A memory in the raw – imagery by G.Ooms

Young lynx can fend for themselves at the age of 10 months, but they usually hang out with their mother for up to a year and don’t reach adult size until they are 2 years old. Sometimes siblings that have just left their mother’s side will travel and hunt together for several months before going their separate ways.

Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the Common Raccoon (P. lotor), is often known simply as “the” raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are considerably lesser-known. Genetic studies have shown that the closest relatives of the raccoon are the ring-tailed cats and cacomistles. This one was hiding in the shades, when I took his picture.

Young lynx can fend for themselves at the age of 10 months, but they usually hang out with their mother for up to a year and don’t reach adult size until they are 2 years old. Sometimes siblings that have just left their mother’s side will travel and hunt together for several months before going their separate ways.

The Sika Deer, also known as the Spotted Deer or the Japanese Deer (Cervus nippon) is a species of deer that is native to much of East Asia, and also introduced to various parts of the world. It was previously found from Vietnam to the south and Russia to the north. Their name comes from “shika” (鹿), the Japanese word for “deer”. The sika deer is not to be confused with the sitka deer, which is a subspecies of the mule deer, a distantly related species. This proud young male, was willing to pose for my lens (shot in semi captivity).

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a species of pig, including many subspecies, and part of the biological family Suidae. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises. Wild boar are native across much of Northern and Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa’s Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia. Populations have also been artificially introduced in some parts of the world, most notably the Americas and Australasia; principally for hunting. Elsewhere, populations have also become established after escapes of wild boar from captivity. I managed to capture this one while he was passing my hide out.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from 300 to 780 kilograms (660 to 1720 lbs) and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear familyand as the largest land based predator. I’ve managed to capture this one while he was taking a bath .

The serval (pronounced /ˈsɜrvəl/), Leptailurus serval, is a medium-sized African wild cat. Modern molecular DNA analysis indicates servals descend from the same Felid ancestor as the lion. The serval maintains its own lineage, and appears to share common traits with the cheetah, which may have descended from ancient servals. Similar DNA studies have shown the African golden cat and the caracal are closely related to the serval, and may have branched by cross-breeding.

The meerkat or suricate Suricata suricatta, a small mammal, is a member of the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a “mob”, “gang” or “clan”. A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some superfamilies have 50 or more members. Meerkats have an average life span of 12-14 years.

Crocodiles are wild and unpredictable. One moment a croc could be sleeping on a riverbank basking in the sun or floating like a log on water. The next moment the reptile could be diving into water with a huge splash. Yet again, and crocs enjoy this, slithering stealthily into water. So the crocodile’s apparent docility is deceitful.