An unexpected encounter

[Shyamala Kumar]

It was practically dark the usually shy sambhar were returning from their foragin meadows to their place of rest walking on the mountain pathways they normally avoided during the day.This one was as surprised as we were at the unexpected encounter. Nikon750+70-200 IS0 1600 1/125s f3.5 Feb 2018 Satpura.

[Sandipan Ghosh]

love the environment.....excellent shot

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Large specimen. Morphological characters nicely documented. Thanks for sharing. SaktiWild

[Mrudul Godbole]

Beautiful landscape and composition. Its inquisitive look, nicely captured. I feel, these lesser known places sometimes give you more amazing wildlife experiences, than the usual busy (crowded) tourist destinations. Thanks for sharing.

[Deepak Mistry]

Excellent pose captured.

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Apropos of my posting dated 08-07-2018, I may add :

Though in case of Sambar there is no direct correlation between body size, development of antler and brow tine; this tall, strong-built Stag has long antler and notable brow tine but none of them could be called 'thick and heavy'.
The Sambar is the most graceful of all deer in its movements, M. Krishnan has observed, this grace of Sambar is clear in the image.

Thanks for sharing. SaktiWild

[Sabyasachi Patra]

The Sambar looks like a horse. Just think if this fellow would have had a thick antler than how big he would have looked. Too often tourists move away after a single glance at a Sambar. Not sure if it is because of our inherent bias towards fair skin. However, a big stag with notable headgear on a nice backdrop can be a sight to enjoy. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[John Gryphon]

I love the way you have captured him on his toes. He is showing plenty of fighting scars on his coat.

[Shyamala Kumar]

Thank you Sandipan, Saktipadaji, Mrudul, Deepak, Sabyasachi, and John for your valuable feedback.