I was reading an article yesterday that several giraffe species have ended up on the endangered species list, and all giraffes — like so many other animals these days — are at risk. Of those listed, was the reticulated giraffe. I saw many of these awesome creatures in Kenya a few years back. Here, a reticulated giraffe munches on the thorny branches of an acacia tree. I usually like to celebrate the diversity of our world’s wildlife with my blog posts, but according to a study by the World Wildlife Fund in 2014, more than 52% of all the animals in the world have disappeared in the last 40 years. I don’t think people realize just how dire this situation has become and we all need reminding every now and again. Especially because it’s not just about having nice animals around to look at, but also the fact that our ultimate survival depends on theirs. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
The dusky langur was one of two species of langur that I photographed while camping in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand. This guy I spotted in a dark forest through trunks of bamboo. I had to crank up the ISO to 3200 and still could only manage 1/50th of a second shutter speed. Luckily the langur wasn’t moving around much and I kind of liked the resultant grainy quality of the image. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/50th of a second
This grand massif of mountains in Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia provides a nice backdrop for a puma out surveying her territory late in the afternoon. Nikon 500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second
The Rocky Mountain elk has the largest antlers of all the elk subspecies in North America. In springtime and throughout the summer, the antlers continue to grow and are covered in velvet. Eventually, they’ll shed the velvet and then the antlers themselves. This guy had been sleeping in the grass and all I saw were those great big antlers until he woke up. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/200th of a second
I was in a small boat traveling upriver when we spotted this panther chameleon crawling through the reeds near the town of Maroansetra in Madagascar. Almost half the world’s chameleons live in Madagascar, with many of those species existing nowhere else on earth. Nikon D40X with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 38mm) ISO 200, f/4.8 at 1/320th of a second
This bear has plans. Big plans. But he’s just going to think about them for awhile longer before taking action. Photographed at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr, Minnesota. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second
This giant river otter was swimming in a shadowy area along the banks of a tributary in the Pantanal of Brazil, with just hints of the bright sun sneaking through. I was able to close down the aperture a few stops of light to get the face properly exposed while the rest of the image went dark. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second
The Cobb’s wren is a fairly plain looking little guy, but it does hold the distinction of being one of only two birds endemic to the Falkland Islands. And despite their uniformly brown appearance and rather small size, they do have lots of personality. On my visit, they would regularly land feet away from me to check out what I was up to. They spend most of their time on the ground which makes them very susceptible to predation by rats and other small carnivores. Luckily, there are no rats or foxes on the islands in the Falklands that Cobb’s wrens inhabit. If this should change, however, and rats were accidentally introduced, the Cobb’s wren would be a sure bet for extinction. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
Just a common raccoon doing what raccoons do. This one was spotted in Key Biscayne, Florida creeping around a campground at the end of the day in search of scraps. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of as second
The grey-cheeked mangabey is an old world monkey that lives in the forests of central Africa. I encountered this one in Kibale National Park in Uganda, the eastern edge of its range. They resemble baboons, but if you look at this guy’s face, you’ll see they also resemble the Grinch. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/200th of a second
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I was reading an article yesterday that several giraffe species have ended up on the endangered species list, and all giraffes — like so many other animals these days — are at risk. Of those listed, was the reticulated giraffe. I saw many of these awesome creatures in Kenya a few years back. Here, a reticulated giraffe munches on the thorny branches of an acacia tree. I usually like to celebrate the diversity of our world’s wildlife with my blog posts, but according to a study by the World Wildlife Fund in 2014, more than 52% of all the animals in the world have disappeared in the last 40 years. I don’t think people realize just how dire this situation has become and we all need reminding every now and again. Especially because it’s not just about having nice animals around to look at, but also the fact that our ultimate survival depends on theirs.
