Share Animal Pictures: For Animal Lovers

[BillTre]

A variety of frog eyes:

 

[DennisN]

A variety of frog eyes:

Very cool!

 

[berkeman]

Very cool!

If you're a mother frog maybe...

 

[BillTre]

Here's a nice picture of a human primate, in a tree (non-native environment).

Its a National Geographic picture of the day.
The human primate, Julia Butterfly Hill, is in a 1,000-year-old, 180-foot-tall redwood in Humboldt County, California. Trying to keep the tree from being cut down or something, I think.

Her posture reminds me of a lemer (non-human primate):

 

[strangerep]

Here's a nice picture of a human primate, in a tree (non-native environment).
[...]
The human primate, Julia Butterfly Hill, is in a 1,000-year-old, 180-foot-tall redwood in Humboldt County, California.

Wow, she must be very high up. I imagine a 1,000-year-old redwood would be astonishingly wide at the base? How long could she hang on in that position??

Trying to keep the tree from being cut down or something, I think.
Her posture reminds me of a lemer (non-human primate):

It's strange, but I have a strong, irrational love for those type of people -- even though I learned (the hard way) many years ago that they're usually serious nutcases.

 

[BillTre]

How long could she hang on in that position??

I think she, like the lemer, is sitting on a limb behind the trunk.

 

[strangerep]

I think she, like the lemer, is sitting on a limb behind the trunk.

Oh, yes, you're right. Still,... I wonder how long one's bumhole can be deprived of blood before it becomes a serious health risk.

 

[DennisN]

An amazing photo:

An ant trying to take down a flying wasp (by Murat Öztürk)​

Source:

 

[DennisN]

Her posture reminds me of a lemer (non-human primate):

Lemurs are among my absolute favorite animals. They're small, beautiful and smart.

 

[strangerep]

An ant trying to take down a flying wasp (by Murat Öztürk) [...]

So do we know who won?

 

[DennisN]

So do we know who won?

I don't. If the ant brings more ants to the next fight, he is upping the ante.

 

[Klystron]

This morning while walking through a secluded garden outside the swimming pool, I interrupted three large male grackles in skirmisher formation on the lawn intent on a meal. The black birds reluctantly abandoned their breakfast as I approached, cawing and otherwise signaling disapproval.

Strong winds had blown paper trash onto the lawn that I assumed either contained food scraps or had attracted insects which in turn attracted the scavenging corvus. Upon closer inspection, the paper scraps showed no food residue or insect infestation.

Imagine my bemusement when a tiny rabbit quivering in fear hopped across my path and escaped into a pyracantha hedge.

Those grackles are raising the next generation in nests built in trees tended by the smaller brownish females. I have seen bits of rabbit carcasses, mainly fur and paws, that I assumed had been taken by mammalian predators such as cats, dogs or skunks. Sight of those three grackles in hunting mode causes me to reevaluate that assumption.

 

[DaveE]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this a swiss breed?

That's a Bernese Mountain Dog, who's going to be meeting up with an orthopaedic surgeon, if he keeps doing that.

 

[DaveE]

How long could she hang on in that position??

Just long enough to get a few good photos. I think it's interesting that we tend not to think of the photographer (or camera set up) when we see photos like this. Also things like make up, hairstyles, etc.

 

[BillTre]

A big rock scorpion. Not so poisonous.

 

[BillTre]

 

[Vanadium 50]

“The juvenile sea squirt wanders through the sea searching for a suitable rock or hunk of coral to cling to and make its home for life. For this task, it has a rudimentary nervous system. When it finds its spot and takes root, it doesn't need its brain anymore, so it eats it. It's rather like getting tenure.” - Daniel Dennett

-

 

[BillTre]

Sea squits (and related animals) are related to chordates (a group which humans belong to).
They start their life as a nice little tadpole like thing with the basic body plan elements of chordates: dorsal hollow nerve tube (central nervous system), notochord, post-anal tail, and pharyngeal gill slits (basicallly the gill structure of fish-like things).

Except for the gill slits (used for filter feeding) almost all of these other features are lost.
larval:

adult:

 

[Vanadium 50]

Sea squits (and related animals) are related to chordates

I think they are chordates but not vertebrates.

 

[BillTre]

I think they are chordates but not vertebrates.

Yes sir, you are correct!

 

[DennisN]

A funny blue fish (with a reflection of my hands holding the camera ):

 

[DennisN]

A lucky shot with a manual lens recently... (Canon 50mm, I think):

A greylag goose family out for a swim:

And another one... swans being fed:

 

[DennisN]

I just got a new, relatively cheap Sony zoom lens (55-210mm with autofocus and image stabilization), which I bought second hand for ca 50% of the original price. I decided to try it out because I wanted the ability to shoot animals from a distance with a handheld camera. You can shoot animals from a distance with manual lenses, but there are clear disadvantages:

• You need a LOT of patience (and sometimes luck), since animals move as they like
• It's better to use a tripod but this makes you immobile
• Prime lenses are usually better than zoom lenses, but with primes you are stuck to a specific focal length, and it takes time to change lens if you want to

Thus, a zoom lens with autofocus is a much easier tool to use when shooting distant animals.

I took the lens out immediately for a first run, and I often used "burst mode" on the camera and fast shutter speed, and I will experiment with settings in the near future. I don't have any previous experience yet with this setup.

Here are some photos from the test run:Pigeon in tree:

Pigeon on sidewalk:

Blackbird:
- this made me quite happy. I've been previously struggling to get decent shots of blackbirds.

A greylag goose:

Another greylag goose ("I'm free!"):

A crow:
- not perfect focus, which is a pity since I thought the background was pretty nice

 

[DennisN]

I stumbled upon a pair of pheasants in the park yesterday,
and they couldn't escape my new Sony 55-210mm lens...

The male:

The female:

A close-up of the head of the male:

 

[DennisN]

Another blackbird I found in the park.
I got lucky since this was one was pretty courageous and curious and came up close (ca 1-1.5 m from me).

"Should I get closer?"

"Yes, a little closer..."

"Now I'm close"

"Now I'm really close"

 

[pinball1970]

Another blackbird I found in the park.
I got lucky since this was one was pretty courageous and curious and came up close (ca 1-1.5 m from me).

"Should I get closer?"
View attachment 301377

"Yes, a little closer..."
View attachment 301378

"Now I'm close"
View attachment 301379

"Now I'm really close"
View attachment 301380

Beautiful. My very good friend informed me that the blackbird is a thrush not a crow. I have got mixed up somewhere down the line. Great pictures

 

[berkeman]

I was really touched by this image that came in via my Facebook feed today. I worked a Medic standby shift at an Abilities Expo event in San Jose a few years back, and was very impressed by the wonderful mix of technology and innovation and sincere caring that goes into trying to make the lives of disabled folks better and easier. If you know any folks or families who are dealing with disabilities, I'd encourage them to look up the Abilities Expo events and try to attend one near them (they are held all over the US and perhaps elsewhere as well by now).

This picture shows a relatively new soft-terrain adapted wheelchair (there are also modular versions that you can connect to an existing wheelchair) and a little girl enjoying a moment with a (big!) support animal. Heartwarming...

 

[DennisN]

More animal treats for me and my camera...

After my photo session of the partial lunar eclipse, I took a walk in the nearby park area in the morning, and I found some new photo opportunities.

I saw a couple of rabbits enjoying the morning sun, and spent about 10 minutes trying to take photos. It's not easy to get close; they are extremely observant and meticulously keeping the distance to humans. I however very much enjoyed "hunting" them with the camera. This was the best shot I got:

Enjoying the sun (European rabbit):

After that I spotted a strange bird I've never seen before, and managed to take only four photos before it disappeared (that's why the photo is not as good as the others; I had to act fast as lightning). With Google picture search I got the bird identified:

Eurasian oystercatcher:

And last, my pride and joy of the day...

I heard birds chirping in a tree, and stopped to see if I could get some shots.
This was not easy, as these two birds were high up in a tree and very good at hiding behind branches and leaves. Well, they were probably not actively trying to hide from me, but the tree
had a lot of leaves obscuring them. They also moved around a lot.
I spent ten minutes trying to get good shots, and my patience was finally rewarded.

Birds in love (European goldfinches)
(note: I've removed a leaf from the center in this photo with Photoshop)

Bird companions (European goldfinches)

Bird feeding (European goldfinch)

I enjoyed shooting these finches so much that I realized I've got to do more of this.
I'm even already thinking about getting a somewhat better zoom lens with more reach,
and go hunting more birds and maybe even visit a bird reserve.

I have to say I've realized I enjoy this as much as doing astrophotography (which I still consider myself a beginner at).

But it's a completely different experience.
With astrophotography you have to do a lot of planning and careful tweaking, which requires patience.

With animals you have to be observant, sometimes fast (sometimes very fast), but also patient at the same time. But I think it's very fun, much more fun than I actually imagined it would be.

 

[BillTre]

With animals you have to be observant, sometimes fast (sometimes very fast), but also patient at the same time. But I think it's very fun, much more fun than I actually imagined it would be.

Although this is usually the case with shooting animal pictures, its not always the case.
With planning, you can also increase your probability of success with animals.
I have shot a lot of fish pictures (in aquaria mostly), but I have had my greatest success with making set-ups specifically to get certain shots.
With birds, I would do what my Mom did which was to set-up a few well placed bird feeders for the species I was interested in. Then you can have the birds come to your camera.
We had a lot of (non-European) goldfinches around when I was a kid.

 

[BillTre]

Lots of cute little Scorplings!
From a National Geographic e-mail I got:

 

[Ibix]

I had no idea scorpions were caring mothers. Apparently all species give birth to live young (unusual for arachnids) that cling on to the mother until they've molted at least once. They then begin to become more independent, but still return when they sense potential danger.

 

[fresh_42]

 

[DennisN]

A cute photo (I think I saved it from facebook):

 

[DennisN]

Good morning!

 

[fresh_42]

Stalker!