LIONS INTERACTING

I was watching these lions in Namibia's Etosha National Park. They are part of a pride that was eating a killed baby rhinoceros, during which feast they were walking to and from a waterhole. As the lion and lioness approached each other, I had my camera trained on them. I was not expecting the lioness to punch the male on the nose and to judge from his expression, nor was he! Immediately afterwards she became very submissive as if to say "Sorry, I didn't mean it, only playing".

F/5.6, 1/1,000th second, ISO 400
Accepted: Smethwick 2019