Jump to content

Show us your leopard pics...


Game Warden

Recommended Posts

A couple of leopards from Tanzania, 2016.



Big male leopard, Kusini Valley, Southern Serengeti


gallery_47376_1565_234137.jpg



Male leopard, Seronera Valley, Central Serengeti


gallery_47376_1565_149549.jpg


Link to comment
Share on other sites

HELP REQUIRED TO ACCURATELY AGE YOUNG LEOPARD.

I am presently working on a possible magazine article about a leopard family encountered in Botswana. (concession NG27A). The enclosed image was taken in June 2016 by Ben Recknagel (Munich) and appears with his permission.

 

The question is quite simply, is the juvenile leopard on the right of the image approximately 12 months or 24 months old. An accurate assessment is vital for the accuracy of the article. I tend towards 24 months.

 

Could any experienced leopard observers please send me your thoughts, I thank you in anticipation.

 

 

post-50942-0-43544500-1480948733_thumb.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HELP REQUIRED TO ACCURATELY AGE YOUNG LEOPARD.

I am presently working on a possible magazine article about a leopard family encountered in Botswana. (concession NG27A). The enclosed image was taken in June 2016 by Ben Recknagel (Munich) and appears with his permission.

 

The question is quite simply, is the juvenile leopard on the right of the image approximately 12 months or 24 months old. An accurate assessment is vital for the accuracy of the article. I tend towards 24 months.

 

Could any experienced leopard observers please send me your thoughts, I thank you in anticipation.

 

 

I would concur with your age approximation of being close to 2 years John, although this is never easy without a more detailed image, whether male/female (looks a male to me) and seeing it in the flesh.

 

My images below are of a male, both of which my guide and I assessed at around 2 years.

 

Cheers

Marc

Edited by africaaddict
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have recently returned from another wonderful 3 weeks in Ruaha and was very fortunate to be granted an off road permit and a working assignment with TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks Authority).

An alarm call by a pair of Black-backed Jackals led us to this young male leopard that had just killed one of it's older pups. Quite a rare sighting, a mature male lion had just arrived on the scene forcing the leopard to quickly snatch the jackal and attempt to secure his prize higher up the sausage tree, a special treat indeed.

All images from Ruaha Nat Park- Tanzania.

 

Leopard takes a jackel pup.
Nikon D5
Nikkor 400 f/2.8E FL VR
1/1000s
f/5
ISO 1100

ND5_8630a-XL.jpg



Leopard in early dappled light.
Nikon D500
Nikkor 80-400 AF-S
1/800s
f/5.6
ISO 1000@ 400mm.

500_5608-XL.jpg

 

Soulful eyes.
Nikon D500
Nikkor 80-400 AF-S
1/1000s
f/5.6
ISO 1800@ 400mm.

500_5593-XL.jpg



Nikon D500
Nikkor 80-400 AF-S
1/800s
f/5.6
ISO 900@ 135mm.

500_5613-XL.jpg


Cheers
Marc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sharon Pincott

Wow, these images are stunning. I'll share here one from my latest book, but it's not the quality of yours @@africaaddict! (This photo happens to be in my 'elephant' book - Elephant Dawn - because I tell the sad story of how I discovered one dead very close to my rondavel in Hwange in 2007.)

post-51131-0-98909100-1481489704_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Marc (africaaddict)

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my leopard query (5th Dec), your images are absolutely wonderful, I spent some time in Ruaha in July, a truly magical place. Only saw one leopard however, with an impala kill, but from a considerable distance.

To return to my initial image (5th Dec), the leopard on the left, blind in one eye, is the mother of the other, the one I was keen to accurately age. I originally saw the mother leopard in July 2014 with 2 cubs, a few weeks old, eyes only just opened. The other cub/juvenile was killed by lions in June of this year. A chance meeting with Ben who took the images in July provided me with some valuable information on how the family had developed since 2014. I want to make sure that the juvenile in his images was one of the cubs I saw 2 years ago and not from a later litter i.e. 2015, I am now fairly sure it was. I have attached another of Ben's images of the juvenile (on the left of the image) which may influence your deliberations further. Sorry to trouble you with this. Is there anyone else out there with an opinion, 12 or 24 months old? Thanks again J.W.

post-50942-0-26668300-1481577021_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, although not in the class of some of the amazing shots posted here i do have some Leopard pics im happy with, i have picked these couple as it was an amazing sighting in Ruaha this october just gone, apparently its not so common to have a male, female and cubs all fairly close together. Male on the left, female upper right and 1 of two cubs just visible on top of the large rock in the middle. I was lucky enough to get some closer pics of the male, and mum and cubs a bit after this. sigma 100-300 f4.5 on D7100.

post-50899-0-14339800-1481680255_thumb.jpg

post-50899-0-86908600-1481680664_thumb.jpg

post-50899-0-20211000-1481680694_thumb.jpg

Edited by Brisvegas
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks closer to 12 months in this image, IMO.

I'm tending now to agree with Egilio.........this 2nd image puts things in a slightly different perspective, and it does appear to be closer to 12 than 24 mths @@johnweir

 

However, without a really detailed close up of the face on both sub adults for spot/whisker marks/facial comparison, one can never be 100% certain.

Edited by africaaddict
Link to comment
Share on other sites

gallery_5715_1618_1583628.jpg
That´s Jane, the mom of the above cub.

Lebala, Botswana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RIP- Furaha, the Queen of Ruaha

 

This is the last image captured (12 hrs before her death) of a very special leopardess named Furaha which means Joy in Swahili. Lorenzo my guide and I stayed with Furaha for 7hrs (on the 29th Oct) and due to curfew had to leave her @ 7pm, there was clearly something wrong with her, but the change in her demeaner started only around 5pm, she was vomiting and disoriented, it was very sudden, and we had hoped she might improve by the morning. We drove back to where we left here first thing next morning, just beside her favourite tree to find her body, we both broke down and cried that this beautiful creature was now gone.......so terribly sad.

It appeared she died sometime before midnight. An autopsy by the vet from TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks Authority) whom we called straight away, was carried out that morning which revealed that she was NOT poisoned nor bitten by a snake or a victim of anthrax, which were our main concerns, nor had she recently given birth, which had been another concern as she appeared to be lactating, her thin body initially gave us that impression, so there was some small comfort that there were no cubs lost as well. Results of her death are still not fully known, other than her lungs, kidneys & liver had been damaged, a respiratory collapse the result. Her legacy will live on through her wonderful son Moyo who has inherited her wonderful spirit and relaxed disposition.

Over the period of my last 11 days in Ruaha, things were not quite the same.........something was gone. It was hard to drive past her tree and not get emotional.
We have both known her nearly all of her oh so short 6½ year life. She was probably the most relaxed and coolest leopard I've ever had the privilege to know.
The actual cause of death will never be really known due to TANAPA's limited resources, but it can almost be said it was a from natural causes.

Only the good die young...........RIP Furaha, the Queen of Ruaha.

 

500_6527bB%26W-XL.jpg

 

 

 

Furaha in happier times:

 

Taking the trunk route

 

D3S_1343-XL.jpg

 

 

 

Sunrise gazing

 

D71_1903P-XL.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

D71_2189-XL.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

D71_1068-XL.jpg

 

 

 

Any leopards around??

 

D71_1746-XL.jpg

 

 

Cheers

Marc

Edited by africaaddict
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very sad. Magnificent legacy she has left in your photos though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The circle of life. We are part of it also. Those lucky ones gets closer to other creatures. Thanks for sharing!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But the life goes on, and here is, finally, what we have been looking for; Kruger NP - Nandzana waterhole on Nov 1st, 2016

 

 

post-47185-0-29929200-1482578201_thumb.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

post-50928-0-50693100-1482603194_thumb.jpgYoung Leopard in the Lower Zambezi NP, Zambia:

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Selinda, last month

 

Young male with its prey, a baby impala

 

post-48450-0-28466700-1482742590_thumb.jpg

 

Its mother

 

post-48450-0-00852900-1482742592_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

africaaddict

For sure BushDog ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Same girl as in post #452 of this thread. Different lens this time, however (Fujifilm XF 55-200mm).

 

31893866564_3378a39e89_k.jpg

Kwando Concession, Botswana, November 2015.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
travelingteachr

We had only 4 days in the Maasai Mara in January 2016. Still, here were the gems.

 

This is so much fun

Cuteness

Breakfast is served

The Descent 10

The Descent 11

The Descent 9

The Descent 7

The Descent 6

The Descent 5

You're next

power personified

Morning stretch

camo

The descent 3

The descent

Beaut

Peek-a-boo again

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Recent shots from the Masai Mara NR : Loran, a large male leopard using safari trucks as cover while stalking Warthogs and Luluka, who just killed an adult male reedbuck:

 

LORAN

post-51374-0-84004300-1490522144_thumb.jpgpost-51374-0-30203500-1490522208_thumb.jpg

 

A Large Male Leopard near Double Cross

post-51374-0-59866000-1490522157_thumb.jpgpost-51374-0-63541800-1490522223_thumb.jpgpost-51374-0-75129400-1490522270_thumb.jpg

 

Luluka, who just killed an adult male reedbuck and was dragging it a few hundred metres to cover

post-51374-0-63379600-1490522324_thumb.jpgpost-51374-0-03505300-1490522391_thumb.jpgpost-51374-0-92077800-1490522374_thumb.jpgpost-51374-0-58370800-1490522537_thumb.jpgpost-51374-0-34031100-1490522555_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

This is Xikavi, a female leopard in Sabi Sands

the shot was taken well after sunset and so I've had to remove some 'noise'

 

post-43899-0-56925800-1491393723_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Selinda, last month, near Star Pan

post-48450-0-13840600-1491767500_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Safaritalk uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using Safaritalk you agree to our use of cookies. If you wish to refuse the setting of cookies you can change settings on your browser to clear and block cookies. However, by doing so, Safaritalk may not work properly and you may not be able to access all areas. If you are happy to accept cookies and haven't adjusted browser settings to refuse cookies, Safaritalk will issue cookies when you log on to our site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms of Use l Privacy Policy