Image #3 Queen of the wilderness: Tanzania Africa

As I took this image, I was not only impressed with her beauty but her grand display of exceptional confidence. My heart was racing as I snapped the photo as before the snap, she looked straight down into our open jeep. My fear was that the lioness would dive into the jeep and attack us. This Queen cat did not dive into our jeep but just like the feline behavior of an arrogant domestic cat, she looked down at us and turned away with an annoyed expression.

Like many children of my generation, I grew up with the notion that the male lion was “The King of the Jungle” As I gained an understanding of lions in their native habitat and the roles of male versus female lions, I came to realize that this childish notion cannot be further from the truth. As I learned more about their behaviors, I discovered that it is the female lions that hunt to provide food for the pride and that females are the primary caretakers of their cubs. Related female lions live together in solidarity throughout their lives to protect each other as well as each other’s cubs. Male lions do not exhibit lifelong loyalty to their group and after a few years move on to mate with other female lions.

Resources: “ Safari: A Photicular Book created by Dan Kainen and written by Carol Kaufmann. DK Smithsonian: ANIMAL, Editors in chief, David Burnie and Don E. Wilson.