Seemed like a good day for a baby monkey. This one being a hanuman langur, photographed in Kanha National Park in India. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/200th of a second.

The Indian jackal is a subspecies of the golden jackal. They can have a lot of neck — as is evidenced by this simple portrait. Golden jackals resemble, but are not closely related to the black-backed or side-striped jackals that can be found in Africa. This one was photographed in Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.

The gaur is a wild bovine native to South and Southeast Asia. In fact, it’s the largest wild bovine (cattle species) in the world. Their numbers have been greatly reduced in recent decades and they are considered vulnerable to extinction (although in protected areas their numbers are now increasing). I photographed this one in India a few years back in Kanha National Park. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 125mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second.

In my ten day safari in India, I saw a grand total of three tigers. Two males and this female. She was considerably smaller and less bulky than the males. She also offered more of an unobstructed view before disappearing into the forest. Photographed in Bandhavgarh National Park. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.

The Indian roller looks a lot like the lilac-breasted roller that occurs in Africa. The Indian roller, of course, occurs in India (as well as other parts of Asia and the Middle East). I saw this one in Bandhavgarh National Park while searching for tigers on my central India tour a few years back. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second.

This young monkey is a Hanuman langur. They were very common while on safari in India. It was interesting the way they hung out and worked together with the spotted deer to alert each other of any lurking tigers. The langurs would keep watch from high in the trees while the deer would use their senses on the ground. If either heard or saw danger, they would sound the alarm. This particular langur, however, seemed very relaxed and was taking a rest from play (never staying too far from mom). Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 116mm) ISO 800, f/3.2 at 1/500th of a second.

I caught this tiger as he was just emerging from the forest. The foreground foliage is a bit distracting to the image, but thought I’d share anyway as it also frames him to a certain extent. He was a very big boy and had enormous arms. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second.

The chital, also known as the spotted deer, is native to the Indian subcontinent. They were quite common in the two national parks that I visited in India and kept me quite occupied while waiting for tigers to show up. They look a bit like our white tailed deer if the young were never to lose their spots. This male chital was posing in the late day light in Kanha National Park. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

I only saw one tiger in Kanha National Park in India and it was rather difficult getting a clear view through the thick vegetation. I was able to get pretty close, however, (with the help of an elephant) and grabbed a few close ups of the face when the tiger turned toward camera.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second