Nice photo. Great composition which is difficult to pull off in a challenge like this. I respect those that are able to pull this off. It was very important in my voting that the photos fit the challenge and that the wildlife at least seemed to be in a natural environment. This certainly meets those requirements. A 9.
great capture, love the colors, dof, and general clarity. to me, this is what wildlife photography is all about. one of my top picks for the challenge. good luck!
Good coloring, I like the various tones of yellow/brown in the shot. Lighting is nice and even. Texture in the fur is great, it looks very velvety. Composition is good too. Very sharp and clear image.
Some tongue-twister, your title :-) neat shot, though positioning the things head - the natural first point of attention with all animals (and people) - dead centre is in my view weakening the impact considerably. You've allowed some location, which is a good thing, but perhaps a little more attention to the overall impact of the composition would have altered the way in which you've done that. Gppd sense of detail and texture though.