Do send in your photos; there is always a need and the photo tank isn’t nearly full. Today we have David Hughes’s photos of African carnivores. David’s captions are indented and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them. Since it’s Caturday, we have many felids.
Another selection of photos from my October safari in northern Botswana, this time focusing on the larger carnivores. There were some memorable predator sightings, with the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) being the only species we missed out on. Cheetahs do occur in these areas, but in very low numbers. However, our failure to see them was more than made up for by some of the other encounters we had.
This isn’t a great photo, taken at quite long range and in the dim light of an early morning at Savuti, but I thought it worth including as it was probably the most unexpected mammal sighting of the entire trip. This is a brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), a species endemic to the south-western corner of Africa. It’s more typical of the Kalahari Desert to the south of our tour area, and of the Namibian coast to the west. It’s very rare in northern Botswana and our very experienced local guide said it was years since he’d last seen one:
A second view of the brown hyena as it drinks from a muddy waterhole, bracketed by two marabou storks (Leptoptilos crumenifer).
The much more common spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). This group was resting after feeding on a nearby kill:
Everyone who goes on an African safari wants to see lions (Panthera leo), and we were lucky enough to see plenty of them. The lions of Savuti, shown here, are famous for regularly preying on elephants, something that lions in most parts of Africa rarely do. This pride had killed and eaten a juvenile elephant the night before, and were relaxing after their meal:
The male of this elephant-killing pride had a particularly magnificent mane:
Two young lions sparring next to the defleshed skull of the previous night’s dinner. The rest of its bones and hide were also strewn around nearby:
On our last morning at Savuti we stopped by the nearest waterhole before starting the long drive to our next campsite. To everyone’s delight a large pack of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) had come for a drink. We were lucky enough to have close encounters with four different packs of wild dogs on this trip, a spectacularly good success rate given the rarity of this species:
A wild dog at close range, showing the distinctive marbled coat. Every dog’s pattern is slightly different, so it’s quite easy to recognize individuals. From talking to other guides on the vehicle radio we heard that this pack had killed an impala (Aepyceros melampus) earlier that morning. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t get to enjoy their breakfast….
The dogs had lost their kill to this male lion, who was tucking into it with great relish under a tree a short distance away.
The thief’s wife and kids were also in attendance, obviously hoping for an invitation to the breakfast buffet.
However, the male was in no mood to share his meal, growling at any cub that came too close while he was eating. When the wild dog pack passed close by after leaving the waterhole, the lioness charged and scattered them, giving us a small demonstration of the fierce rivalry that exists between competing predators in this environment.
Leopards (Panthera pardus) are much harder to see than lions, but we were lucky enough to get some great close-up sightings. This female in Moremi Game Reserve had recently fed on an impala kill (its half-eaten carcass was lying nearby) and obligingly posed for pictures before going for a drink:
The female leopard heading for the waterhole. Unfortunately for her, she hadn’t read the textbooks saying that leopards often haul their kill into a tree to keep it out of reach of other predators. When we returned to this spot the next morning, our guide was able to tell from tracks and drag marks in the sand that a crocodile had come out of the water and stolen the impala carcass:
Another Moremi leopard dozing in a tree:
From the facial spot pattern I think this may be same leopard shown in the previous photo, though photographed on a different day:
The thought of lions killing a juvenile elephant is absolutely terrifying! Nature red in tooth and claw, indeed. Great photos, thanks for sharing.
Thanks! This looks like quite an adventure. I especially love big cats. I’m surprised the lion doesn’t share with his family. Especially his own cubs.
One of my tour companions made a similar comment while we were viewing the scene. I think the explanation is that the male’s first priority is to keep himself well-fed and fighting fit – if he doesn’t, he’s likely to be ousted (and probably killed) by a rival male, or group of males, hoping to take over the pride. The cubs are a secondary consideration. Half of them won’t make it to adulthood anyway. If there’s plenty of food, he’ll let them eat, if not, he can always sire more cubs as long as he stays in control of the pride.
Also, if he dies or is ousted his cubs will be killed by the new male.
Yes, that’s right. Viewed from the “Selfish Gene” perspective it all makes perfect sense, even if it may be unpalatable to our sense of morality.
Awesome carnivores!
Thanks for these excellent photos! You had good luck in your wildlife viewing!