Lion and Wildebeest

Among the most famous of all predators, lions actually spend only a small percentage of their time hunting. They mostly lie around resting or they wander, perhaps looking for shade, water or a more comfortable spot to take their ease.

Here a male lion walks in plain view of a herd of wildebeest, the favourite food of lions where their ranges overlap. The wildebeests know the lion is their enemy, but they aren't worried now because he's not hunting; it's all in the body language, which is very well understood by animals. Hunting lions crouch, walk with a stiff, cautious gait, intently stare straight at their prey and usually keep behind cover. The prey animals watch the lions, but there is no use wasting energy in a panicky dash if there's no real danger.

I designed this painting to play up the herd of wildebeest and to show that a few are keeping an eye on the lion. I deliberately painted the lion as subdued and almost transparent, partly as a reaction to the normal dramatic depiction and partly because lions do blend in with the landscape.