Lioness

Lioness (Panthera leo)

A Lioness resting in her habitat at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, FL. This image was taken while on a Safari on a bumpy road in a truck, with my Canon 6D and Tamron 28-300 mm VC lens. The 28-300 is my go to lens for travel and for just walking around with no particular capture in mind. It's the perfect lens.

Lions (Panthera leo) are one of the five big cats second in size to the Tiger. They are called King of the Jungle for their beauty and strength. The males are easily recognized by their manes that surround their neck, head, and face, which protects them during fights with other males. The female has no mane and looks similar to Panthers. 

They are carnivores and their diet consists of other animals such as, Wildebeests, Giraffes, Buffalo, Hogs and sometimes Rhinos and Hippos. When food is scarce, they have been known to attack Elephants. They will also eat smaller animals occasionally. 

The Lion population has halved since the 50's and are considered vulnerable at this time. Their range is in southern and eastern Africa and the southern Sahara Desert. 

Lions are the only social member of the cat family and live in Prides with up to 15 related females or Lionesses with maybe 2 or 3 males. Males are territorial like most cats. Females do the hunting and will hunt in groups to ambush their prey. Lions inhabit grassy plains, savannahs, open woodlands and scrub country. This allows them to hunt stealthy and hide in the long grasses. 

Males grow to about 4 ft tall and 5-8 ft long. They weigh 330-500 lbs with females being a bit smaller. They live 10-14 yrs and have a top running speed of 50 mph for short distances.

Raccoon Modeling Debut

Raccoon

Just before I started walking down the boardwalk, I spotted a family of raccoons, but I was unable to get a shot because I wasn't quick enough when I spotted them. Shame on me!

A few minutes later, I got a feeling there was something or someone behind me and sure enough, I spotted this guy following me. He was staying about 20 feet from me.  I snapped a quick shot, because I didn't want to alarm him and kept walking. The funny thing, when I quickened my step, he did too. I slowed and he slowed and when I stopped, he stopped. I had encountered a stalker!

This went on for a few minutes and I was getting a bit nervous since I was all alone and had no idea what he was up to. Finally, the urge to take a shot just got too much for me to handle. I turned around, crouched as much as I dared so I could get up quickly if I had to and took this shot. Once I did that, he gave me one last look, turned, and jumped off the boardwalk and went off into the woods. What a relief! He only wanted to pose for a picture.

American Alligator

American Alligator

This Alligator was photographed at Largo Nature Park in Largo, Florida. I was there with some friends from our Meetup Group. You can find a different Gator in a previous post from the same nature park.

People who live in places like Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, basically from Texas east to South Carolina, see these creatures every day. We are used to living with them and know their behaviors. To a Northerner, this is one of the scariest creatures alive. Yet, Alligators are really very docile.

There are two kinds of Crocodilians in the United States; American Alligators, who are typically docile except when there are young around (as with any animal), Crocodiles are more aggressive. The strange thing about this statement is that of the two, the Alligator is the largest. Strange, isn't it?

Alligators prefer fresh water and swamps; it has a broader snout with overlapping teeth and darker coloring than Crocodiles. Crocodiles can tolerate salt water better than Alligators because they have salt glands in their mouth that excrete excess salt. Crocodiles can be found in coastal areas throughout the Caribbean and in Southern Florida.

American Alligator

If you read my blog yesterday, you'd have seen a closeup of this 'gator. This spot, at the bottom of the bank in my back yard, seems to be his preferred spot for his afternoon nap. I can see him most every day around 3:00 pm.

This one is fairly young, probably only about 4 1/2 - 5 ft in length. I think he's getting used to me, because he doesn't bother to move when I snap his picture.

Poor thing is missing his front leg; but seems to do fine without it.

American Alligator

American Alligator

I found this guy snoozing on my lawn. He must've been pretty tired, because my camera or my movement didn't wake him up.

In Florida, we cohabitate with 'Gators. They're very afraid of people, so when they see us, they usually make a quick get-a-way. Once in a while, due to people feeding them, they loose they're fear of people. This is a terrible injustice to the 'Gators, since they are then considered a nuisance Alligator and they're usually shot. People need to understand that these creatures know how to get their own food, and they we shouldn't interfere with nature.

Alligators are normally quite docile; but can become aggressive when people come up quickly on them, or when people are near the nest.

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiens) Alligators hibernate to the muddy wallows in cooler months in Northern Florida. They can be found in ponds, swamps, rivers, freshwater and brackish marshes, mangroves, canals and occasionally in the ocean. They are resident in Florida.