This hanuman langur was hanging around outside my tent late one afternoon after searching for tigers in Kanha National Park in India (I was searching for the tigers, not the langur). These monkeys were easily the most common mammals that I saw in the two national parks that I visited.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) f/4 at 1/2000th of a second

The gaur — also known as the Indian bison — is the largest living bovine species on the planet. This guy is a fairly young male. Those horns will become much more formidable as he ages. I took this photograph in Kanha National Park in central India and thought it would be appropriate today for all those Tauruses (or is it Taurii) out there.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/100th of a second

Every country seems to have it’s scrappy canine. For us, it’s the coyote. For India, it’s a close cousin of the coyote, the golden jackal. I photographed this one in Bandhavgarh National Park, which is in central India.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second

Not sure exactly what this female bengal tiger had her eye on when she was licking her chops. Probably just swatting a fly from her nose. Whatever it was, it was nice of her to sit still for a few portrait shots. Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second

This was the first glimpse that I had of a wild tiger while in India last year. I was pretty far away and kept hoping for a clearing in the trees to get a decent shot. This was it. The tiger would eventually make its way out of the trees and into the open but I kind of liked the way that it was framed by the characteristic Bandhavgarh National Park environment.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/400th of a second (-1/3 stop ev)

I usually like to post photos that either show an animal’s behavior or its habitat. With a creature as magnificent as a tiger, however, a simple head shot seems good enough. Of all the wild beasts I’ve seen around the world — gorillas in Uganda, jaguars in Brazil, polar bears in northern Canada — the tigers I saw in central India were the most spectacular and finest looking specimens of all. This lovely lady was resting in the dry grass of Bandhavgarh National Park, casually observing me and the rest of her mesmerized admirers.

These are the Hanuman langurs that I saw all over the place in the national parks of India. It seemed that every adult female was with a baby. In fact, they practice what is known as alloparenting — which means that a baby can be given to, and raised, by a non-biological mother.

Not a good shot technically, but this was the best I could do with the jungle cats of India. These elusive felines aren’t much bigger than a house cat. In fact, as you can see, they look very similar to the average domestic cat. This one was in Kanha National Park in Madhya, Pradesh in central India.

At first a tiger’s stripes might seem a bit showy, but they actually provide nice camouflage…

During the long dry season, the sun casts shadows that are very similar to the striped patterns on the tiger’s fur…

And bamboo leaves and other foliage also mimic the stripes and coloring and enable tigers to sneak up on their prey.

This was the first glimpse I had of a tiger in the wild — it’s the same large male that I posted two photos of a few weeks ago. It’s rare to actually see tigers out in the open, which is why I liked the way that this guy was framed by all the natural foliage.