The golden brushtail possum is a color variant of the common brushtail possum. In other words, it’s just a common brushtail possum with a fancier name. And a cooler-looking coat. This was a captive individual photographed at a rehabilitation center in Tasmania. Like so many other of the mammals I photographed in Australia, brushtail possums are nocturnal marsupials. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/2000th of a second.
Tasmanian devils are the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial. They once thrived throughout Australia, but are now confined to the island state of Tasmania. Their numbers have been plummeting due to the lethal facial tumor disease. There seems to be no stopping the disease, which is spread through social interaction when they nip and bite each other. Saving this iconic symbol of Tasmania might mean they have to first go extinct in the wild, before healthy populations, raised in quarantined areas, can be released to re-populate. Many captive breeding centers have sprung up throughout Tasmania and the southern Australia mainland. This devil was photographed at one of these centers adjacent to Cradle Mountain National Park. I also saw and photographed a few devils in the wild, where they are strictly nocturnal. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 2000, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.
The trick to photographing a blotched blue-tongued lizard is getting it with the tongue out. This is a rather large lizard found in south eastern Australia. I met this one at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Tasmania. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/320th of a second.
Monotremes are egg-laying mammals. There are only 5 monotremes in the world — the platypus and four species of echidna. This is the short-beaked echidna. I spotted him/her on the side of the road, while driving to Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania, Australia. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.
I do love environmental wildlife shots like my last few posts, but simple headshots help to tell the story too. In this case, a Bennett’s Wallaby photographed on Bruny Island in Tasmania. A small percentage of the Bennett’s Wallabies on Bruny exhibit a genetic variance and are completely white, but the vast majority look like this handsome guy who was posing in the ferns just outside the lodge I was staying at. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.
The sun was slowly setting when I came across this troop of kangaroos (also known as a mob or a court) in northern Tasmania. I liked in this shot that I was able to capture the main room in profile, two looking forward, one hopping and even a joey in a pouch — a lot to take in without any detail in any of the faces. These are eastern grey kangaroos, known locally as foresters. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/16 at 1/2000th of a second.
Wombats seem to do one thing — eat grass. Lawns are always well manicured in areas where they live, like this field in Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania, Australia. They’re often so consumed with the task at hand they don’t notice a close approach with a wide-angle lens. This guy came right up to my camera and didn’t miss a beat. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/400th of a second.
This will be my last post until I return from Peru first week of November. When I went to Tasmania back in 2015 I was hoping to see a few Tasmanian devils in the wild. I saw quite a few in rehab centers, before finally capturing this guy on Maria Island. Here’s hoping I see several of my target species in the Amazon next week. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.
The platypus is a prized sighting in Australia. I was lucky to see this one on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. There were a series of small water holes in a heavily wooded area, thus the dark reflections on the surface of the water. Certainly one of the more interesting animals I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. The platypus is the only species in its own unique genus. They are one of two types of monotremes — along with the echidnas — distinguished by being mammals that lay eggs. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.
I photographed a few of these carnivorous marsupials in the wild, but I also got up close and personal at a few rehab centers in Tasmania. This eastern quoll was photographed at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/1250th of a second.
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