Closeup, using a zoom lens from far, of a lion in Gir National Park, Gujarat, India – in natural color and monochrome version.
Lion Portraits
Tag Archives: Gir National Park
Laziness of Lions
Copious amounts of beauty rest (up to 20 hours a day!) is a natural lion behavior that helps this iconic species preserve energy for when they really need it. Lions are crepuscular, meaning they are most active in twilight hours (between sunset and dusk and dawn and sunrise). Conserving energy during the warmer temperatures of the day gives lions an advantage over their prey, which are mainly species less active during the darker, cooler hours that lions thrive in. Additionally, like the majority of cat species, lion eyesight also improves in dimmer lighting.
Here are some male lions sleeping in quite unusual positions at Gir National Park, Gujarat, India.
Young Lion Focused
A young male lion focuses on something of interest at Gir National Park, Gujarat, India. Young males are chased out of pride when they are around two years of age and start being sexually mature. These bewildered male lions then head out alone into the wild, getting injured while hunting, falling victim to alpha males in the jungle, or getting caught in snares if they mistakenly venture near the villages along the forest.
Peacocks in Gir
There is an abundance of peacocks in Gir National Park. While we did not see a single male with a full display of its colorful plume, the colors of the feathers on these peacocks are still spectacular.
Baby Nilgai at a Watering Hole
A baby Nilgai weighs some where between 13.6 to 15.9 kilograms. Nilgai’s attain maturity at the age of eighteen months. The gestation period lasts for nearly eight months. The mother Nilgai usually gives birth to twins. In some cases, the number of young ones may also be one or three. Blue bulls of India are herbivores, and consume grasses, leaves, buds and fruits.
Here is a baby Nilgai at a watering hole in Gir National Park.
Male Nilgai
Blue Bull, the other name of the Nilgai is one of the most commonly found wild animals in Gir National Park. Although it is an antelope it looks more or less like an ox. The Indian Blue Bull antelope grows to a length for 1.8 to 2 meters; it weighs nearly one hundred twenty to two hundred and forty kilograms. On the top of the long and narrow head a nilgai has two conical horns. The horns are straight and slightly tilted.
Carrying Away a Kill
Lionesses are the primary hunters, while dominant males are responsible for protecting the pride’s territory. Lion prey includes deer, buffalo, and other grassland animals. Here is a lioness in Gir National Forest standing over a kill and carrying it away in the deep forest.
Lioness of Gir
Lionesses outnumber males by a substantial margin, despite a near 50% male/female birth ratio. This is probably due to the tendency of males to be nomads, take on more dangerous game, and be killed in pride takeover attempts. Lionesses are loving mothers who demonstrate communal care of cubs, with lactating mothers allowing any cub to suckle. Females employ a cooperative model of child-rearing, with one female staying behind to watch over the cubs while the other females hunt.
Here is a lioness strolling around in Gir National Park, Gujarat, India.
Early Morning Sunrise at Gir
Another early morning at Gir National Park, Gujarat, India, with serenity at the reservoir and a glorious sunrise. Off to see more animals.
Birds in Gir
While lions are the main attraction in Gir National Park, India, there are also a lot of birds. Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher is an attractive medium-sized flycatcher with blue upperparts and orange-and-white underparts, with the most orange on the chest and the throat. Spotted Dove is a small and somewhat long-tailed pigeon that is a common resident breeding bird across its native range on the Indian subcontinent.
Chitals in Gir
The chital or cheetal, also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. While males weigh 150–200 lb., females weigh around 88–132 lb. Males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males.They are quite abundant in Gir National Park, India.
Marking His Territory
Here is a male lion marking his territory in Gir National Park, India. They mark the area with urine, roar menacingly to warn intruders, and chase off animals that encroach on their turf.
Male Asiatic Lion
The Asiatic lion, a subspecies that split from African lions around 100,000 years ago, once prowled across Asia and the Middle East. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat. Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions. Male lions are not as sociable as females, joining the pride mainly for mating and on a large kill. Although hunting takes cooperation, adult males don’t tend to take part in it.
Young Lions
A young lion cub watches with curiosity while a juvenile one walks through the forest of Gir National Park, Gujarat, India.
Strolling Lion
The discernible difference between Asiatic Lions and their African cousins is the shorter and sparser mane in male lions. Asiatic Lions also have a longitudinal fold of skin running along the abdomen, rarely seen in African lions. Here is an Asiatic lion strolling in Gir National Park, Gujarat, India
Seeking Lions
Gir National Park in India is the only natural habitat of world popular Asiatic Lions. When one visits Gir, the primary objective, waking up at dawn, is to see lions while riding in open, utility vehicles. If lucky, you can even spot a lion walking along the road, but it seems these tourists are looking in another direction.
Visiting Gir National Park
Gir Forest National Park is a wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, western India. It was established to protect Asiatic lions. Gir National Park is the only place in the world outside Africa where a lion can be seen in its natural habitat. The lions of Gir are a majestic animal, averaging 2.75 meters in length, and with a bigger tail tassel, bushier elbow tuffs and prominent belly folds than his African cousin which has larger mane. Gir is a home to 40 species of mammals and 425 species of birds.
We went on four safaris at Gir using open air utility vehicles. Here is a composite of the entrances to the park and two vehicles following a lion walking on the forest road.
