Photographer Documents World’s Only Marine Lions, a Pack of Big Cats Who Left the Desert to Live on the Beach

A pride of desert lions in Namibia has made an extraordinary move — trading the dunes for the ocean. These big cats are now living along the Atlantic coastline, forming what are believed to be the world’s only “marine lions,” according to the BBC.

Namibia hosts a small number of desert lions, but in 2017, about a dozen of them ventured away from the arid desert toward the Skeleton Coast in search of food. The move marked the beginning of a remarkable adaptation to a new habitat.

Belgian photographer Griet Van Malderen has been documenting this transformation since the lions’ initial migration. Her ongoing project follows how the pride has learned to survive — and even thrive — by the sea.

Once accustomed to desert prey, these lions now hunt seals along the shoreline. One striking photo captured by Van Malderen shows Gamma, a lioness from the coastal pride, guarding a seal carcass — a glimpse into the pride’s changing diet and behavior.

That image earned recognition at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which honors nature photography that captures the wild “at its most dramatic, beautiful and raw.” Van Malderen told the BBC she waited several days to get the shot.

“She was guarding the seal all day,” Van Malderen said. “It’s amazing to see how their behavior is evolving. The photo shows how resilient these animals are — that they can change their habitat to survive.”

Unlike savannah lions, Namibia’s desert lions travel in smaller groups and cover vast distances, constantly hunting to sustain themselves. “These lions are always on the move,” Van Malderen added. “They’re not lounging around — they’re surviving.”

According to conservation expert Philip Stander, Namibia’s lions once roamed the coast decades ago. But in the 1980s, drought and human conflict pushed them deeper inland, shrinking their population. The recent coastal pride marks a return to those historic territories.

Gamma, one of the first lions to grow up entirely on the coast, is now around three and a half years old — nearly an adult. Van Malderen first photographed her as a three-month-old cub, making Gamma a living symbol of this new generation of marine lions.