Our dominant male Lion gave me an impressive “Welcome Home” at the end of today’s evening game drive.
The Thanda guests on my vehicle were most impressed … and so was I 🙂
A very special place…
Today it is one year since I have arrived at Thanda Private Game Reserve. It is a very special place to work and to live at.
Having three jobs (Field Guide, Photography Teacher and Resident Wildlife Photographer) at the same time is demanding, but I really enjoy doing all three!
This is a collage of some of my favorite images which I have taken since my arrival at Thanda.
Thanks Thanda!
A Lion’s drink!
This young male Lion is having a drink at one of Thanda’s waterholes. We were watching the Lions in the early morning going to drink after they had feasted the in the night on a Wildebeest kill.
More about cats drinking (quoted from ANTRANIK.ORG):
Cats lap water so fast that the naked eye can’t follow it fast enough to notice. When a cat is going to drink water, it will stick its tongue out, curl the tip of its tongue backward, not forward. This curled tip will touch the liquid, barely penetrating the surface, then retract its tongue back into its mouth very, very fast. The water sticks to its tongue and a mini-stream subsquently shoots up into its mouth thanks to the power of adhesion and cohesion, respectively. The cat will then close its mouth at exactly the precise moment where the most water will be in its mouth, just before gravity starts to pull it down.
And this is a link to a short video showing a cat drinking (really slow :-)):
I am big and you better watch it!
This small male White Rhino calf put us in our place!
He came right up to the vehicle (which was standing below his level) and showed us his “big” horn, jumped up and down and snorted a bit. When we did not react he retreated quickly back to mum. She was undisturbed by his “manly behavior”.
They were grazing in a beautiful area surrounded by trees. A fabulous sighting for my guests.
A Good Look!
Thanda’s dominant male Lion gave us “a good look” when we spotted him on the way to the lodge after bush dinner.
The guests on my vehicle were very impressed with the beautiful cat at moon light.
And the answer is …
… the Jacobson’s organ inside the mouth of an African Elephant.
This was a really tough one!
More about the Jacobson’s organ:
The Jacobson’s organ or vomeronasal organ is an auxiliary sense of smell organ that is found in many animals. This organ is the sense organ involved in the flehmen response in mammals. The Jacobson’s organ is mainly used to detect pheromones, chemical messengers that carry information between individuals of the same species. Its presence in many animals has been widely studied and its importance for reproduction and for social behavior has been shown in many studies.
Its presence and functionality in humans is controversial, though most studies agree the organ regresses during fetal development. Elephants transfer chemo-sensory stimuli to the Jacobson’s organ in the roof of their mouths using their “fingers”, at the tips of their trunks.
Can you identify …
… the subject of this image?
What species and what part of the animal?
I am looking forward to the answers!
Wet, Dirty and Sharp!
These were the three adjectives that came to my mind when I saw this young male Lion displaying his sharp claws. He was very wet and very dirty when we encountered the Thanda North Pride on our morning game drive.
A good stretch!
If one gets up at 6:30 in the morning a good stretch is in order.
Well, the dominant male Lion on Thanda Private Game Reserve thought so, too.
Before he started for his morning walk he got himself aligned for the day 🙂
Ears!
I love the back-light ears on this little Baboon!
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 