Bee-Eater | Flight | Sun | Set | Walk | Owl | Moon | Rise
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Panthera – the only organization in the world that is devoted exclusively to the conservation of the world’s 38 wild cat species and their ecosystems – selected one of my pictures as January’s Photo of the Month. I work as partner photographer for Panthera for over 10 years. More information about Panthera at www.panthera.org.
I took this picture of a female Leopard in July 2007 on Phinda Private Game Reserve as part of the Munyawana Leopard Project.
And this is another shot from the same ‘photo shoot’ 🙂
@PantheraCats @ChristianSperkaPhotography #Leopards #MunyawanaLeopardProject
On Sunday afternoon I was driving to the Bayete Camp on Phinda Private Game Reserve and I took a wrong turn on the way.
It was rather a lucky turn, because after a few hundred meters (or yards) I spotted a Black Rhino that developed some interest in my car. I got a few pictures before I turned around from my “accidental game drive” and got onto the right way to the camp.
My friends from Panthera (www.panthera.org) and Phinda (www.phinda.com) took me on a proper game drive in the evening. On that drive I took this picture with the funny Cheetah pose.
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Between 2002 and 2008 I have taken hundreds of pictures of this beautiful male Lion. He was the dominant male of the Phinda North Pride for many years and whenever I think about Lions I first think about him.
Together with my friend and field guide Mike Karantonis I spent many days and sometimes part of the nights watching him grow older and stronger. In 2009 a coaltion of three younger males replaced him as the dominant male of the pride.
I took this picture in December 2006 in the streaming rain (see also the second picture taken at the same time) in front of my room at Phinda’s Vlei Lodge.
About male Lions:
Male lions are not lazy. They have a very tough life. Only one out of ten males makes it to full maturity. Once their father has evicted them, they have to fight other male Lions for a few years. The very few that get not killed in this harsh selection process may become the dominant male of a pride after they successfully drive away or kill the previous “boss”.
Male Lions do usually not participate in hunts because they are very visible with their large mane and would make it much easier for the prey to “get wind” of the hunt. They also have to preserve their strength and avoid to get insured in a hunt, because they have to defend their pride towards other males and prides. It is in the interest of the whole pride that they are capable of doing so, because if another male manages to take over, the first thing he will do is to kill all the young lions of the pride (up to two years old). For the same reason it makes sense that male Lions eat first and plenty at each kill to make sure that they stay strong for any upcoming fights.
Picture Data:
Picture 1: Camera: Canon 1D MII / Lens: Canon L 2.8 300mm / Mode: AV / Shutter Speed: 1/400s / Aperture: f/2.8 / ISO: 800 / Exposure Correction -0.33eV / Metering: Central weighted / White balance: manual K6500 / Time: early morning / Freehand
Picture 2: Camera: Canon 1D MII / Lens: Canon L 28-300mm at 78mm / Mode: AV / Shutter Speed: 1/100s / Aperture: f/4.5 / ISO: 400 / Exposure Correction -0.33eV / Metering: Central weighted / White balance: manual K6500 / Time: early morning / Freehand
For more Lion pictures got to
www.sperka.biz/lion (for African Lion)
www.sperka.biz/lion2 (for African Lion in zoos)
www.sperka.biz/lion3 (for Asiatic Lion)
Today I got a very good question from one of my blog readers about the “closeness” to animals on game drives (see comment and answer on the post MORNING MIST).
Here are two pictures of a case when the animal chose to come so close to our vehicle, that we made the decision to get out of the way :-). The second picture is taken from a considerable distance. The Elephant Bull past us quietly!
In the first picture you can see the dashboard of the car and the Elephant. It was pretty close.
Picture 1: Camera: Canon 1D Mark IV / Lens: Canon L 17-40mm at 28mm / Mode: AV / Shutter Speed: 1/320s / Aperture: f/4 / ISO: 400 / Exposure Correction +/-0.00eV / Metering: Central weighted / White balance: Auto / Time: winter morning / Freehand from vehicle
Picture 2: Camera: Canon 1D Mark IV / Lens: Canon L 17-40mm at 40mm / Mode: AV / Shutter Speed: 1/320s / Aperture: f/4 / ISO: 400 / Exposure Correction +1.00eV / Metering: Central weighted / White balance: Auto / Time: winter morning / Freehand from vehicle
This is another scenic shot with an animal in it. But you have to look very carefully to detect the Cheetah in the tree.
Two groups enjoy this Cheetah sighting in the morning mist from their game viewing vehicles.
This pictures was taken at Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa.
Picture Data: Camera: Canon D30 / Lens: Canon L 100-400mm at 400mm / Mode: AV / Shutter Speed: 1/1000s / Aperture: f/5.6 / ISO: 100 / Exposure Correction +/-0.00eV / Metering: Central weighted / White balance: Auto / Time: winter morning / Freehand
Well, this is another scenic shot but it has some animals in it – The best of both worlds ? :-).
It is a picture of a winter sunset at Imagine Dam on Phinda Private Game Reserve, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.
I hope you enjoy this very African scene.
Picture Data: Camera: Canon 350D / Lens: Canon L 4.0 17-40mm at 37mm / Mode: AV / Shutter Speed: 1/30s / Aperture: f/4 / ISO: 400 / Exposure Correction -1.00eV / Metering: Central weighted / White balance: Shade / Time: evening / Freehand
In the last few weeks a few people have asked me if I could also put some of my scenic “non-animal” pictures on the blog.
Even if it is not my focus (I usually target things that can move :-)) I will post a few of my scenic shots over the next few weeks.
So here we go. The first picture is – predictably – from South Africa!
It is a view over the Mkuze Game Reserve, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. The picture was taken from high ground in then north of Phinda Private Game Reserve in the early hours of the morning.
Enjoy it.
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This is a picture of a Black Rhino browsing in the rain at Phinda Private Game Reserve, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.
If you would like to order a print of this image go to http://www.sperka.biz/potw2012/h31e582f6#h31e582f6
The first time I took pictures of a Black Rhino mock-charging our car I did not take pictures 🙂 My adrenaline level was high and I had visions of a horn coming through the side of the car. But, after a few of these “show” attacks I was able to get these pictures.
For more Black Rhino pictures go to www.sperka.biz/blackrhino
Picture Data (Browsing in the Rain):
Canon 1D Mark II, Canon L 100-400mm at 400mm, Freehand from vehicle, Mode AV, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/125sec, Exposure compensation +/-0eV, AWB, Focus center point only
About Black Rhinoceros:
The Black Rhinoceros or Hook-lipped Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), is a species of Rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. The species overall is classified as critically endangered, and one subspecies, the Western Black Rhinoceros, was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011.
An adult Black Rhinoceros stands 132–180 cm (52–71 in) high at the shoulder and is 2.8–3.8 m (9.2–12 ft) in length. An adult typically weighs from 800 to 1,400 kg (1,800 to 3,100 lb), however unusually large male specimens have been reported at up to 2,900 kg (6,380 lb).
Females are smaller than the males. Two horns on the skull are made of keratin. These horns are used for defense, intimidation, and digging up roots and breaking branches during feeding. The Black Rhino is smaller than the White Rhino, and has a long, pointed, and prehensile upper lip, which it uses to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding.
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Leopards are my favorite species of cats!
Since 2002 I am supporting a leopard conservation project in South Africa. It is called the Munyawana Leopard Project.
This week’s picture is of one of the female project leopards walking the boundries of her territory at dusk.
If you like to know more about this project and the organisation which runs the project go to www.panthera.org/programs/leopard/munyawana-leopard-project.
If you like to see more of my pictures taken for the project go to www.sperka.biz/mlp.
For more leopard images from my various trips to southern Africa go to www.sperka.biz/leopard.
About Leopards:
The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is the smallest of the four “big cats” in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. It was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. Because of its declining range and population, it is listed as a “Near Threatened” species on the IUCN Red List.
Compared to the other “big cats”, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic (completely black or very dark) are known as black panthers. The species’ success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth.
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