Photograph: Phillip Wenzel. Use only by agreement.

From the collection

Silent Reflection

With quiet focus, Silent Reflection captures a young lioness quenching her thirst at a watering hole. The close-up detail of her piercing gaze and delicate ripples in the water add an intimate feel, highlighting both her strength and vulnerability in the wild.

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Where it was taken

Welgevonden Game Reserve, South Africa

Where that is

Borders: Natural Earth

More from the collection

A mischievous look: One of the cheetah brothers peers out from between the tall stalks. With his mouth slightly open, he looks almost as if he is up to some mischief.

Joy in the Wild

A box seat in the treetop: High up among the branches, the leopard lies surveying its surroundings.

Four eyes see more than two: Two young cheetahs sit close together and keep a watchful lookout over the tall grass.

Relaxing together: Two adult male lions rest side by side in the tall grass.

Even giants start small: Close to its mother, the elephant calf drinks milk and grows, sip by sip, into one of the giants of the savanna.

Between the branches: In black and white, the lion rests in the dense thicket, framed by gnarled branches.

Cooling off with an open mouth: The crocodile lies on the bank with its mouth wide open. Crocodiles do not sweat: as cold-blooded animals, they regulate their body temperature mainly by basking in the sun, moving between sun, shade and water, and in part by opening their mouths, which can release heat.

A place to rest: The leopard rests on a fallen tree trunk in Sabi Sand Game Reserve.