This one was taken early in the morning in northern Botswana. Several spotted hyena were romping around in a flooded plain chasing after each other and apparently having a good old time — unusual behavior for the ordinarily laid back hyena. There wasn’t much light so most of my pictures from this session were motion-blurred panning shots. For this one I had enough light (but still had to pan with the hyena) to freeze the head and torso.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

Many consider the leopard the most attractive of all the big cats. Hard to argue with this young female. We saw her a few times in our six days in northern Botswana on our honeymoon trip two years ago. This shot was taken about twenty minutes before she dropped from the tree onto a grazing impala below.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second

This lion mother and cub were part of a pride that I photographed in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. They had just come from an oryx kill and were filling up at a water hole near our camp. I like that you can clearly see the black stripes on the mother’s ears in this photo.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second

The tsessebe is a large antelope found in certain African countries, including Botswana where I photographed this one. It was early morning and a group of tsessebe were mixed in amongst zebra, foraging (and perhaps hiding) in the very long grass of the Okavango Delta.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second

I photographed this African wild dog a few years back in the Linyanti swamp area of northern Botswana. Wild dogs are one of the most sought after species by seasoned safari goers, and Linyanti is one of the most reliable places to see them. Even so, they are far from a guarantee. I was lucky enough to see a pack of about 12 one afternoon as they were winding down a day of hunting. Unfortunately, they are an endangered species due to habitat loss, human overpopulation, and other factors.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second

I mentioned earlier in the week that you won’t find anything on the African plains much cuter than a baby giraffe. I left the door open a bit because there are a few legitimate contenders. Baby elephants being one of them. I met this little guy in Botswana on my last trip to Africa. The poor little thing had a foreshortened trunk, perhaps a birth defect, but more likely the result of an encounter with a predator.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/250th of a second

It was brought to my attention today that this past Saturday was World Pangolin Day — the forth annual such event to raise awareness of this amazing, yet endangered creature. Can’t believe I missed it. Here’s another shot of the rare pangolin/leopard encounter that I was privileged to witness on our most recent trip to Botswana. To recap, the young leopard was stalking the pangolin on and off for the good part of an afternoon. Most of the action took place in very high grass, making clear shots difficult, but worth the effort. Below is a shot of the pangolin in the clear.
Top Photo: Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 135mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
Bottom Photo: Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/8000th of a second

Despite their beautifully colored coats, large cats like leopards, jaguars and tigers all blend in quite nicely with their respective habitats. The alternating dark and light fur provides perfect camouflage amidst the light and shadows of the grasses and shrubs. This particular leopard is the one year old that I posted about a year and a half ago. We came upon a very rare find on safari — a pangolin (see post here for more on that encounter) and I was very excited to get out of the vehicle and down on the ground for some great eye-level action of one of Africa’s most elusive creatures. I couldn’t believe my bad luck when the guide told me that I had to stay in the vehicle — because there was a leopard stalking in the nearby grass. The leopard was right next to our vehicle and I didn’t even see him. How dare he ruin my shot. Of course, I quickly realized that it was actually amazing luck — not only to photograph a pangolin, but one being stalked by a leopard. We stayed there and watched them play their game of cat and mouse (the pangolin, of course, in the unfortunate role of the mouse) until the sun went down.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/250th of a second

Beneath all that sun flare is an elephant enjoying a drink of water before calling it a night. This one was taken in the Linyanti Concession of northern Botswana late one afternoon.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 95mm) ISO 400, f/22 at 1/60th of a second

Friday seems like as good a day as any to post another lion cub. This little one hails from the Central Kalahari Desert in Botswana. He/she seemed to be feeling ferociously confident — albeit hiding behind the safety of mom and dad.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second