The Rare White Lion, a photo from Attiki, Attica

Photographer's Note

The Latin name of Panthera leo krugeri is not limited to white lions. It applies to all South African lion subspecies; the prides of which are mostly located in Kruger National Park and nearby game reserves.

White lions are not albino as they have pigmentation which shows particularly in eye, paw pad and lip colour. The correct term for their condition is leucism, a state where there is near-normal eye colour, but loss of pigment in the skin and fur.

The cause of the unusual colouration is the same as for the white tiger. A recessive gene which results in the white appearance is found in a very small number of captive lions.

White specimens usually have a yellowish-brown or golden eye colour which is very similar to their tawny cousins, though some have bluish colouring like the white tiger.

Unlike normal lion cubs which spotted at birth, the pelage of white cubs is almost pure white. Over the months the coat gradually darkens to become a cream or ivory colour. At last count, 32 white lions were recorded worldwide.

Height to the shoulder : Male 120cm - Female 110cm
Weight : Male 189-260kg - Female 126kg
Maximum Speed : 48 - 59 km/h

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ISO : 400
Metering Mode : Spot
Exposure Program : Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp. : 0 EV
White Balance : Shade
Contrast : Normal
Saturation : Normal
Sharpness : Normal
Hue Adjustment : 0
Color Mode : II Adobe RGB
JPEG Quality : Fine 300dpi 24-bit
Image Size : Medium 2240x1488 pixels
Lens Used : 80-200mm @ 200mm
Focal Length : 300mm (in 35mm film)
Flash : No
Tripod : No

appie, kikvel, Hellas, Suellen_Feroldi, VarthDader, Katepina, world-travel, aphro, brech, patride, foundling-bird, tzourob, ChrisJ heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

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carper (96) 2003-12-11 7:23

hoi Panos,

This is a great head of a lion. My compliments for it. Very, very nice. Thank you Panos.

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quegardens (1469) 2003-12-11 8:19

In this and other of your wonderful shots Panos,you bring out great expression in the eyes of your subjects.Those soft welcoming eyes could be decieving though....I wouldn't want to get too close:-)Great focus on where it matters most.

Edwin (188) 2003-12-11 8:51

A nice portrait Panos. With the focus on the nose instead of the usual focus on the eyes... Well, it works for me. Considered the distance between the eyes and the end of the nose, the nose would become perhaps too blurry when going for eye-focus. Made a workshop for you, hope you like it!

[3] [workshop] [compare]

dob_31 (0) 2003-12-11 10:08

Excellent additionto the "Fauna" theme. The photo is wonderful, it is full of details and the expression on the beast face is nice too. The note is very interesting!

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cdewet (0) 2003-12-11 10:15

Hi Panos, Yes, from Timbavati stock. Never seen one in the wild myself. Great eyes and fur. F2,8 should maybe be f8, to fix DOF throughout, but that's a minor point.

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santosh (304) 2003-12-11 11:05

Wow.. That is a very nice picture. I would have loved to have the complete ears. But still it dosent matter. This is a great picture and very clear. nice composition.

dsidwell (9783) 2003-12-11 14:56

Crystal clear, Panos! I love the intense expression on this animal. Colors and depth of field work well here, too.

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Surfer31 (0) 2003-12-11 18:49

Wonderfull snap, you captured such a wild animal in such a relaxed mood, I love the contrast. I did a small workshop because the eyes are just a bit out of focus.

[workshop] [compare]

gepall (1838) 2003-12-15 8:45

Fantastic expression and capture.
You have managed the absolute

guyben (1105) 2004-01-18 18:35

Excellent Panos !
The expression on the lions' face is phenomenal. You've captured one of the most beutiful creatures on earth in a very beatiful way.
Very well done.

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danbachmann (1746) 2004-07-05 15:29

Absolutely fantasitc portrait. In fact, I think this is the best animal portrait I've seen on TE. I love everything about your image, even the way the ears fall out of focus, but the eyes hold the expression.

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Dingo (79) 2004-07-08 18:14

Everything has been said already... one of my favourite pics, Panos. TFS

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kikvel (4784) 2004-07-08 18:30

Heyyy! I`ve just discovered this amazing picture!!!! excellent! Me encanta!

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justa (0) 2004-11-27 10:26

Amazing view, great animal, his eyes.... wonderful.... Good composition, bravo!

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ckradolfer (0) 2005-07-21 22:38

thanks for answering my email , and you have some really excellente photos , your animal photos are exquisite, and also your notes about the white lion are very interesting I always thought they were albino and now know better thanks to you.

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jdwyer264 (1084) 2007-02-13 4:50

A beautiful cat, a lovely sharp capture. So soft, yet fierce. Well Shot.
Very well framed, nothing but the Lions features to occupy the viewers concentration.

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Hellas (7123) 2007-03-26 5:15

Hi Panos,
it is a very nice portrait, indeed. I have seen those animals recently and I think they are not in that good condition any more. The commitment of animals is always a bad thing. Sharp and vivid colour, wonderful eyes.
Thanks for sharing, warm regards,
Athanasios.

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waseemkhan (1099) 2007-04-12 9:00

Hi Panos ,
That is a very nice picture. I would have loved to have the complete ears. But still it dosent matter. This is a great picture and very clear.....
regards,
waseem khan

[2]

Suellen_Feroldi (288) 2007-08-23 11:45 [Comment]

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fredon (5052) 2009-08-30 3:55

A beautiful capture!

regards

fred

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david_P (512) 2009-11-21 15:17

Hi Panos,
Very beautiffull photo,
TFS !
David

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VarthDader (258) 2010-01-27 1:54

A very majestic pose you've captured of the lion.

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aliarkady (15) 2010-11-25 10:33

Work is beautiful and wonderful and most beautiful Mafi image that you used the slot command to a broad

brech (189) 2010-12-28 13:51

Panos,
Very striking close-up portrait. You have captured an excellent expression of the lion.

Well Done.

LAB
www.brech.com/np

toddchonody (10) 2011-06-22 17:30

Wonderful composition. Very sharp and I really like the DOF.

Great work!

drizzless (122) 2012-04-01 12:03

Hi Panos,
She`s beautiful and powerful. Brilliant photo. It has inspired me to look up some more photos of white lions, and I have also found your photo through google images search featured on this website : chickensmoothie.com, in case you didn`t know.
Best regards
Jin

abdolrashidi (1655) 2012-10-21 22:17 [Comment]

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livermore (1631) 2012-12-21 6:15

Bonjour Panos,
Sublime petit chat!
Amitiés
Vincent

Dani_yele90 (14) 2013-08-08 2:48

Hi Panos,

I like the way that this white lion looks straight into your camera, looks like it must have been an intimate photo shoot!

Beautiful!

tzourob (195) 2014-02-24 21:27 [Comment]

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aphro (135) 2015-09-25 15:44

breathtaking!! we done, I like the frame as well!! Thank you for posting such a photo.

pascamax (2) 2015-11-01 16:19 [Comment]

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