Predator and Prey
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The Northern Pike, a ferocious predatory fish, became the prey.
The low water level in the Sturgeon River means that it is easy to spot the Great Blue Herons out and about catching fish in the shallow water.
Bright and early one morning in July, I met up with my birding friend, Ivan D. and we were privileged to be able to observe and photograph this heron fishing for breakfast at fairly close range. This heron's fishing skills were amazingly impressive. Within a span of one hour, it caught three pikes. Each time, it promptly swallowed the unfortunate fish head first - all in one go.
Nikon D500 w/ 500mmf4G + 1.4X
(Taken on: July 31, 2021, Sturgeon River, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.)
Copyrighted. All rights reserved. No unauthorized use.
Thank you all very much for the visits and comments.
Già , un ragno giallo splendente; come a dire un predatore che più visibile di così non si può. Si tratta forse di un clamoroso errore del Sistema Naturale? O forse dell'Evoluzione? No, no, non è così: quei dispositivi non sbagliano mai. Il ragno è giallo perché gli stessi organi riproduttivi di molti fiori hanno lo stesso colore e l'insetto che visita il fiore lo confonderà con quelli ..... ..
Spins the riders around 3 axis...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Sparrowhawk [Accipiter nisus] f.
This little beauty appeared at The Pixies just after I had re-filled all the bird feeders...All the usual little songbirds, blue-, great-, and coaltits, nuthatches and chaffinches, were having a feast when, suddenly, they all disappeared into the trees.
I was thrilled to have caught this image but the implications of her presence here are really quite chilling...Of course, she has to eat, too, but the wee birdies have absolutely no chance against these lethal talons and beak.
She left this perch very soon after arriving and the wee birdies soon resumed their eating and seed- and nut-gathering.
The Circle Of Life? Ambivalence and cognitive dissonance...
(I know it’s not a great shot - she was very high up in this tree )
At The Pixies
South Carrick Hills
SW Scotland
(edited)
Labyrinth Spider (Agelena labyrinthica) & Sweat Bee (Andrena Sp.) | 05-2022 | Ticino | Switzerland
My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...
More TICINO/TESSIN Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): it.lacerta-bilineata.com/ramarro-occidentale-lacerta-bili... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)
My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI
A version in color of this photo (and of one where the spider attacks and is in focus) you can find here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/other-fauna?pgid=krc12ip9-c9a0a...
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO:
I was trying to get a good shot of a labyrinth spider in my garden, when suddenly this little sweat bee got caught in the web. As the bee frantically tried to escape the sticky trap, the spider attacked. I thought the little bee was all done for, but to my surprise, it used its sting to great effect.
The spider attacked again and again, but it had huge respect of the little fella's sting, and it just couldn't get the right angle to overwhelm the bee and tie it up. Eventually, the spider retreated, and the little guy made it out alive and unharmed.
Now for those of you who feel sorry for the spider that lost a juicy meal, don't worry: that web of hers was incredibly efficient, and she feasted like a queen every day during the time I was there (which is probably partly the reason why she gave up relatively easily on the little bee).
In case you're interested, you can find the color version of this photo and of one where the spider attacks and is in focus through the link above, but the reason I prefer the one in b/w (intentionally "over-sharpened" to create a "grainy", "grungy" look ;-) and with the focus on the little bee is that it reminds me of the posters for horror/sci-fi B-movies of the 50s like 'Tarantula' or 'Them' - and I adore those 😉
As always, many greetings from Switzerland; try to stay out of the heat and let me know what you think in the comments 😊
The Venus Flytrap (dionaea muscipulae) attracts his prey (flies, insects) using sweet nectar. Touch a trigger hair twice, or two hairs in quick succession, and an electric charge closes the trap, its interlocking teeth forming a cage. The insect's continued struggles will cause the trap to seal, at which point digestive enzymes will dissolve the victim's soft tissues. The trap reabsorbs this nutritious soup, and - after about a week - reopens.
A 3.175cm (1 .25") Praying Mantis eating a fly on a Gardenia jasminoides 'Kleim's Hardy' in my garden. These insects are notorious predators and their name is sometime mistakenly spelled ‘Preying Mantis’ which is incorrect.
means it has a larger influence on its environment than its abundance. It plays key role in maintaining the population of other animals in an ecological community.
texture by ipiccy.com
bird:[Rezz Room] Box Eagle Adult Animesh @EQUAL10 maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/equal10/233/127/95
outfit:Art&Ko - Elizabeth Set @Enchantment
gloves:[ContraptioN] Dapper Dandy's Gloves
skin:.MILA. Stefy Skin @ TRES CHIC nov 17 - dec 10 maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tres%20Chic/153/162/74
blush add ons: Heaux
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hair:Magika - Hair - Let It Snow
Vulpes Vulpes - Red Fox
P1000142-1
ISO 200 1/160th @ f/5.6 Focal length 186.42mm (equivalent to
1041mm in 35mm format)
The fish are returned to the water after capture which is very common. It is only for the pleasure of working the fish
This was my shot of the year for a reason. The goal for 2017 was to enter a contest and finish up high...and this photo did that for me.
The fish are returned to the water after capture which is very common. It is only for the pleasure of working the fish
The Indian pangolin, thick-tailed pangolin, or scaly anteater (Manis crassicaudata) is a pangolin found on the Indian subcontinent. It is not common anywhere in its range. Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping scales on its body which act as armour. It can also curl itself into a ball as self-defence against predators such as the tiger. The colour of its scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings.
It is an insectivore, feeding on ants and termites, digging them out of mounds and logs using its long claws, which are as long as its fore limbs. It is nocturnal and rests in deep burrows during the day.
The Indian pangolin is threatened by hunting for its meat and for various body parts used in traditional medicine.
The Indian pangolin is a solitary, shy, slow-moving, nocturnal mammal. It is about 84–122 centimetres (33–48 in) long from head to tail, the tail usually being 33–47 cm long, and weighs 10–16 kg. Females are generally smaller than the males and have one pair of mammae. The pangolin possesses a cone-shaped head with small, dark eyes, and a long muzzle with a nose pad similar in color, or darker than, its pinkish-brown skin. It has powerful limbs, tipped with sharp, clawed digits. It is an almost exclusive insectivore and principally subsists on ants and termites, which it catches with a specially adapted long, sticky tongue.The pangolin has no teeth, but has strong stomach muscles to aid in digestion. The most noticeable characteristic of the pangolin is its massive, scaled armour, which covers its upper face and its whole body with the exception of the belly and the inside of the legs. These protective scales are rigid and made of keratin. It has 160–200 scales in total, about 40–46% of which are located on the tail. Scales can be 6.5–7 cm long, 8.5 cm wide, and weigh 7–10 grams. The skin and scales make up about one-fourth to one-third of the total body mass of this species.
The Indian pangolin has been recorded from various forest types, including Sri Lankan rainforest and plains to middle hill levels. The animal can be found in grasslands and secondary forests, and is well adapted to desert regions as it is believed to have a tolerance to dry areas, but prefers more barren, hilly regions. This pangolin species may also sometimes reach high elevations, and has been sighted in Sri Lanka at 1100 meters and in the Nilgiri mountains in India at 2300 meters. It prefers soft and semi-sandy soil conditions suitable for digging burrows.
Pangolin burrows fall into one of two categories: feeding and living burrows. Feeding burrows are smaller than living burrows (though their sizes vary depending on the abundance of prey) and are created more frequently during the spring, when there is a greater availability of prey. Living burrows are wider, deeper, and more circular, and are occupied for a longer time than feeding burrows, as they are mainly used to sleep and rest during the day. After a few months, the pangolin abandons the burrow and digs a new one close to a food source. However, it is not uncommon for the pangolin to shift back to an old burrow.
Unlike its African counterpart, the Indian pangolin does not climb trees, but it does value the presence of trees, herbs, and shrubs in its habitat because it is easier to dig burrows around them. Features that promote an abundance of ants and termites (grasses, bare grounds, bases of trees, shrubs, roots, leaf litter, fallen logs and elephant feces) are often present in pangolin habitats.
Few details are known about the breeding behaviour of the Indian pangolin. During the animal's mating period, females and males may share the same burrow and show some diurnal activities. Males have testes in a fold of the skin located in their groin areas. The female's embryo develops in one of the uterine horns. The gestation period lasts 65–70 days; the placenta is diffuse and not deciduate. Usually, a single young is born, but twins have been reported in this species. The young weigh 235–400 g at birth and measure roughly 30 cm. The newborn animals have open eyes, and soft scales with protruding hairs between them. The mother pangolin carries her young on her tail. When the mother and young are disturbed, the young pangolin is held against its mother's belly and protected by the mother's tail.
Puma resting on a rock in the Torres Del Paine NP, Chile
I take pictures because I like it, not because I am good at it.
All rights reserved. © Thomas Retterath 2026
This American Alligator sticks his nose out of the dense scrub of the swamp at Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland, Florida.
I have luckily managed to capture an incredible fish-hunt and fight this river otter has performed, in the calm waters of Alouette river. This was the first time for me to have witnessed such an amazing spectacle and I truly hope it won't be the last.
Otters are masterful fish predators, while in the water. On land, they can become prey for larger mammals.
Despite the apparent fearful expression in my photo, I think most of us love otters. They are cute and make funny poses and grimaces.