Africa Geographic has published and distributed some of the most amazing wildlife sightings during the course of the year.
Here are 10 of the best…
1. Leopard Gets Quilled in the Kruger!
“The leopard continued to try and attack the porcupine, while the porcupine defended himself by releasing quills at the frustrated leopard. This scene went on for about an hour until eventually the leopard realised that he could not defeat this determined porcupine and made his way back into the bush.”
Full story here
2. Honey Badger Kills Massive Python – Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa
“The python was so big that the honey badger was unable to find suitable cover to hide the kill, which meant that we were able to whiteness the incredible tenacity of this small predator dragging a kill five times its own size. This equates to a single male lion killing an animal as big a black rhino bull!”
Full story here
3. Tree-climbing Elephant
“We looked over and there was an elephant high up in the tree picking tamarind fruit. It must have been one of his favourites as he had climbed a large termite mound and found a branch coming straight out of it that he could walk along and get to the fruit.”
Full story here
4. Epic Lion Kill in the Sabi Sand
“In a panic, one of the bulls opted for the wrong escape route. At full speed, he bolted toward where the rest of the pride was laying in ambush. We could see the beast unwittingly steaming in to a death trap from at least 300 metres away. I had plenty of time to get my camera.”
Full story here.
5. Rare Baby White Baboon Spotted in Zambia
“I first caught a glimpse of a “white” baby baboon around the Mfuwe Lodge grounds about six weeks ago. With his unusual pale colouring he was very noticeable and really stood out amongst the rest of his family. His mother, and other related females, were very protective of him, perhaps more so than with the normally-colored babies.”
Full story here
6. Forever Enemies: Leopard vs. Baboon
“He might have merely been a cub, but he had the heart of a full grown leopard. His growls could be heard over the screams of the baboons as he backed himself up against that tree, flashing his claws and teeth.”
Full story here
7. Adapt or Die: The Trunk-squirting Ellie
“Somehow, he had to bridge the gap between his mouth and the tip of his trunk – he did this by squirting the water through a tiny hole in his trunk, bull’s-eye into the middle of his mouth. His accuracy was alarming! Can you believe it? I was utterly astounded by this behaviour, and in all my years working as a game ranger it was definitely a first for me. Instead of suffering from thirst, this guy had it all figured out.”
Full story here.
8. Leopard Catches More Than It Bargained For
“On a recent trip to Etosha National Park in Namibia I found a leopard resting in the shade close to a waterhole and decided to hang around in the hope of her hunting springbok or other antelope at the waterhole. After about two hours I noticed some movement in the water and so did the leopard. She went to investigate and suddenly took a dive and pulled out a mating pair of terrapins from the water.”
Full story here.
9.The Black-maned Lioness in the Okavango Delta
“There is a small pride of lions at Mombo Camp in the Okavango called the Western Pride. One particular female within this pride – known by the locals as Mmamoriri – is very special. She has a dark, full mane, making her appear to be a male!”
Full story here.
10. Orcas Hunting Common Dolphins – Gansbaai South Africa
Full story here