Wildlife Photography Blog - for news, views and articles on wildlife, conservation, photography, and safari destinations. © Scotch Macaskill


Scotch Macaskill's Wildlife Blog

IMPORTANT: Please note that from April 2009 this Blog's Web address changed as a result of a switch in the blogging platform we use. It's still an integral part of the Wildlife Pictures Online website and, we hope, will continue providing entertaining and enjoyable content in the form of wildlife images, news, views and information.

For the most recent posts, links, and other resources, please visit the new Wldlife Photography Blog.

Today's Picture: Spotted Hyena Pup
April 14, 2008
 
Spotted Hyena Pup

Photo Details: Spotted Hyena pup (Crocuta crocuta) emerges from its den to inspect our game drive vehicle, Mashatu Game Reserve, Tuli Block, Botswana.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi); Lens: Canon EOS 70-300 IS Zoom; Focal Length: 300mm; Shutter speed: 1/50; Aperture: f8; ISO: 400.

Please Note: Pictures displayed on this wildlife blog are copyright protected. View them online, enjoy them, but kindly do not use them for anything else. Should you wish to purchase an image or require clarification on use, please contact Scotch Macaskill.
 

Today's Picture: Waterbuck Bull, Rear View
April 24, 2008
 
Waterbuck bull, rear view

Photo Details: Waterbuck Bull (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) walking away, showing the distinctiive white ring encircling its rump, Mashatu Game Reserve, Tuli Block, Botswana.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi); Lens: Canon EOS 70-300 IS Zoom; Focal Length: 280mm; Shutter speed: 1/00; Aperture: f5.6; ISO: 400. Waterbuck bull, side view

Additional Info: The smaller picture on the right, taken moments before the waterbuck swung away and walked off, shows the white ring from the side.

The purpose of this unusual marking is not known, although animal behaviourists speculate it could be a following mechanism, acting as a beacon for other members of the group to follow. The defassa waterbuck (a sub-species occurring mainly to the west of Africa's Rift Valley) has a solid white patch on its rump instead of the elliptical ring.
 

Today's Picture: Captive Chimpanzee
April 29, 2008
 
Captive chimpanzee

Photo Details: Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) sitting on its haunches in the chimpanzee enclosure, Natal Zoological Gardens, KZN, South Africa.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D; Lens: Canon 100-400 IS Zoom; Focal Length: 235mm; Shutter speed: 1/125; Aperture: f5; ISO: 400.

Additional Info: I know we shouldn't ascribe human thoughts and emotions to animals, but this picture, together with others I have of captive chimpanzees, leaves me deeply moved. I find it impossible to ignore the look in their eyes. It's not so much anger and/or acccusation, as one might expect, but rather a resigned acceptance of the fate they've been handed by their human brethren.

To illustrate what I mean, I will be running more pictures of captive chimpanzees over the next few days, even though they are not of animals in the wild, which is what I normally try to show on this site.
 

 
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Contact Details: Scotch Macaskill, Dirt Road Traders, Currys Post Road, Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)82 578 2329. Privacy: Your privacy is guaranteed. See our Privacy Policy for more. This site accepts advertising and other forms of compensation - see Disclosure and Advertising for details. Site updated: 2019. Copyright © 2002 - 2019 Scotch Macaskill