Seeing a giraffe rising above the African landscape is always an impressive sight, but especially on mornings like this when such a huge creature suddenly appears out of all that green-season foliage. This species is a reticulated giraffe — less common than the Masai giraffe and known for its distinct geometric patterns. Photographed in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/8000th of a second.
The rhinoceros chameleon is so named for that impressive snout. The males have a more pronounced protrusion. As with most chameleons, their color varies and changes due to many factors. These guys grow to about a foot in length and live primarily in the dry western forests of Madagascar. They are considered a vulnerable species to extinction due to the continued logging of the forests that they call home. I photographed this one on a night walk in Ankarafantsika National Park. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.
A couple of young Galápagos sea lions pose for the camera. This one was taken on Santiago Island. You can see a bunch of marine iguanas hanging out in the background. In fact, it seems wherever you go in the Galápagos there are marine iguanas hanging out in the background. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/18 at 1/200th of a second.
The gemsbok is a large antelope in the genus Oryx. The name gemsbok is an Afrikaans word which is derived from a Dutch word — that word being chamois. For those paying attention, you might remember the chamois (which is a European antelope) I posted last week. The gemsbok doesn’t really look anything like the chamois, but I suppose to early Dutch explorers it was close enough. When I was on safari in the Kalahari desert of Botswana, I was the only person staying at the camp. This made it easy to get out of the vehicle for ground level shooting when appropriate. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/15th of a second.
Tree frogs, and glass frogs in particular, are a favorite of mine. I love going out at night in tropical locations to find and photograph them. I’m not quite sure if this is a Fleischmann’s glass frog or an emerald glass frog. Or perhaps something else. There are quite a few species and identification for the casual herpetologist can prove difficult. All glass frogs are characterized by their translucent skin on their underside that gives them their name. I photographed this one on a misty night in the cloud forest of Ecuador. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 200, f/10 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.
A black-backed jackal shakes off the rain before heading out to scavenge up a meal. Although they do hunt smaller mammals, they prefer to find (and often steal) leftovers from the apex predators of the African savanna. Photographed in the Laikipia region of Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.
The black bear and her two cubs that were the most frequent visitors to our back yard last year have returned. I didn’t see them, but my camera trap did, and captured one good shot (despite the slight clipping of the right ear). The surveillance video shows that one of the cubs is now considerably larger than the other. This is the smaller of the two, perhaps a female. She’s also much more cinnamon in color than her mother and brother. And she still has some blue in the eyes, which will eventually turn brown as she ages. Last year they usually came by at night, but this shot was taken just before noon yesterday. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.
Khlong Saeng in Thailand is a flooded mountain range paradise. Exploration is almost exclusively by boat and even all the lodges are floating on water. Steep, jungle-covered cliffs rise from the water’s surface and support all sorts of wildlife. One of the more conspicuous mammals is the white-handed gibbon. Gibbons are extremely acrobatic apes and it was a thrill to see them swinging from branch to branch. I was able to get quite a few frame-filling shots, but I always prefer when I can show a bit of the environment. Like their fellow apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans and humans) gibbons lack a tail, they tend to be larger than monkeys and usually have bigger brains. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second.
When no one else is around, the deer mice usually make an appearance. I adjusted my camera trap’s trip beam to cross about an inch above this fallen tree so that not even the mice can get under it. With the camera on the ground it’s a bit more difficult to be so precise. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.
The chamois is a a goat-antelope native to the mountains of Europe. I photographed this one in Gran Paradiso National Park in the Alps of northwest Italy. I believe this to be a male. The more pronounced curve to the horns and especially those cinnamon colored patches to the inner side of the eyes are characteristics absent in female chamois. And yes, the chamois cloth gets its name from the chamois’ soft leather hide. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 150mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.