing their bodies and minds against each other in the countless play fights during the cooler hours of the day, while their mother is lovingly keeping her hand […]

Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

I had heard stories of this species while in Bhutan, one being a close encounter with a farmer and the cat stalking a barking deer and her calf. In the mountains this widespread species grow larger than in the lowland and can take on a young deer. Wild cats are notoriously hard to spot as […]

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

After my encounter with George just a few minutes ago, that came to an abrupt halt due to a thunderbolt that scared him off, I headed downstream and back to Porto Jofre. Just around a bend in the river I got a glimpse of yet another Jaguar! How interesting! 4 days with just a 3 […]

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

After 4 days here in Jaguarland I’ve seen a jaguar for a merely 3 seconds – not enough to even get a shot! This being my last day I was hoping for a longer encounter, but as the day progressed it did not look very promising. We took some new routes, but not a single […]

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

After waiting a long while for George, the name assigned him from those protecting and keeping score of the population here, to move out of the thickets, the weather changed. One thunderstorm that seemed far away, was quickly joined by several others, that soon joined and became one major storm. This was the cue for […]

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

After many days in the north of Pantanal I had just seen a jaguar for 3 seconds – too brief to even photograph it. Finally seeing this one I was determined to get a shot no matter what, at least as proof. I was in a boat and the location was very unstable. The only […]

Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)

Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)

One of the great opportunities to encounter wildlife is at night, and on the Fazenda San Fransico they arrange night safaris on their extensive road network, much of which is around the rice fields and canals feeding them with water. This cub was coming up from one of these canals, and showed no sign of […]