Carnivores in Tanzania

Serengeti

These were the first lions we saw on the Serengeti. Lions are a lazy bunch, typically spending 16-20 hours a day sleeping or laying around in groups sometimes as large as 10-15.
	This is the same group as the photo above, but the male lion is more visible. Typically, there is only one male in a pride, or if there are several, they are generally brothers. A young cub is visible in front of the male.

This is the highest resolution shot I have- a female lion from the pride shown in the first picture. It was dusk, but these lions weren't on the prowl yet- perhaps they had eaten earlier in the day or previous evening, something that generally makes them even more lazy.

We saw these lions the next day in the Serengeti- another male and a female. We didn't see any other members of the pride. They weren't that close to us, so this is a telephoto shot, as are most of the wildlife shots on this website, though we were lucky at times to see some animals up close.

Ngorongoro

In Ngorongoro Crater, we saw a pride relaxing on the dirt track. We spend a considerable time just watching these lazy beasts sleep and occasionally groom each other. The male, above, is young, as his mane is not fully grown yet. The female to the right comically mimics positions my cats sleep in, and the cub to the lower right relaxes right next to a safari vehicle. The lions were so close to the vehicles at times that it made it difficult to maneuver when we finally decided it was time to move on.

Serengeti

The first cheetah we saw was in the Serengeti, far off in the distance. Cheetahs don't typically get close to humans, being rather solitary (except during mating). They tend to stake out high ground, using their perch to spot possible prey. In this photo to the right, this cheetah was perched on a termite mound.

Spotting this cheetah was a testament to our driver's ability to spot wildlife. It probably took us about 10 minutes to find this one after our driver saw it just using his eyes, and we had binoculars.

The blurriness is caused by thermal distortion from heat rising from the ground in the mid-afternoon heat. There was enough distance between us for this to be a factor, as this is maximum telephoto on my video camera- 12x.

Ngorongoro

We had a bit more luck with the cheetahs in Ngorongoro Crater. Usually solitary creatures, I will make the bold assumption that this couple is a male and female, as they usually stay together for a short while to mate. Again, a testament to our driver's acute vision, these were hard to spot, and are seen in these photos at maximum- 12x- telephoto.

The white in the background of the upper photograph is mineral-laden Lake Magadi.

A short while later, we were ecstatically surprised to find this cheetah- probably pregnant, very close to the road. She engaged visually with us, eyeballing me several times, making me realize that if she wanted to, I'd be lunch. The open tops of our vehicles left no protection.

However, she was not inclined, and cheetahs are shy and won't attack as such.

This cheetah was beautiful, and this is one of the best animal shots I got on the entire safari, and definitely the best cat picture I've gotten.

Having small heads, they can run for short distances at 70mph (110kph). These creatures, the most elegant of the cats, are scarce, and only a small percentage of cubs survive to adulthood.

This photo available in the Online Store as a reprint.

Serengeti

The leopard, for us, was the most elusive cat. We only saw one in Tanzania, and another one in Zambia (and that one only at night).

This lone leopard was sleeping the day away in the branches of a tree- very typical, as it's cooler up there, and they are the best climbers among the cats.

In fact, leopards are such good climbers, that they are able to hoist their prey, sometimes rather large in size, up into the upper branches of a tree so they can feast on them without threat of their dinner being stolen by a hyena, lion or other cat.

These two shots are the same shot, the upper one showing the larger context, and the bottom one giving a rather clear view to the sleeping feline.

Leopards are exclusively solitary, and only spend time together to mate. They mark their territory with urine and claw marks on trees, and keep track of each other to avoid fights.

The spots on their fur are called rosettes, and serve as camouflage.

Genets
Swahili Name: Kanu Species: Genetta genetta Weight: 4.5 lbs (2 kg)
Genets are frequently mistaken as a member of the cat family. They are, however, related to civets and mongooses. This fellow was up in the rafters at Ndutu Safari Lodge, just outside the Serengeti. Ndutu is another local name for the genet. This one in particular was fed by the staff, and they server a good purpose to keep the rodent population down. They're quite graceful and beautiful, and to add to the confusion with cats, they groom themselves like a cat and can also purr.

Serengeti

This is the only jackal picture I have in all of Africa. This one is a black-backed jackal, the most commonly seen as this variety is more diurnal.

Jackals are omnivorous, as they'll eat fruits, berries and grass, in addition to small mammals, insects, and reptiles.

Jackals roam alone, in pairs, and occasionally in a small pack. They will choose a mate for life, and form close-knit groups within their family's territory.

Leopards, hyenas and eagles are the most frequent predator of the jackal.