This is My Home

The third brother, walking with a limp, meets the other two. He does not even glance at the herds of pry on the horizon.

Going to Meet His Brother

He gets up and starts to go across the plain to meet the third brother and coalition member.

Brother in the Grass

He also hears the call of his brother and picks up his head.

Hearing His Brothers

A triad Coalition of Blond Maned Lions

Third Brother in the Shade of a Palm

A triad coalition of blond maned Lions were calling to each other the night before. We got to witness them finding one another and the rejoicing that followed. This big guy had a swollen left foreleg. Our guide told us that if there wasn't a wound with infection he'd probably heal. Male lions live a challenging life.

Lions of a Triad Coalition

A triad Coalition of Blond Maned Lions find each other in front of us. I heard them calling the night before and just before I had to leave for the plane they appeared in the tall grass and came to each other with great shows of affection.

Signs of a Lion's Life

We more or less fell over this lion, he looked at us for a few seconds and then rolled his huge head down and went back to sleep. It appeared that he and his brother had brought down a Cape Buffalo. They were sated and sleepy. His nose tells the story of many adventures.

Blond Maned Lion with Blood on His Muzzle

Blond maned lion with blood on his muzzle, part of a coalition of two. Both lions were very relaxed and basically laid down and went to sleep. It looked like they were eating a cape buffalo. The carcass was open at the gut and the lions' faces were full of blood. At first I thought the carcass was of a warthog, but it was much too big. I do not know if these were the only lions involved in bringing down the prey.

Lioness with her Zebra Kill

The prides in this part of Botswana had fallen apart. Maned males came over from Namibia, but did not stay. Our guide, familiar with these denizens, felt this female had been on her own for a long time. He pointed out her powerful and muscular build, bigger than the average female in a pride. When we found her it was late afternoon, terribly hot and she was protecting her kill. She had brought down a zebra and did not want the vultures to get it. As night fell she relaxed, cooled off, fooled around and actually ate.

Hidden Leopard Cub

The mother Leopard was not ready to let her little cub out on its own. We had a minute with her and she allowed us to steal a vision.

Resting Male Leopard

Okay, he's handsome!

Male Leopard

Leopards are nocturnal, the start of our day was the end of his. He was very casual about us. With the new long lenses and big sensors one can photographically capture an animal while maintaining distance.

Male Leopard Scent Marking

This male leopard was strolling, sniffing and scent marking as he went. I love that the image shows the amazing camouflage this cat has.

Male Leopard Scent Marking

He is rubbing the scent glands on his cheeks and behind his whiskers on to the tree, just the way our little leopards do it at home.

Early Morning Light on Big Male Leopard

This big male leopard seemed to prefer to be just outside of camp. He was strolling and sniffing, scent marking as he went.

Blond Maned Lion with Blood on His Muzzle

Blond maned lion with blood on his muzzle, part of a coalition of two. Both lions were very relaxed and basically laid down and went to sleep. It looked like they were eating a cape buffalo. The carcass was open at the gut and the lions' faces were full of blood. At first I thought the carcass was of a warthog, but it was much too big. I do not know if these were the only lions involved in bringing down the prey.

Jaguar Departing

Male jaguar melting back into the forest. It was a privilege to spend time with him.

Jaguar Yawning

The Jaguar has enormous jaws that are the most powerful of all the big cats. It is thrilling to be around a cat this wild and this powerful. He makes obvious the Indian choice of the "Yaguar" as totem spirit.

The Big Jaguar

Our last chance with the Jaguars, this fellow came right out onto a spit of sand, yawned and sat around. It was evening, almost dark. Sadly our boatman suddenly decided to re-arrange the boat's position and I lost any further chance to capture him. I did, in fact, yell at the boatman, but I think being female in Brazil puts you out of hearing range of most men and these boatman saw themselves as captains of the ship. Our leader told me to be quiet and let the man do his job (!). Of course our leader had gotten his shot. Travel is always filled with the unknown, even now in our positions as pampered tourists. cultures are different, they are not all like North America, which makes me more grateful to be an American woman, right now.

Jaguar Dozing

For the most part the jaguars were spotted late afternoon, the temperature was over 90 degrees and the big cats laid low.

Big Male Jaguar

Here you can see his missing right eye. From the small experience I have had with the big cats in the wild, a missing eye is par for the course. They fight to eat. You can also see his massive head, jaws and shoulders.

Jaguar Waiting

This is what you see with your eyes when searching for the Jaguar in the Pantanal. The Jaguar, like most cats, takes note of everything - in this case 20 boats filled with tourists- and ignores it. I believe this was the big male missing his right eye. I was told by our guide he was the cat that started recent jaguar tourism. He had a big fight with a caiman that was caught on video, the video went viral and we all came to see him, but I saw this video.

Resting Jaguar

For the most part, what we could see was the jaguar resting on the river bank. Like most cats, they spend a lot of time resting, even behaving bored. This shot was captured rather late in the day.

Jaguar Evening

No more sun, this cat took a moment to sniff the greenery. No matter the size of the cat, you will see cat positions and activities that are similar to your house "panther".