First off, thanks everyone for the kind words on yesterday’s post. Much appreciated. As for today, well, I’ve been in quite a lemur mood lately and have been thinking a lot about my trip to Madagascar back in 2007 and how much I’d love to get back there sometime soon. One of the things I liked so much about the country is that it doesn’t really feel like anywhere else in the world. The animals are different than anywhere else, the trees are different, and even the rocks are different. In the south of the country where these Verreaux’s sifaka lemurs live, the tree branches looked like giant pipe cleaners protruding from their thorny trunks. Truly a magical place.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/3.2 at 1/250th of a second

Going through my lemur photos last week, I came across this guy, a white-footed sportive lemur. I never noticed just how thick that black eye liner could be, nor how sweet their faces could be. Sportive lemurs are medium-sized and strictly nocturnal. They spend the majority of their time in trees, but when on the ground, they hop around like kangaroos. This one was spotted in the same place as last week’s ring-tailed lemur that I posted — Berenty Reserve in southern Madagascar.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash

Ring-tailed lemurs spend most of their time on the ground, but they also like to climb trees — especially when there’s plenty of fruit to eat. Photographed on the extreme southern tip of Madagascar at Berenty Reserve.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 145mm) ISO 100, f/6.3 at 1/160th of a second

It’s been a while since I posted a dancing lemur. This is the Verreaux’s sifaka lemur, best known for the way they move on the ground — a frantic shuffle that could best be described as balletic. The truth is, they hate being on the ground and this is fastest way for them to get from one tree to another. Photographed at Berenty Private Reserve in southern Madagascar.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 100mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/500th of a second

Mouse lemurs are one of the smallest primates in the world, although the gray mouse lemur is the largest of the mouse lemurs. Still, they measure just ten inches in length, half of which is the tail, and weigh about two ounces. They are strictly nocturnal and quick little guys so were difficult to photograph. This one stopped for just a second to check me out and I was able to get the shot. Like all lemurs, they are found only in Madagascar and the surrounding islands.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/4.5 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash

Something a little different today. This is an African giant snail. They can grow to as big as eight inches in length. This one was making its way across a sandy trail in the town of Maroantsetra in Madagascar.
Nikon D40X with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 18mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/640th of a second

This certainly isn’t the most artistic or technically sound photo I’ve ever taken and I wouldn’t have posted it unless… it also happened to be one of the most rare primates in the world. In fact, scientists had presumed the greater bamboo lemur to be extinct until a small population of them were found in central Madagascar back in 1986. I was lucky enough to spot a pair in Ranomafana National Park when I visited back in 2007. They didn’t stick around for long and I was only able to snap off a few frames in the rainy forest. The future, unfortunately, doesn’t look bright for greater bamboo lemurs as slash and burn farming, mining, bamboo logging and hunting continue to pose a critical threat.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash

This one goes out to my frog-loving sister who celebrates her birthday today. Another of the many great frogs that I had the pleasure of meeting in the forests of Madagascar. I didn’t get the common name on this one (if it even has one) but according to my guide, the scientific name is Mantidactylus bicalcaratus. Photographed along a trail in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 145mm) with Canon 500D close up filter attached, ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units

In addition to lemurs and chameleons, Madagascar is also a great place to photograph frogs. This guy’s scientific name is Heterixalus Betsileo. Not sure of the common name. I photographed him/her on a night walk through the forests around the town of Perinet in central Madagascar. I’ve mentioned that in lieu of a dedicated macro lens, I used to capture shots like this by screwing a close up filter to the end of my mid range zoom lens. This creates a very narrow depth of field so a high aperture is necessary to get good results. I also used two flash units positioned close the subject to fill in the shadow areas.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 165mm) with Canon 500D close up filter, ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units

The light wasn’t great on this one, but I liked the outstretched wings of this Madagascar flying fox just after it came in to roost. Shouldn’t be a surprise from the picture, that flying foxes are actually bats — the largest in the world. They also go by the name of fruit bats. Their diet consists mostly of juice from fruits that they squeeze into their mouths. This one was part of a colony of about a hundred, roosting high in the trees of Berenty Reserve in the south of Madagascar.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm 5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/125th of a second