Tigress

[Gajanan Bapat]

At Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve
JAN 2014 ..
Canon 7D ; 100-400 MM
f/5; 1/160 sec; ISO-320; Handheld

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice behaviour captured. A rectangular framing or a vertical one would have been better. Nice display of habitat. Thanks for sharing.

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Agree with Madam Mrudul. Looks like rubbing the cheeks and chin on the bark of the tree as means of conveying her presence.Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

I have a feeling, I wish I am wrong; some of our members (my Bhais) are shy to post comments lest it is found lacking, or not upto the mark, or other members expressing different views.
I may like to communicate to the young and new members, in particular. I have a desk calendar before me. 12 photographs, 12 quotations. In one of the pages containing a photograph of Albert Einstein, it is written:

'Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.' -Albert Einstein

Now I come to the image posted by Gajanan Bhai. Madam Mrudul wrote: 'Nice behaviour captured....'. She ignited the idea but we failed to live up.

Apropos of my posting dated 17-01-2014 10.39 P.M, I may like to add that
a tiger has also scent glands on the cheeks and chin. It looks like she is rubbing her cheeks and chin on the bark of the tree to convey her presence.

Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I agree that it is marking its presence. Photographically as well as visually the scent spray is striking, so one doesn't give importance to other forms of scent marking. Our understanding of scent marking is very low. I remember that a researcher working on tiger's scent in the seventies at Nandankanan found that tiger's scent spray has got 40 + different chemicals (I can't recollect whether the exact number is 43 or 44). Tigers also have scent glands in the toes (so scraping the trees also leaves behind scent), face, chin, lips. I believe the scent from these kind of rubbing helps in conveying message to the offspring. In the past I have seen deer sniffing trees, so I am sure other species too check these scents to understand more about tiger and its movements.

[Murugan Anantharaman]

Nice image Gajanan Bhai. The stripes have come out very well. At Tadoba one can notice the tiger going about its natural behavior like scent marking, scratching etc. in spite of being followed by 20 jeeps :( . Nice moment captured. Thanks for sharing.