Heavy breathers 😊 Thanda Safari’s male Lions (coalition) were strolling past the Green Mamba this afternoon, breathing rather heavily. The ultra-wide-angle lens of my new iPhone Pro Max captures the scene very nicely 🦁
A beautiful night view of one of Thanda Safari’s water holes.
With the incredible rains in this season all our dams and pans are full and currently there is water in puddles all over the reserve. Together with the lush vegetation this provides ideal conditions for all fauna to flourish.
This picture was taken last night after the sun had set with my new iPhone 12 Pro Max!
Beside the five official members of the genus Panthera (Tiger, Lion, Jaguar, Leopard and Snow Leopard) there are five more cat species which do not quite fit into the ‘small cat definition’ as they are rather large and/or have very special features.
I will introduce these over the next few days. Let’s start today with the fastest land animal: The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).
It is the only cat fully adapted for speed instead of power. It cannot roar and misses other big car traits. It is therefore classified in its own genus. I took this Cheetah portrait a few years ago at Thanda Safari.
The five members of the genus Panthera are also called the ‘big cats’. Cat species number 4: The Leopard (p.pardus).
They occur in Africa and Asia and are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because Leopard populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and are declining in large parts of their range.
The five members of the genus Panthera are also called the ‘big cats’. Cat species number 3: The Jaguar (p.onca).
It is the only large cat native to the Americas. While the Jaguar closely resembles the Leopard, it is generally more robust, with stockier limbs and a squarer head.
The five members of the genus Panthera are also called the ‘big cats’.
This is one of my favorite portraits of large cat species number 2, the Lion (p.leo). There are only two subspecies, African and Asiatic Lions and they are the only gregarious cat species living in family groups.