A lone male elephant, but with no tusks. Makhna means tusk less., sometimes due to a genetic disorder the male elephant is unable to develop a tusk. The elephants are an Endangered species as per IUCN. The gentle giants are also called as Pachyderm – a reference to their thick skin and size. The wrinkled skin is moveable and contains a lot of nerve centers. Elephants are known for their intelligence and cognitive processing that is more than all other land animals. An adult elephant is a mega herbivore can consume more than 150kgs of plant matter in a day, as seen in this image.
Changeable hawk-eagle, a medium sized raptor that is seen in the southern and southeast Asian forests. This prefers well wooded areas sitting in the open branches under the forest canopy scanning for prey. The reason for the name changeable is because the occurrence of more than one form / morph of the bird. This eagle feeds on a variety of prey that includes birds, mammals, snakes and lizards. One of the most widespread and common Asiatic hawk-eagle species, their status is classified as least concern by IUCN
Iridescent blue green color of the National bird of India with its flowing train is a sight to behold. The train of feathers which are spatula shaped in the tip and has a colorful eye is used to attract the female during courtship. An elaborate ritual of fanning of the train and a display to accompany with to attract the female. Whilst the male has the long train female – peahen lacks it. They feed on wild berries and seeds and also prey on snakes, lizards and rodents at times. These are classified as least concern by IUCN.
This tiger was hiding in the bushes in Nagarhole, Kabini. This fellow did not move out until later in the evening (around 6.20) as we had to exit the park by 6.30 PM. This is a high ISO – 3200 image on extreme low light. Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and the national animal of India. There used to be a time when there was over 8 subspecies of tiger across the world but three of them are extinct. India houses more than half of the world tigers and the tigers found in India are called as the Royal Bengal Tiger. They mainly feed on deer, Wild pigs, Bison. As an apex predator in their territory they are hunted for Body parts thereby they are listed as Endangered as per IUCN, mainly due to hunting and habitat loss.
