Four Lionesses - Panthera leo - Getting Ready for the Hunt at First Light

During the early morning shortly after sunrise in the sun baked savannah bush of Luangwa Valley Zambia , one of a pride's lionesses- Panthera leo-stretches as she gets ready for the morning hunt. There are a total of four lionesses in the savannah grass in the picture, but to the untrained eye only two are visible. The picture is intended to show how easily lions can be concealed by their colour and the vegetation to the extent that an unwary animal or tourist can inadvertently stumble across them.

Being the apex animal of the savannah, the fact that they are in prime condition and are a relatively large pride indicates that at the time when the picture was taken conditions were good for them.