Big Cat Week here at CM Travels
This week is dedicated to BIG CATS and why we should be taking notice! 🙂 Very few have had the amazing opportunity to see the fastest land mammal in the world run at full speed:
The Cheetah.
This is during to a number of reasons. If you have owned your own house cat or know a friend or family members who have one, you will know that tend to sleep for many hours of the day. Lions can sleep up to 20 hours in a 24 hour cycle. Cheetah are slightly different to lion and leopards as they are classified in the genus Acinonyx rather than Panthera. Due to poor night vision and competition with other larger predators they hunt during the hotter hours of the day when those aforementioned cats are less active.
The wild is a formidable place for a solitary female and her cubs with dangers from everywhere. They do not scavenge and need to hunt frequently. Being the smallest of the large predators their hard earned catch is often stolen by hyena, lion and leopard. Males however are more sociable and tend to form small groups (or coalitions) of 2 – 4 and will defend their territories! With enlarged nostrils and hearts, with a sleek and elegantly designed bodies these beautiful creatures will forever be an iconic cat! With ever depleting habitat these amazing creatures numbers continue to fall. Their are some people that continue the good fight for these amazing cats. @harnaswildlifefoundation @okinjima to name a few… Learn more about these amazing animals and the other wildlife that they share their home with. As always we hope its a great week out there from your Team at CM Travels.
Roaring Lion: Wild Safari
A roaring lion is something every safari lover should experience. Even if its that far off call you hear. It is the sound of an iconic African species and something that truly makes us feel at home when we are in the bush. We have been incredibly fortunate to witness this a few times and I can only say enjoy!
Male Leopard
A continuation of our Big Cat week we have here a Large Male Leopard! The first time I found this Big cat I was actually on my way back to camp after spending the morning exploring some of the less traversed areas of the reserve for more scenic route away from the crowds. Driving along I heard alarm calling birds of various species. birds will often alarm call at any predator including owls, snakes, mongoose, birds of prey and on the odd occasion a leopard. We actually bargained on a snake being in the tree where the birds were perhaps the snake was trying to get into a nest. Which is something you rarely see.
So after explaining to the guests why we had taken to going off road through the bush that we were on the look out for a snake! To our humble surprise I saw this guy checking us out! Leopards are probably the most successful Big Cats. They have a huge range as well as the ability to thrive in many habitats.
Two facts that caught my interest in these amazing creatures is that according to Panthera almost 80-90% of leopards are found outside of protected areas. At least in South Africa. The desert adapted leopards of the Kalahari have an enlarged prostate to help with retaining water for much longer periods of time and will survive for long periods of time just on the moisture they get from the kills they make. Hope you enjoying this week of Big Cats here at CM Travels!
Experienced Guides
When you know where to go and have the professional help of a well trained and experienced guide you can really see some completely unique and amazing sightings. Here is on of those sightings. This intimate moment with Leopard mother and cub.
Stay Tuned
We hope you enjoyed this weeks Big Cats! Stay tuned for more from us here at CM Travels. We hope to continue to bring you valuable content and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.