The Spotted Deer and the Langur monkey have a very special bond. Together, they have an interesting early predator warning system.
The monkeys, with their vantage point up on the trees and good eyesight alert the deer on the ground about the approaching danger. Also, the monkeys drop fruits and berries that feed the deer below (not sure if that is done knowingly). :-)
When the monkey is on the ground foraging, the Spotted Deer/Cheetal with it's excellent sense of smell alerts the monkeys (with their vocal signals) of the approaching danger. No wonder the tiger's success rate of a kill is between 5-10% only.
These same signals are used by guides/trackers to zero down on a tiger on the move.And that is exactly how I got my tiger pictures.:-)
#1 Spotted Deer, early in the morning (Kanha National Park).
Lil Judd wrote:
Thanks for sharing this information. Lovely shots - - where did you shoot these?
Hi Lil,
These photos were taken in the wild, in Kahna National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India. This place is another Tiger haven but has a wide variety of other species, including the highly endangered Barasingha / Swamp Deer. Only 400 or so survive in the wild ( all in Kahna). I have a few pics of them, will post soon.
