Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Birds do it, bees do it............................


..............even lions in the bush do it!


Coming across this full grown male lion was awesome.  Resting in the open grass, he was calling for his lady with a low, hoarse roar, not loud at all to the human ear but probably heard by a lioness in the area.
 
How magnificent these creatures are.  Walking proudly one gets a sense of their well-earned name of 'King of the Jungle' even though this bushveld landscape is not actually 'jungle'.  I like 'Lion King' better.

After the exciting sunset viewing of the crash of rhinos, see my previous post, Gordon received a radio call that the king and his lady were together on the dry river bed enjoying some evening delight!  Off we went at full throttle ready to take a peek as apparently lions are not shy!


As it was dark, Gordon held the light so we could see the lions and take photos - this is why the colors are intense.  We were close and they were not concerned at all.  Mating occurs every 20 minutes, lasting about 30 seconds, for three days!  During that time the pair do not leave the area or eat anything.


That look on his face, almost whimsical.

I love this shot where they are resting close together......love among the lions!!!


I decided to edit this post prior to publishing, removing the more explicit photos because several readers are sharing my pics with their young children or students.  I don't want the children to be upset by the lion's fierce expression in some of the photos taken during the mating ritual.  They are awesome photos though!

If you would like to know more about lions behaviour, interesting facts about these amazing cats are given in a great Wikipedia article here

16 comments:

  1. Mary, I have so enjoyed sharing your trip. The pictures are awesome. And, I am constantly amazed that the animals seem totally "unbothered" by your presences.

    I laughed at the look on the lion's face, too. Males!!!

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  2. What fabulous photos, Mary, from what must have been a fabulous journey! Thank you for sharing - and I will certainly be looking forward to more!
    Cassandra ♥

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  3. Awesome pictures, Mary. Interesting information as well. Every 20 minutes? Hmmmm.

    xoxo
    Jane

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  4. Good morning, Mary. I come to you via Rowan. What a delight to know you are a fellow Southerner AND that you share my love of the UK!(I have visited your Across the Pond blog before and remember your story of moving to the States.)
    These close up images of the lion and his lady are intriguing! After hearing that a professor here in Alabama offers a photographic safari to South Africa, I have been daydreaming of signing on sometime in the next few years. Now that I have found your photos, the wait will be easy and inspiring! I look forward to reading through this entire blog!

    PS Is Erin's Bentley a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier?

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  5. I can really see that this is a relative of my sweet cat Adagio! He even gets the lion's mane in the winter months. And my mother says he is The King! LOL!

    Hugs from Holland ~
    Heidi

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  6. Wow, I'll bet they are pretty tired when they are finished. Carla

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  7. Oh my goodness! Get out of there, those are real!!! You go girl, great photos and what an experience.
    Machelle

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  8. My goodness, what gorgeous creatures! I can't believe you got to see them mating. What an amazing opportunity.

    xo
    Claudia

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  9. LOL! Thank you....hahaha! Not ready to have that talk yet with Kyle!!! hehehe!

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  10. Awesome post. I loved seeing those pics and learning about their rituals.
    xoxo,
    Kim

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  11. Wow! What experiences you had, seeing lions mate would be amazing. Beautiful pictures!

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  12. Mary..as always what amazing photos! Bless you for sharing them with us!!

    Blessings.....
    xoxo Gert

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  13. Amazing! Seems you didn't miss a thing, Mary. How interesting to get to see lions mating. Thanks for sharing the photos. ~ Sarah

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  14. Great Photo!
    Check out my photo here!

    Also its a new week which means new challenges at www.weekdayphotos.com, my very own photo challenge :)

    The themes are as usual:

    Monday - Creative Colors
    Tuesday - Macro
    Wednesday - 2 of a kind
    Thursday - Urban
    Friday - Sunset

    Have a good one!

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  15. He looks like one of those shots back from the 50's and 60's for a cigarette ad. If he ever needed a smoke it looked like it in that photo! Three days, wow, I guess they want to make sure to have some little cubs running around!
    Great photos Mary, and what an adventure to actually be a witness to it!
    Take Care,
    Ulrike

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  16. Gee, I just love these awesome Lions shots. They must have been amazing to see in the wild in their own habitat.

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