View allAll Photos Tagged incisors
Photographed in South Africa from a safari vehicle
=> Please click twice on the image to see the largest size. <=
This is not a relaxed and happy elephant. Whenever an elephant looks like this one...I'm very happy I'm in a safari vehicle and not on foot. I don't remember why the animal was reacting like this...did we startle it or is it just having a bad day?
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From Wikipedia: The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), also known as the African savanna elephant, is one of two living African elephant species. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to 3.96 m (13 ft 0 in) and a body mass of up to 10.4 t (11.5 short tons). It is distributed across 37 African countries and inhabits forests, grasslands and woodlands, wetlands and agricultural land.
Diet:
The African bush elephant is herbivorous. Its diet consists mainly of grasses, creepers and herbs. Adults can consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) per day. During the dry season, the diet also includes leaves and bark.
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are an informal grouping within the subfamily Elephantinae of the order Proboscidea; extinct non-elephant proboscideans include the mastodons, gomphotheres, and stegodonts. Elephantinae also contains several extinct groups, including the mammoths and straight-tusked elephants. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears, and convex or level backs. The distinctive features of all elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, massive legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. The pillar-like legs carry their great weight.
Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia and are found in different habitats, including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They are herbivorous, and they stay near water when it is accessible. They are considered to be keystone species, due to their impact on their environments. Elephants have a fission–fusion society, in which multiple family groups come together to socialise. Females (cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. The groups, which do not include bulls, are usually led by the oldest cow, known as the matriarch.
Males (bulls) leave their family groups when they reach puberty and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate. They enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth, which helps them gain dominance over other males as well as reproductive success. Calves are the centre of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years. Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. They communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infrasound, and seismic communication over long distances. Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans. They appear to have self-awareness, and appear to show empathy for dying and dead family members.
African bush elephants and Asian elephants are listed as endangered and African forest elephants as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Other threats to wild elephants include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. Elephants are used as working animals in Asia. In the past, they were used in war; today, they are often controversially put on display in zoos, or exploited for entertainment in circuses. Elephants are highly recognisable and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture.
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I had to post one more of the Woodchuck I ran across. This one really shows those front teeth.
Some Woodchuck facts:
Did you know they are in the squirrel family and always must gnaw to keep their incisors from growing? The upper teeth continue to grow at the rate of 1/16 of an inch every week!
They love fruit and will climb trees to get it. They also love Mulberry leaves! They will even eat grasshoppers, June bugs, and other large insects.
The name is derived from the Algonquian name for the critters, wuchak.
Woodchucks can dig out 700 lbs. of dirt in a days work. Groundhogs live in extensive burrows two- to six-feet deep and up to 40 feet long that contain numerous chambers with specific functions, such as for nesting or for wastes.
And so concludes todays lesson. LOL!
Poem.
Childish excitement travelling from east to west in late winter.
You know soon, very soon, the West Coast “Munros” will gleam like incisor teeth above the forested landscape.
Forcan, left, and The Saddle, right, are such peaks that advertise the thousand metre micro-climate of semi-Alpine splendour.
Spin-drift sweeps off the upper slopes to accumulate in layers like royal icing.
The snowy back-cloth forms a pleasing contrast to the pastel tans and greens of the bracken and forest of the lower slopes of this historic Glen.
The West Coast beckons.
Such a grand mountain corridor befits the momentous land and seascapes that lie in prospect.
Albrecht Dürer (Nuremberg, 21 May 1471 - Nuremberg, 6 April 1528) - Self-portrait with fur (1500) - oil on panel 67 × 49 cm - Alte Pinakothek Munich
Albrecht Dürer sviluppò un concetto ibrido per le sue costruzioni di testa. Adottò sia le "ricette" del passato (regole di Vitruvio) sia la prassi del Rinascimento italiano. Cercò di produrre forme ideali con proporzioni armoniose, o nel caso di (auto)ritratti, per migliorare il rispettivo modello naturale nell'opera d'arte. Per molto tempo usò, tra le altre cose, cornici lineari planimetriche, forme geometriche di base e sistemi di analogie al fine di determinare la massa e le forme della testa e la topografia del viso.
Negli uomini ben proporzionati di Vitruvio (homo bene figuratus) la testa era correlata a un ottavo della lunghezza del corpo e la faccia era un decimo. Secondo questo calcolo, la corona della testa è un quinto di tutta la testa. Dürer variava la relazione tra lunghezza del viso e dimensione della testa e quindi l'altezza della corona della testa.
“Perché il corpo umano è così progettato dalla natura che il viso, dal mento alla sommità della fronte e alle radici più basse dei capelli, è una decima parte di tutta l'altezza; (...) la testa dal mento alla corona è un ottavo (...). Se prendiamo l'altezza della faccia stessa, la distanza dalla parte inferiore del mento al lato inferiore delle narici è un terzo di essa; il naso dal lato inferiore delle narici a una linea tra le sopracciglia è lo stesso; da lì alle radici più basse dei capelli c'è anche un terzo, che comprende la fronte. "
Albrecht Dürer developed a hybrid concept for his head constructions. He adopted both the "recipes" of the past (Vitruvius rules) and the practice of the Italian Renaissance. He tried to produce ideal shapes with harmonious proportions, or in the case of self)portraits, to improve the respective natural model in the work of art. For a long time he used, among other things, linear planimetric frames, basic geometric shapes and systems of analogies in order to determine the mass and shapes of the head and the topography of the face.
In the well-proportioned men of Vitruvius (homo bene figuratus) the head was related to one eighth of the length of the body and the face was one tenth. According to this calculation, the crown of the head is one fifth of the whole head. Dürer varied the relationship between face length and head size and thus the height of the crown of the head.
“Because the human body is so designed by nature that the face, from the chin to the top of the forehead and the lowest roots of the hair, is a tenth part of the whole height; (...) the head from the chin to the crown is one eighth (...). If we take the height of the face itself, the distance from the lower part of the chin to the lower side of the nostrils is one third of it; the nose from the underside of the nostrils to a line between the eyebrows is the same; from there to the lower roots of the hair there is also a third, which includes the forehead. "
Whenever strong sunlight hits olive branches, BOKEH in background - I don't know how the hours passed in the olive groves this morning. Chasing the Caucasian squirrel requires patience, They don't really go down to the ground unless they need to be fed. Even if I see them on the tree trunk, they disappear very quickly by jumping from tree to tree. They're incredibly quick and like flying acrobats. North Aegean region - Türkiye is full of olive groves and this opportunity also determines their living spaces. They are nesting in the trunks of centuries-old olive trees.
Here is this curious lovely male individual; It has made a home for itself in the hollow of a century-old olive tree with a diameter of 50 cm. The female was not in the nest during the period I watched for over 2 hours. My sudden encounter with a curious and young individual male Caucasian squirrel definitely made my day.
Today I tried to capture different close-up poses without using TC 1.4. It was indeed a different experience for me. The teleconverter sometimes causes loss of clarity and lack of light even though I use a monopod. I think even bokeh is affected.
I hope you'll enjoy the my Caucasian Squirrel series as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) - Cuyabeno wildlife refuge, Ecuador
The pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) is the world's smallest monkey, but not the smallest primate as the a mouse lemur found across the world in Madagascar is smaller, nevertheless the most striking thing about these little marmosets is how tiny they are. They almost look like mice skittering through the trees. It is found in the Northern Amazon including Ecuador where this was taken. Their uniqueness doesn't end with their dimunitive size either, they are also gummivores. Gummivores are an unusual subset of herbivore that feeds on tree sap and gum although apparently occasional insects are also consumed. They have specialized incisor teeth which they use to chew holes through bark and then lap up the pooling sap. The marmoset social group picks a few trees and stays by them, poking numerous holes through the bark. Which you can actually see the results of in the photo. These are not the best photos as the conditions in the forest were dim and I really had to ramp my ISO up high to get anything, but they're such cool animals I couldn't resist sharing with you all. The dim conditions were exacerbated by the fact that they seemed to hang out in the mid canopy and atleast in the brief time we observed them avoided the brighter edges or top of trees, this makes sense considering how small they are and how many predators must see them as a tasty morsel. Best to stay hidden in the shadows. Hopefully, someday I get another chance to photograph them and can do a bit better.
The female watched me intently and waited without moving. For some reason, Male didn't come out of his nest much and didn't show himself. I didn't get a chance to take different photos of what I believe are a young Caucasian Squirrel couple. Their ears are like radar. I had to move very slowly on the monopot. I can't say that they like the shutter sound very much. They suddenly dive into their nests and come back out of their nests very slowly in a controlled manner. Today, I spent about 4 hours patiently sitting in the olive groves from time to time.
Patience was the first thing I learned in nature photography. Good luck if there is a reward after long hours. It is possible to say that today was a lucky day for me.
Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world. The last four weeks have been extremely windy in the North Aegean region and the last few days have been rainy. Like most red squirrel populations, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Extreme heat has not started in the region yet and I see them less than last year. I know that Caucasian Squirrels spend the hottest hours of the day in their nests built in centuries-old olive trees.
Today, the weather in Turkey's North Aegean Region was cloudless and 30 degrees Celsius. The century-old olive tree hollow of Mr. and Mrs. Caucasian Squirrel couple Near the olive tree, about 3 meters away, they were aware of my presence even though I was wearing camouflage.
I hope you'll enjoy the my Caucasian Squirrel series as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
Great Uncle Mortimer X. Peg was a skilled oral surgeon, dentist and taxidermist. He pioneered the science of dental implants using incisors from horses and mules to give his patients fresh bright smiles. He was notorious for implanting actual fangs from dogs in the mouths of the Manigotapi high schoolers. This resulted in the surrounding tabloids thinking there was a vampire problem in Manigotapi.
An angry mob burned Mortimer Pegs dental office in 1972, and Mortimer quickly left Manigotapi Mississippi to study pygmy migration across Europe. He was never seen again.
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Red squirrels (Sciurus-vulgaris) love conifer forests.On the European mainland and in the UK and Ireland, populations decline through the competition with the Gray Squirrels which were introduced from North America. Hunting for the fur of the red squirrel is a problem in Russia. Hunting, the loss of habitat and the strong competition with the Gray Squirrels will ultimately lead to the extinction in most parts of Europe of the Eurasian red squirrel. When food is plentifull, these cute scatter-hoarders will bury their nuts and seeds. With the power of their lower incisors they use a specialized technique for opening nuts. With practice they are able to open a nut in just a few seconds!
The Eurasian red squirrel, red squirrel is listed as Near Threatened (NT), is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future, on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Photographed near Serengeti Serena Lodge, Tanzania, Africa
Please click on the image or press the L key to view the full photo
I really do enjoy the too infrequent opportunities to photograph a bird or animal that's paying me no attention at all. Capturing the animal's behavior adds to any wildlife photograph, IMO. This jackal was responding to a sound or a glimpse that had nothing to do with the nearby safari vehicle...which, for me, just added to its appeal as a subject.
Thanks for your visits and comments.
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From Wikipedia: The black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas or Lupulella mesomelas) is a canine native to eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly 900 kilometers.
One region includes the southernmost tip of the continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The other area is along the eastern coastline, including Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. It is listed by the IUCN as least concern, due to its widespread range and adaptability, although it is still persecuted as a livestock predator and rabies vector.
Compared to other members of the genus Canis, the black-backed jackal is a very ancient species, and has changed little since the Pleistocene,[6] being the most basal wolf-like canine, alongside the closely related side-striped jackal. It is a fox-like animal with a reddish brown to tan coat and a black saddle that extends from the shoulders to the base of the tail. It is a monogamous animal, whose young may remain with the family to help raise new generations of pups. The black-backed jackal is not a fussy eater, and feeds on small to medium-sized animals, as well as plant matter.[11]
The black-backed jackal is a fox-like canid with a slender body, long legs, and large ears. It is similar to the closely related side-striped jackal and more distantly related to the golden jackal, though its skull and dentition are more robust and the incisors much sharper. It weighs 6–13 kg (13–29 lb), stands 38–48 cm (15–19 in) at the shoulder, and measures 67.3–81.2 cm (26.5–32.0 in) in body length.
The base colour is reddish brown to tan, which is particularly pronounced on the flanks and legs. A black saddle intermixed with silvery hair extends from the shoulders to the base of the tail. A long, black stripe extending along the flanks separates the saddle from the rest of the body, and can be used to differentiate individuals. The tail is bushy and tipped with black. The lips, throat, chest, and inner surface of the limbs are white. The winter coat is a much deeper reddish brown. Albino specimens occasionally occur. The hair of the face measures 10–15 mm in length, and lengthens to 30–40 mm on the rump. The guard hairs of the back are 60 mm on the shoulder, decreasing to 40 mm at the base of the tail. The hairs of the tail are the longest, measuring 70 mm in length.
6D6A0823-1_fCAFlkr
Hippos are primarily grazers. Grass is plucked by the firm powerful leathery lips & is ground down by the huge molars in the back of the jaw. The canines and incisors are enormously enlarged with the former being used exclusively for fighting and the latter primarily for digging.
Albrecht Dürer (Nuremberg, 21 May 1471 - Nuremberg, 6 April 1528) - Portrait of Hieronymus Holzschuher (1469-1529) (1526) - oil on linden board 51 x 37.1 cm - Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Questo ritratto era a Norimberga fino alla fine del XIX secolo ed era di proprietà di uno dei discendenti del soggetto. È uno dei ritratti più importanti del periodo tardo di Dürer, risalente al 1526. All'epoca Holzschuher (1468-1529) aveva 57 anni ed era membro di una delle più note famiglie patrizie di Norimberga. Fu eletto sindaco junior nel 1500 e sindaco senior nel 1509, unendosi all'Alto Consiglio della città come "Septemvir" nel 1514.
Il ritratto è limitato alle spalle, coperte con un pesante collo di pelliccia e l'impressionante testa, con il soggetto che guarda lo spettatore. Sta esaminando l'osservatore in modo critico ma con una moderata simpatia. Le cornici delle finestre della stanza in cui Dürer dipinse il ritratto del suo amico si riflettono nei suoi occhi.
This portrait was in Nuremberg until the end of the 19th century and was owned by one of the descendants of the subject. It is one of the most important portraits of the late Dürer period, dating back to 1526. At the time Holzschuher (1468-1529) was 57 years old and was a member of one of the best known patrician families of Nuremberg. He was elected junior mayor in 1500 and senior mayor in 1509, joining the city's High Council as "Septemvir" in 1514.
The portrait is limited to the shoulders, covered with a heavy fur collar and an impressive head, with the subject looking at the viewer. He is examining the observer critically but with moderate sympathy. The window frames of the room in which Dürer painted the portrait of his friend are reflected in his eyes.
young male lion @knowsleysafari park having a good yawn. these have to separated from the pack otherwise they get all Oedipal. they look like harmless pussycats until one decides to take an interest in you and come over to the car. you suddenly start to see how fragile a car looks!
A rather rare find while I was out one day looking for owls....
From Wikipedia - The northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) is the largest shrew in the genus Blarina, and occurs in the northeastern region of North America. It is a semifossorial, highly active, and voracious insectivore and is present in a variety of habitats like broadleaved and pine forests among shrubs and hedges as well as grassy river banks. It is notable in that it is one of the few venomous mammals.
The saliva of the northern short-tailed shrew contains a kallikrein-like protease, used to paralyze and subdue its prey. The toxin is strong enough to kill small animals, up to sizes somewhat larger than the shrew itself, and results in painful bites to humans who attempt to handle the shrew. The venomous saliva is secreted from submaxillary glands, through a duct which opens at the base of the lower incisors, where the saliva flows along the groove formed by the two incisors, and into the prey. The toxin is very similar in structure to the one produced by the Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum) which independently developed its toxin from the same precursor protein.
After languishing in the photographic doldrums since about August, I was desperate to get some new shots so set out yesterday with friends on a walk along the Purbecks, on the condition we'd be at Durdle Door by sunset. Wanting to do something slightly different before the cliche shot(s), I head out to Bat's Head to shoot this rock stack - I loved the strong side light from the winter light and it was screaming out to be shot.
Bat's Head, nr Durdle Door, Dorset
Nikon D300s | Nikon 35/1.8 | ISO200 | 120s f/8 | Lee 0.6ND hard grad, B+W ND110 and Polarizer
I hope you'll enjoy the my images as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
Island Of Madagascar
Off The East Coast of Africa
Palmarium Reserve
Best Viewed In Lightbox-
www.flickr.com/photos/42964440@N08/46471164905/in/photost...
Endangered lemur photographed at night aided by a guide holding a spotlight. One of my favorite lemurs due it's strange appearance and odd behavior.
Wikipedia - The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger.
It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unusual method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood using its forward slanting incisors to create a small hole in which it inserts its narrow middle finger to pull the grubs out.
From an ecological point of view the aye-aye fills the niche of a woodpecker, as it is capable of penetrating wood to extract the invertebrates within.
The aye-aye is the only extant member of the genus Daubentonia and family Daubentoniidae. It is currently classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
The aye-aye is an arboreal animal meaning that it spends most of its life high in the trees. Aye-ayes sleep, eat, travel and mate in the trees and are most commonly found close to the canopy where there is plenty of cover from the dense foliage.
Still testing the air by lifting their upper lips to better expose the vomeronasal organ deep within their noses, these bighorn rams are making sure there are no receptive ewes available. In fact the 2021 rut (breeding season) is pretty much a thing of the past, but the rams aren't quite ready to give up.
The lip curl, revealing the rows of gleaming white incisors in their lower jaws (sheep don't have upper incisors, but they do have upper and lower molars to grind the vegetation they eat), is called the flehmen response.
The female watched me intently and waited without moving. For some reason, Male didn't come out of his nest much and didn't show himself. I didn't get a chance to take different photos of what I believe are a young Caucasian Squirrel couple. Their ears are like radar. I had to move very slowly on the monopot. I can't say that they like the shutter sound very much. They suddenly dive into their nests and come back out of their nests very slowly in a controlled manner. Today, I spent about 4 hours patiently sitting in the olive groves from time to time.
Patience was the first thing I learned in nature photography. Good luck if there is a reward after long hours. It is possible to say that today was a lucky day for me.
Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world. The last four weeks have been extremely windy in the North Aegean region and the last few days have been rainy. Like most red squirrel populations, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Extreme heat has not started in the region yet and I see them less than last year. I know that Caucasian Squirrels spend the hottest hours of the day in their nests built in centuries-old olive trees.
Today, the weather in Turkey's North Aegean Region was cloudless and 30 degrees Celsius. The century-old olive tree hollow of Mr. and Mrs. Caucasian Squirrel couple Near the olive tree, about 3 meters away, they were aware of my presence even though I was wearing camouflage.
I hope you'll enjoy the my Caucasian Squirrel series as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
Island Of Madagascar
Off The East Coast of Africa
Palmarium Reserve
This aye-aye was photographed in the wild at night at Palmarium Reserve. These animals are curious creatures and will approach a human quite close which has been their downfall.
The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger.
It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unusual method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood using its forward slanting incisors to create a small hole in which it inserts its narrow middle finger to pull the grubs out. This foraging method is called percussive foraging. The only other animal species known to find food in this way is the striped possum.
From an ecological point of view the aye-aye fills the niche of a woodpecker, as it is capable of penetrating wood to extract the invertebrates within.
The aye-aye is the only extant member of the genus Daubentonia and family Daubentoniidae. It is currently classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
The aye-aye is an arboreal animal meaning that it spends most of its life high in the trees. Although they are known to come down to the ground on occasion, aye-ayes sleep, eat, travel and mate in the trees and are most commonly found close to the canopy where there is plenty of cover from the dense foliage.
Aye-aye are solitary animals that mark their large home range with scent. The smaller territories of females often overlap those of at least a couple of males. Male aye-ayes tend to share their territories with other males and are even known to share the same nests (although not at the same time).
I hope you'll enjoy the my images as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - With Nikon TC 14E II hand held - Monopod and SPORT VR on. Aperture is f8 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Release Clamp - Nikkor AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6 ED VR fitted MPR-113 Multi-Purpose Rail lens foot and Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod.
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
Elephants tusks are enlarged incisor teeth that appear when they turn around 2 years. They continue growing throughout their lives. Tusk are used to help with feeding, digging up roots or as a defense when fighting animals. These beautiful tusks often cause elephants in danger as they are made from ivory. Ivory is a much desired object.
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Massive 'thank you' my Flickr friends, for the kind comments, faves and support!
Common Marmoset ~ Blair Drummond Safari Park ~ Stirling ~ Scotland ~ Saturday September 26th 2015.
Click here to see My most interesting images
Purchase some of my images here ~ www.saatchionline.com/art/view/artist/24360/art/1259239 ~ Should you so desire...go on, make me rich..lol...Oh...and if you see any of the images in my stream that you would like and are not there, then let me know and I'll add them to the site for you..:))
You can also buy my WWT cards here (The Otter and the Sunset images) or in the shop at the Wetland Centre in Barnes ~ London ~ www.wwt.org.uk/shop/catalogue.asp?Page=1&CatID=182
Have a fabulous Monday Ya'll.:)
Common marmoset ~ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ~
The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a New World monkey. It originally lived on the Northeastern coast of Brazil, in the states of Piaui, Paraiba, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Alagoas and Bahia. Through release (both intentional and unintentional) of captive individuals, it has expanded its range since the 1920s to Southeast Brazil (its first sighting in the wild for Rio de Janeiro was in 1929) and became there an invasive species, raising concerns about genetic pollution of similar species, such as the buffy-tufted marmoset (Callithrix aurita), and predation upon bird nestlings and eggs.
The whole-genome sequence of a female common marmoset was published on 20 July 2014. It became the first New World Monkey to have its genome sequenced.
Physical description and morphology ~ Common marmosets are very small monkeys with relatively long tails. Males and females are of similar size with males being slightly larger. Males have an average height of 188 mm (7.40 in) and females have an average height of 185 mm (7.28 in). Males weigh 256 g (9.03 oz) on average and females weigh 236 g (8.32 oz) on average. The pelage of the marmoset is multicolored, being sprinkled with brown, grey, and yellow. It also has white ear tufts and the tail is banded. Their faces have pale skin and have a white blaze on the forehead.The coats of infants are brown and yellow coats with the ear tuft developing later.
As with other members of the genus Callithrix, the common marmosets have claw-like nails known as tegulaes on most of their fingers. Only their halluxes (big toes) have the flat nails or ungulaes that most other primates have. Marmosets have an arboreal locomotion similar to squirrels. They can hang on to trees vertically and leap between them, as well as run across branches quadrupedally. Tegulaes are an adaptation of this type of locomotion. Other Callithrix traits shared include enlarged, chisel-shaped incisors and specialized cecums for their diet.
Albrecht Dürer (Nuremberg, 21 May 1471 - Nuremberg, 6 April 1528) - Betende Maria - Mary in prayer (1518) - oil on lime wood panel 54.9 x 45.3 cm - Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Maria è ritratta a mezzo busto con le mani giunte in preghiera e lo sguardo, dolce e un po' patetico, rivolto di tre quarti a sinistra. Il tradizionale velo blu è foderato di lucida stoffa arancione (un colore molto raro che si trovava solo nell'emporio di Venezia), e lascia trasparire maniche rosa, bordate a pighette, e una cuffia bianca che si allunga fino al petto. A questo già sfolgorante insieme cromatico vano poi aggiunti il verde e il rosso dello sfondo, che avvicinano l'opera alla più smagliante tradizione veneta. La luce è dorata e inonda il volto di Maria, piuttosto idealizzato, creando una dimensione di religioso raccoglimento.
Maria is portrayed half-length with her hands folded in prayer and her gaze, sweet and somewhat pathetic, turned three quarters to the left. The traditional blue veil is lined with shiny orange fabric (a very rare color that was only found in the emporium of Venice), and reveals pink sleeves, edged with pighettes, and a white cap that stretches up to the chest. To this already blazing chromatic ensemble, the green and red of the background are added, which bring the work closer to the most brilliant Venetian tradition. The light is golden and floods the rather idealized face of Mary, creating a dimension of religious recollection.
I hope you'll enjoy the my images as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
Tanzania, Cratere dello Ngorongoro, Autunno 2019
Foto scattata durante un safari in Tanzania nell’ottobre 2019 / Photo taken during a safari in Tanzania in October 2019
L'Area di conservazione di Ngorongoro è un'area protetta in Tanzania. L'area prende il nome dal cratere dello Ngorongoro, la più grande caldera vulcanica inattiva, intatta e non riempita al Mondo. Il cratere, che si è formato quando un grande vulcano è imploso da due a tre milioni di anni fa, è profondo 610 metri e il suo pavimento copre 260 chilometri quadrati. Le stime dell'altezza del vulcano originale vanno dai 4.500 ai 5.800 metri di altezza. Il fondo del cratere si trova a 1.800 metri sul livello del mare. Il cratere è una delle sette meraviglie della natura ed è stato attivo da circa 2,45 a 2 milioni di anni fa.
Gli elefanti sono mammiferi e i più grandi animali terrestri esistenti. Le caratteristiche distintive di tutti gli elefanti includono una lunga proboscide, zanne, grandi paraorecchie, gambe enormi e pelle dura ma sensibile. La proboscide viene utilizzata per respirare, portare cibo e acqua alla bocca e afferrare oggetti. Le zanne, che sono derivate dai denti dell'incisivi, servono sia come armi che come strumenti per muovere oggetti e scavare. I grandi orecchie aiutano a mantenere una temperatura corporea costante e nella comunicazione. Le gambe simili a pilastri portano il loro grande peso. Gli elefanti sono erbivori e rimangono vicino all'acqua quando è accessibile. Sono considerate specie fondamentale, a causa del loro impatto sul loro ambiente. Altri animali tendono a mantenere le distanze dagli elefanti; l'eccezione sono i loro predatori come leoni, tigri, iene e cani selvatici, che di solito prendono di mira solo i giovani elefanti. Gli elefanti hanno una società fissione-fusione, in cui più gruppi familiari si uniscono per socializzare. Gli elefanti possono vivere fino a 70 anni in natura. Comunicano al tatto, alla vista, all'olfatto e al suono; gli elefanti usano infrasuoni e comunicazioni sismiche su lunghe distanze. L'intelligenza dell'elefante è stata paragonata a quella di primati e cetacei. Sembrano avere autocoscienza, oltre a mostrare empatia per i familiari morenti e morti.
Gli elefanti africani sono elencati come vulnerabili. Una delle maggiori minacce per le popolazioni di elefanti è il commercio di avorio, in quanto gli animali vengono cacciati per le loro zanne d'avorio. Gli elefanti sono altamente riconoscibili e sono stati presenti nell'arte, nel folklore, nella religione, nella letteratura e nella cultura popolare.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a protected area in Tanzania. The area is named after Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. The crater, which formed when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself two to three million years ago, is 610 metres deep and its floor covers 260 square kilometres. Estimates of the height of the original volcano range from 4,500 to 5,800 metres high. The crater floor is 1,800 metres above sea level. The crater was voted by Seven Natural Wonders and it was active from about 2.45 to 2 million years ago.
Elephants are mammals and the largest existing land animals. Distinctive features of all elephants include a long trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, massive legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk, also called a proboscis, is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. The pillar-like legs carry their great weight. Elephants are herbivorous, and they stay near water when it is accessible. They are considered to be keystone species, due to their impact on their environments. Other animals tend to keep their distance from elephants; the exception is their predators such as lions, tigers, hyenas, and wild dogs, which usually target only young elephants. Elephants have a fission–fusion society, in which multiple family groups come together to socialise. Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. They communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infrasound, and seismic communication over long distances. Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans. They appear to have self-awareness, as well as appearing to show empathy for dying and dead family members.
African elephants are listed as vulnerable. One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Elephants are highly recognisable and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture.
275/365 Work with textures
♪ ♫ Care for some jazz? The Squirrel by Dexter Gordon
The Squirrel
Anonymous
Whisky, frisky,
Hippity hop;
Up he goes
To the tree top!
Whirly, twirly,
Round and round,
Down he scampers
To the ground.
Furly, curly
What a tail!
Tall as a feather
Broad as a sail!
Where's his supper?
In the shell,
Snappity, crackity,
Out it fell.
Texture with my gratitude to Florabella Thank you very much!!
.../
My second Vic Viper for NnoVVember '22. With the Tunnel Viper, I started with the engines; with the Incisor I started with the front prongs.
I was originally going to go with a dark green/black/trans-red color scheme, but it turns out the 1x4 bows in the prongs don't exist in dark green (but the 2x4 version does, go figure). So instead I went with the same color scheme I used on the Stiletto mech I built for Mechtober '21, with drum-lacquered gold and small yellow accents, to match the printed 4x4 wedge on the front of the cockpit.
Uno dei più importanti artisti del Novecento, ARTURO MARTINI (Treviso 1889- Milano 1947), che fu incisore, pittore, e soprattutto scultore, riteneva che la scultura debba essere non «una vistosa virtù, ma un oscuro grembo». Le intuizioni che egli colse in quel grembo profondo seppe esprimere nella pietra e nel marmo, nel bronzo e nel legno, nella ceramica e nel gesso, ma soprattutto nella terracotta. Nei primi anni ’30 l’Ilva Refrattari di Vado Ligure gli permise di avere un forno tutto suo, così che poté modellare le statue nella fornace stessa, ed evitare il rischio che si rompessero nel trasporto, prima di essere cotte. L’artista poté così cimentarsi con opere di grandi dimensioni, realizzate in esemplari unici.
Memore di voci antiche, classiche e persino etrusche, seppe riviverle con assoluta originalità, superando il suo innegabile virtuosismo (la «vistosa virtù»!) grazie a un lirismo affascinante, in cui trovano voce le moderne inquietudini, le tensioni, le emozioni della sua vita.
In questa foto, scattata nel 2014 a Bologna in occasione della mostra «Creature. Il sogno della terracotta» è rappresentata l'emozionante opera «Convalescente», del 1932. È in terra refrattaria, e si trova alla Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Genova.
Misura cm. 96x138x58.
La giovane donna convalescente è la figlia dell’artista, Maria,
chiamata in famiglia Nena. A lei il padre dedicò altre opere di straordinaria intensità e bellezza.
The Pokot (or Pokhot) live in the Baringo district and in the Western Pokot district in Kenya. They are also inhabitants of Uganda.There are two main sub-groups depending of their location and way of life. The first group consist of the Hill Pokot who live in the rainy highlands in the west and in the central south, and are mainly farmers and pastoralists. The second group is made up of the Plains Pokot who live in dry and infertile plains, with their cattle. A homestead is composed of one or more buildings for a man, his wife and children; the prospective co-wives live in separate houses. Teaching children ethical rules is extremely important. Most of the Pokot are nomadic and thus have interacted with different peoples, incorporating their social customs.The Pokot are very proud of their culture. The songs, storytelling, and decorative arts, in particular body decoration, are very appreciated among the Pokot. They adorn the body with beads and hairstyling, and proceed to scarifications and the removal of the lower central incisors. Pokot girls wear a beaded necklace made of the stems of an asparagus tree. Most Pokot have some knowledge of herbal medicine, so they often use these treatments along with those of the hospitals. They belong to the Kenya's Nilotic-speaking peoples.For the Pokot, the universe has two realms: the above is the realm of the most powerful deities—Tororot, Asis (sun), and llat (rain); and the below is the one where live humans, animals, and plants. Humans are responsible for the realm that they inhabit, but they rely upon divinities to achieve and maintain peace and prosperity. They worship many deities like the sun, moon and believe in the spirit of death.The Pokot communicate with their deities through prayer and sacrifice. They perform it during ethnic festivals and dances. Oracles are responsible for maintaining the spiritual balance within the community. They are superstitious and believe in sorcery, so sometimes they call on shielding lucky sorcery. They have prophets, either male or female, who foresee and advise, usually by the means of animal sacrifices. Their abilities are considered as a divine gift. Clan histories recount the changes of location, through poetry and song, emphasizing the vulnerability of human beings and the importance of supernatural powers that help them overcome hunger, thirst, and even death. Ceremonies mark the transitions in the people's social lives. Among these are: the cleansing of a couple expecting their first child; the cleansing of newborn infants and their mothers; the cleansing of twins and other children who are born under unusual circumstances; male and female initiation; marriage; sapana, a coming-of-age ceremony for men; and summer-solstice, harvest, and healing ceremonies. The most important rite of passage for most Pokot is circumcision for boys and clitoridectomy for girls. These rites consist of a series of neighborhood-based ceremonies, emphasizing the importance of having a good behavior. When boys are circumcised, they acquire membership in one of eight age sets. Women do not belong to any age-set. After excision, for several months, girls have a white painting on their face and wear a hood made of blackened leather with charcoal and oil. This means they are untouchable until the lepan ceremony, that marks the passage to womanhood. Unlike other tribes, the Pokot keep the affiliation to their clan throughout their lives, there is no disruption with marriage. Surprisingly, the agreement before marriage is made by gift giving, from the groom and his family to the bride and her family (and not the contrary), often over a period of years. It often implies the gift of a combination of livestock, goods, and cash to the bride's family, and the allotment of milk cows and rights to land to the bride. The bond between a husband and wife lasts for 3 generations, after what marriages can take place again between the two groups. Polygamy exists but is not prevalent among men before 40. The spirits of the elder anticipate reincarnation in their living descendants: when a child is said to resemble the elder, the same name is given. Disputes are resolved in neighborhood councils and in government courts. Some of the sanctions include shaming, cursing, and bewitching.
Les Pokot vivent dans le district de Baringo et à l’ouest du district de Pokot au Kenya. Ce sont aussi des habitants de l’Ouganda.Il existe deux principaux sous-groupes selon leur localisation et mode de vie. Le premier groupe est constitué des Pokot des collines qui vivent dans les hautes terres humides dans l’ouest et dans le centre sud, et sont surtout des agriculteurs et pasteurs. Le second groupe est composé des Pokot des plaines qui vivent dans les plaines sèches et infertiles, avec leur bétail. Chaque propriété familiale est composée d’une ou plusieurs bâtiments pour un homme, sa femme et ses femmes, les éventuelles autres épouses vivent dans des maisons séparées. Enseigner aux enfants les règles éthiques est extrêmement important. La plupart des Pokot sont nomades et ont donc interagi avec différents peuples, incorporant leurs coutumes sociales. Les Pokot sont très fiers de leur culture. Les chants, contines, et arts décoratifs, en particulier la décoration du corps, sont particulièrement appréciés chez les Pokot. Ils parent leur corps de perles et coiffures originales, et procèdent à des scarifications et au retrait des incisives centrales inférieures. Les filles Pokot portent un collier de perles fait de tiges d’asparagus. La plupart des Pokot a des connaissances des médicaments à base de plantes, et ils utilisent donc souvent ces traitements avec ceux des hôpitaux. Ils appartiennent aux peuples parlant les langues nilotiques du Kenya.Pour les Pokot, l’univers a deux royaumes : celui d’en haut est le royaume des déités les plus puissantes –Torotot, Asis (soleil), et Ilat (pluie) ; celui d’en bas est celui où vivent les humains, animaux, et plantes. Les humains sont responsables du royaume qu’ils habitent, mais ils reposent sur les divinités pour atteindre et maintenir la paix et la prospérité. Ils vouent un culte à de nombreuses déités tels que le soleil et la lune et croient dans l’esprit de la mort. Les Pokot communiquent avec leurs déités par la prière et le sacrifice. Ils les accomplissent lors de festivals ethniques et de danses. Les oracles sont responsables du maintien de l’équilibre spirituel à l’intérieur de la communauté. Ils sont superstitieux et croient aux sortilèges, c’est pourquoi parfois ils invoquent des sortilèges de chance protecteurs. Ils ont des prophètes, hommes ou femmes, qui voient dans le futur et conseillent, habituellement au moyen de sacrifices d’animaux. Leurs capacités sont considérées comme un don divin. Les histoires claniques racontent les changements de leurs lieux de vie, à travers des poèmes et chansons, mettant en avant la vulnérabilité des êtres humains et l’importance de pouvoirs supernaturels qui les aident à surpasser la faim, la soif, et même la mort. Les cérémonies marquent les transitions dans la vie sociale des individus. Parmi celles-ci on compte : la purification d’un couple attendant leur premier enfant ; celle d’enfants nouveaux-nés et de leurs mères ; la purification de jumeaux et d’autres enfantgs qui sont nés dans des circonstances inhabituelles ; l’initiation pour hommes et femmes ; le mariage ; le sapana, une cérémonie pour la majorité chez les hommes ; le solstice d’été ; la moisson ; et les cérémonies de soins. Le rite de passage le plus important pour la plupart des Pokot est la circoncision pour les garçons et la clitorectomie pour les filles. Ces rites consistent en une série de cérémonies basées sur le voisinage, soulignant l’importance d’avoir une bonne conduite. Lorsque les garçons sont circoncis, ils deviennent membres de l’une des huit classes d’âge. Les femmes n’appartiennent à aucune classe d’âge. Après l’excision, pour plusieurs mois, les filles portent une painture blanche sur le visage et une capuche fait de cuir noirci au charbon de bois et à l’huile. Cela signifie qu’elle sont intouchables jusqu’à la cérémonie lepan, qui marque le passage à l’état de femme. Contrairement à d’autres tribus, les Pokot gardent l’affiliation à leur clan toute leur vie, il n’y a aucune rupture lors du mariage. De façon surprenante, l’accord avant le mariage est réalisé grâce à des cadeaux de la part du futur époux et de sa famille, à la fiancée et sa famille (et non le contraire), souvent pour une période donnée d’année. Cela implique souvent le don d’une association de bétail, biens, et argent à la famille de la mariée, et l’attribution de vaches à lait et des droits fonciers à la mariée. Le lien entre le mari et la femme dure pendant 3 générations, après quoi les mariages peuvent de nouveau avoir lieu entre les deux groupes. La polygamie existes mais ne prévaut pas chez les hommes de moins de 40 ans. Les esprits des plus vieux anticipent la réincarnation chez leurs descendants vivants : quand on dit d’un enfant qu’il ressemble à son aîné, le même nom lui est donné. Les disputes sont résolues dans des conseils de voisinage et dans les tribunaux du gouvernement. Certaines des sanctions incluent le déshonneur, la malédiction et l’ensorcellement.
© Eric Lafforgue
This publicity photo is for the poster for our production of Dracula by Steven Dietz from the novel by Bram Stoker.
I did the photography and makeup including teeth.
actor - Lindsey Keating
Poem.
Childish excitement travelling from east to west in late winter.
You know soon, very soon, the West Coast “Munros” will gleam like incisor teeth above the forested landscape.
Forcan, left, and The Saddle, right, are such peaks that advertise the thousand metre micro-climate of semi-Alpine splendour.
Spin-drift sweeps off the upper slopes to accumulate in layers like royal icing.
The snowy back-cloth forms a pleasing contrast to the pastel tans and greens of the bracken and forest of the lower slopes of this historic Glen.
The West Coast beckons.
Such a grand mountain corridor befits the momentous land and seascapes that lie in prospect.
Culture:Tlingit
Materials: Maple wood. Abalone shell. Paint
Place made: USA: Alaska
Location: Gallery of Northwest Coast Masterworks
Date Made: ca. 1800-1840
Date Acquired: 12 Apr 2018
How Acquired: Donated
Credit Line: Elspeth McConnell Collection
Measurements: Overall: 19.2 cm x 14.5 cm x 5 cm
Museum of Anthropology
University of British Columbia
About this object
History of use
Carved frontlets, or shakee.át among the Tlingit, are said to have originated on the northern Northwest Coast. They continue to be made and worn ceremonially as part of a Tlingit clan leader’s complete headdress – regalia to which the frontlet is sewn, and that includes a long train of white ermine skins as well as a crown or circlet of upright sea-lion whiskers and flicker feathers into which eagle down is placed, to be shaken out during dancing.
Narrative
Displayed in the "Box of Daylight" exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum in 1983. Previously part of the Ziff family collection. The blue-green paint is made of a native green-earth pigment highly valued by artists of the northern coast.
The painter would have ground the pigment and mixed it with water before applying it with his brush.
The combination of blue-green paint, Chinese red vermilion – introduced in the late 1700s by fur traders – and abalone shell traded north from California helped to proclaim the wearer’s status and treasured at.óow (clan crests, names, land, and more) that this regalia was made to display.
Physical description
Rectangular carved frontlet with Thunderbird or other bird-being in relief; abalone inlay along both sides and across top, and used for accents on animal features. The bird has a recurved beak going into lower lip.
Below the face are red human-like arms and hands with palms out, fingers upward, with abalone on each palm.
The bird's mouth is open, showing a row of abalone teeth behind wooden incisors and red painted lips.
The eyes are circles of abalone, under arched black brows. This supernatural being shares space with a small orca, whose dorsal fin rises upward and pectoral fins downward.
Painted red, green-blue, and black. The rear of the frontlet is concave. Illegible hand writing on back surface.
Museum photos: collection-online.moa.ubc.ca/search/item?keywords=Frontle...
🔍 Additional Insight:
The positioning of the upraised red hands with abalone inlays may reference the Tlingit "watchman" motif — figures who serve as spiritual guardians, witnesses, or protectors, often placed high on totem poles or architectural elements. In the context of this frontlet, the raised hands could be interpreted as a gesture of invocation, defense, or ceremonial address, emphasizing the chief’s role as both a guardian and an intermediary between worlds.
This symbolic hand gesture also evokes the visual language of transformation and spiritual power — with human-animal hybridity (bird above, orca below) framing the central figure. The merging of Thunderbird and Killer Whale isn't just decorative; it's a statement of inherited crest rights that link sky, sea, and the chiefly line’s supernatural authority.
🔧 Speculative but Plausible (Ethnographically Informed):
This frontlet may have belonged to a Raven moiety clan with rights to both Thunderbird and Killer Whale (keet) crests — a pairing rare but not unknown among southern Tlingit groups and Haida families through intermarriage. The Thunderbird–Orca combination suggests dominion over weather and sea mammals, echoing stories in which Thunderbird controls storms and preys on whales — stories claimed by clans in places like Yakutat, Sitka, or Cape Fox.
If this piece came from such a lineage, the dancer wearing it would have been enacting a mythic origin story in which human hands mediate between supernatural power (Thunderbird above) and oceanic wealth (Killer Whale below).
🔶 “Human hands mediate between supernatural power (Thunderbird above) and oceanic wealth (Killer Whale below).”
This phrasing reflects the vertical layering of the frontlet:
Above: Thunderbird — a celestial, lightning-bringing being of immense power, often associated with sky, weather, transformation, and spiritual might. Thunderbird is capable of summoning storms and striking down whales with lightning.
Below: Killer Whale (Keet) — emblem of ocean wealth, danger, abundance, and deep ancestral ties to the sea. In Tlingit tradition, some clans trace descent from Killer Whale ancestors or transformations.
Center: Human-like hands — these symbolize the embodied clan representative (the dancer), and by extension, the human realm — the only space where spiritual forces can be ritually negotiated, displayed, or balanced through proper protocol.
🔹 How does the mediation take place?
Mediation occurs through ritual enactment, primarily during potlatches, funerals, and memorials. The frontlet is not just decorative — it is a legal and spiritual instrument. Its power is activated when:
The dancer dons the headdress, fully suited with ermine train, sea lion whiskers, and eagle down.
The dance begins — the wearer moves in a prescribed way, often to a song that recounts the clan’s origin or a myth involving Thunderbird and/or Killer Whale.
The audience of clan members and opposing moiety witnesses — this includes high-ranking guests — recognize the display as a renewal of claims: to crests, to stories, to land, to authority.
Through this process, the dancer becomes a conduit: grounding supernatural origins in the present and performing the right to be their human spokesperson.
🔹 Where is the supernatural power situated?
In Haida and Tlingit thought:
Thunderbird resides in the upper world — the celestial realm, home to sky beings and transformative energies.
Killer Whale comes from the lower world — the ocean deeps, full of wealth (in food, crest animals, trade), but also danger and memory.
The human world is the middle realm — the only place where these forces can be acknowledged, claimed, and made meaningful through action.
Thus, the supernatural power is external — in the sky and sea — but also internalized and held within the clan and its regalia.
🔹 What is the purpose of the mediation?
To assert clan identity and rights: The dancer, and by extension the clan, is declaring ownership of powerful ancestral relationships.
To maintain cosmic balance: Tlingit ceremonialism often aims at harmony between moieties, living and dead, humans and spirit-beings.
To make memory public: These events reenact and reaffirm shared history, solidifying intergenerational continuity.
🔹 To whom is this mediation most important?
The host clan, especially its leaders and heirs, who are asserting their status.
The opposing moiety, who serve as witnesses, validating the event’s legitimacy.
The spirit world, which must be properly honored — failure to do so can bring illness or misfortune.
The community at large, because such performances reaffirm the moral and social order.
🔹 Does the group know the outcome of the mediation?
Yes — and the outcome is not open-ended. It is:
Validated publicly through the presence and acknowledgment of high-status witnesses from the opposite moiety.
Reaffirmed through proper ritual conduct — dancing, oratory, gift-giving, and regalia display must meet exacting standards.
Remembered collectively: oral historians and clan elders keep track of such events; they enter into the social memory of the people.
If a ceremony is done correctly, it renews prestige, spiritual alignment, and social equilibrium. If it is done sloppily or without proper authorization, it can cause lasting harm — insult, spiritual imbalance, or even litigation in a tribal court.
Historical Fiction
Here is a short, historically grounded fictional rendering from the point of view of a respected elder and witness, attending a potlatch in the mid-19th century near Sitka. The language honors Tlingit ceremonial tone, while remaining accessible:
We Watched the Hands Rise
As told by Shgóon x̱ʼéin, Elder of the Ganax̱teidí clan (Raven moiety)
The fire was low, but the faces glowed. The carved house posts leaned in like old men listening. And when the drums began, we saw him — the young man, the heir, step forward into the light.
He wore the ermine train, the sea lion whiskers swayed, and his crown shook eagle down into the air, soft like the first snow on canoe planks. But it was the frontlet that held our eyes — and those red-painted hands, raised just so, abalone in the palms catching firelight like morning dew on the beach stones.
Above the hands, the Thunderbird loomed, beak arched, eyes alight — the stormbringer, the sky-walker. Below, the keet, the whale who remembers. And between them, the hands: our hands, the human ones. Not claws, not wings, not fins — but fingers made for feeding fires, cradling children, cutting cedar.
In those moments, the dancer was not himself. He was the meeting place — where clan and spirit, sea and sky, past and now, all found their shape again.
We, the Raven side, bore witness. We saw the story retold in every step, each tilt of the head, each pulse of the drum. The old ones nodded. The young ones watched wide-eyed. It was done well — no shame, no error. The supernatural favor was felt, even the children hushed.
Later, we would feast. Gifts would change hands. Names would be spoken aloud for the first time in years. But it was here, in this dance, that it happened: the world held its breath and remembered itself.
This text is a collaboration with Chat GPT.
I hope you'll enjoy the my images as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - hand held or Monopod and definitely SPORT VR on. Aperture is f5.6 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Nikon Cross-Body Strap or Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod - Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Really Right Stuff LCF-11 Replacement Foot for Nikon AF-S 500mm /5.6E PF Lense -
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Full of testosterone and getting ready for battle.
Wallowing Rutting stags urinate in muddy pits under trees or by water, then roll in it to anoint themselves. Both sexes also wallow in spring and summer to remove moulting fur.
Foliage head-dress Stags often adorn their antlers with scooped-up grass and bracken. This is a visual display to make them look bigger and more intimidating.
Bellowing Stags throw back their heads to roar – this also shows off their thick necks and manes to best advantage.
Antler shape Older stags have more branches in their antlers, with up to 16 points.
Gland secretions Preorbital (lachrymal) scent glands under the eyes discharge a dark fluid that may broadcast information about sex and age.
Smeared mud a rutting stag’s flanks, chest and legs are often caked in smelly mud.
Bark damage to trees Bark scraped off the trunks of trees using the lower incisors may be part of the rut, or simply a feeding sign.
Thrashed vegetation In August, stags thrash the foliage to rub the dry velvet off their antlers. In the rut this becomes a display.
Snapped branches Head-shaking stags also break off branches up to about 1m above the ground.
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The Southeast African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) is the nominate cheetah subspecies native to East and Southern Africa. The Southern African cheetah lives mainly in the lowland areas and deserts of the Kalahari, the savannahs of Okavango Delta, and the grasslands of the Transvaal region in South Africa. In Namibia, cheetahs are mostly found in farmlands.
The cheetah is a medium-sized cat. An adult male cheetah's total size can measure from 168 to 200 cm (66 to 79 in) and 162 to 213 cm (64 to 84 in) for females. Adult cheetahs are 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in) tall at the shoulder. Males are slightly taller than females and have slightly bigger heads with wider incisors and longer mandibles.
The cheetah has a bright yellow or sometimes a golden coat, and its fur is slightly thicker than that of other subspecies. The white underside is very distinct, especially on the neck and breast, and it has less spotting on its belly. The spots on the face are more pronounced, and as a whole its spots seem more dense than those of most other subspecies. The tear marks are notably thicker at the corners of the mouth, and almost all of them have distinct brown mustache markings. Like the Asiatic cheetah, it is known to have fur behind its tail and have both white and black tips at the end of its tail. However, the cheetah may also have only a black tip at the end of its tail.
... this Desert Adapted Elephant in Etosha raises the question of how his tusk was broken
An elephant may break a tusk in a fight with another elephant, or, perhaps, while digging for minerals or prying the bark off of a tree.
Tusks are modified incisors (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incisor) and each tusk is embedded deep into the skull. A broken tusk does not cause a problem unless it breaks very close to the lip and exposes the large nerve that fills its cavity. Then the tooth may rotten and fall out.
This male has broken his left tusk almost to the lip. Tusks are said to grow about 2 cm per year, but records show that tusks that have been broken grow more rapidly and may grow back surprisingly quickly
This lizard lives at Colchester Zoo in Essex.
The New Guinea tree dragon (hypsilurus magnus) is a large sized, long tailed species of agama lizard found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Males grow up to 9.13 in. (232 mm) in length, not including the tail while females grow up to 7.24 in. (184 mm) not including the tail. Overall length can reach up to 39 in. (1m). Males can be easily distinguished from females thanks to its higher cervical crest that can be seen at the age of about 6 months. Colouration is greenish grey with shades of olive, dark green and light brown. Poorly visible cross dark bands can be seen on the back with light bands along the whole tail. Females tend to be less colourful than males.
These lizards are active during the day and spend most of their time hanging on tree trunks and branches on the banks of rivers and streams in deep tropical forests. Their claws and limbs are well adapted for vertical moving on trees and canopies.
They can tolerate higher temperatures than most reptiles, but when temperatures approach 38 °C (100 °F) they generally shelter in the shade. Males frequently threaten each other by nodding, weaving, and displaying their brightest colours to establish dominance. If that is insufficient, they lash their tails and threaten each other with open jaws. The jaws are very powerful, and older males commonly have damaged tails as results of past combat. Females may sometimes chase and fight one another, and hatchlings mimic the adults' behaviour.
The lizard hunts prey by sight, snatching it opportunistically. Their incisor like front teeth and powerful jaws are adapted to dealing with quite large, hard prey. The main diet of this lizard comprised of insects, such as ants, beetles, crickets, termites, roaches, hornworms, superworms and small mammals and lizards. They also may eat eggs of other lizards and sometimes feed on vegetation, such as suitable grass, berries, flowers and seeds.
Typically the breeding season is timed for eggs to be laid during the season after the rains. The female lays her eggs in a hole she digs with her snout and claws. The hole is 2 in. (50 mm) deep and is found in sandy, wet, damp soil that is exposed to sunlight nearly all day and covered by grasses. The eggs are laid in clutches of up to 12 eggs. Hatchlings will be between 1.45 and 1.49 in. (37 and 38 mm) body length plus their 2.95 in. (75 mm) tail. They will almost immediately start eating plants and insects.
In captivity the average life span of the New Guinea tree dragon is up to 20 years.
This species of lizard's conservation status is rated as 'Least Concern'.
Island Of Madagascar
Off The East Coast of Africa
Palmarium Reserve
Click On Image To Enlarge
Endangered lemur photographed at night aided by a guide holding a spotlight.
The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger.
It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unusual method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood using its forward slanting incisors to create a small hole in which it inserts its narrow middle finger to pull the grubs out.
From an ecological point of view the aye-aye fills the niche of a woodpecker, as it is capable of penetrating wood to extract the invertebrates within.
The aye-aye is the only extant member of the genus Daubentonia and family Daubentoniidae. It is currently classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
The aye-aye is an arboreal animal meaning that it spends most of its life high in the trees. Aye-ayes sleep, eat, travel and mate in the trees and are most commonly found close to the canopy where there is plenty of cover from the dense foliage.
Aye-aye are solitary animals that mark their large home range with scent. The smaller territories of females often overlap those of at least a couple of males. Male aye-ayes tend to share their territories with other males and are even known to share the same nests (although not at the same time).
Photographed in Namibia, Africa from a safari vehicle
Please click twice on the image to view at the largest size
Yes, Black-backed Jackals are sometimes scavengers but, certainly when compared to Spotted Hyenas, they're very attractive scavengers.
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From Wikipedia: The black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas is a medium-sized canine native to eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly 900 kilometers.
One region includes the southernmost tip of the continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The other area is along the eastern coastline, including Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. It is listed by the IUCN as least concern, due to its widespread range and adaptability, although it is still persecuted as a livestock predator and rabies vector.
Compared to other members of the genus Canis, the black-backed jackal is a very ancient species, and has changed little since the Pleistocene, being the most basal wolf-like canine, alongside the closely related side-striped jackal. It is a fox-like animal with a reddish brown to tan coat and a black saddle that extends from the shoulders to the base of the tail. It is a monogamous animal, whose young may remain with the family to help raise new generations of pups. The black-backed jackal has a wide array of food sources, feeding on small to medium-sized animals, as well as plant matter and human refuse.
Description:
Skull and skeleton
The black-backed jackal is a fox-like canid with a slender body, long legs, and large ears. It is similar to the closely related side-striped jackal and more distantly related to the golden jackal, though its skull and dentition are more robust and the incisors much sharper. It weighs 6–13 kg (13–29 lb), stands 38–48 cm (15–19 in) at the shoulder, and measures 67.3–81.2 cm (26.5–32.0 in) in body length.
The base colour is reddish brown to tan, which is particularly pronounced on the flanks and legs. A black saddle intermixed with silvery hair extends from the shoulders to the base of the tail. A long, black stripe extending along the flanks separates the saddle from the rest of the body, and can be used to differentiate individuals. The tail is bushy and tipped with black. The lips, throat, chest, and inner surface of the limbs are white. The winter coat is a much deeper reddish brown. Albino specimens occasionally occur.
Diet: Black-backed jackals are omnivores, which feed on invertebrates, such as beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, termites, millipedes, spiders, and scorpions. They also feed on mammals, such as rodents, hares, and young antelopes up to the size of topi calves. They also feed on carrion, birds, lizards and snakes. A pair of black-backed jackals in the Kalahari desert was observed to kill a kori bustard, and on a separate occasion, a black mamba by prolonged harassment of the snake and crushing of the snake's head. Black-backed jackals occasionally feed on fruits and berries. It also feeds on eggs of birds. In coastal areas, they feed on beached marine mammals, seals, fish, and mussels. A single jackal is capable of killing a healthy adult impala. Adult dik-diks and Thomson's gazelles seem to be the upper limit of their killing capacity, though they target larger species if those are sick, with one pair having been observed to harass a crippled bull rhinoceros. They typically kill tall prey by biting at the legs and loins, and frequently go for the throat. In Serengeti woodlands, they feed heavily on African grass rats. In East Africa, during the dry season, they hunt the young of gazelles, impalas, topi, tsessebe, and warthogs. In South Africa, black-backed jackals frequently prey on antelopes (primarily impala and springbok and occasionally duiker, reedbuck, and steenbok), carrion, hares, hoofed livestock, insects, and rodents. They also prey on small carnivores, such as mongooses, polecats, and wildcats. On the coastline of the Namib Desert, jackals feed primarily on marine birds (mainly Cape and white-breasted cormorants and jackass penguins), marine mammals (including Cape fur seals), fish, and insects. Like most canids, the black-backed jackal caches surplus food.
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Before leaving Turkey I wanted to add some more "The Caucasian squirrel" photos to my album.
On a sunny autumn morning with a temperature of about 20 C. I walked a lot in the olive grove, and waited patiently.
Today maybe nature was testing my patience and for the first time I had a hard time.
After about 4 hours of chase, a female individual posed for me in eye contact and I caught the moments I was waiting for.
At my slightest movement, she escaped and hid in its hollows. She listened to me first, and after about 15 minutes, his eyes and then his head appeared.
After 15 minutes, he took out his body and came back! Here are my series 7 photos.
There was sun, but the squirrel was under the shade of olive tree branches, that's it. I hope you like it. I wish you all a happy weekend.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
Thank you so much for visiting my stream, whether you comments , favorites or just have a look.
I appreciate it very much, wishing the best of luck and good light.
© All rights reserved R.Ertug Please do not use this image without my explicit written permission. Contact me by Flickr mail if you want to buy or use Your comments and critiques are very well appreciated.
Lens - With Nikon TC 14E II hand held - Monopod and SPORT VR on. Aperture is f8 and full length. All my images have been converted from RAW to JPEG.
I started using Monopod on long walks. Here is my Carbon Monopod details : Really Right Stuff MH-01 Monopod Head with Standard Lever - Release Clamp - Nikkor AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6 ED VR fitted MPR-113 Multi-Purpose Rail lens foot and Gitzo GM2542 Series 2 4S Carbon Monopod.
Thanks for stopping and looking :)
Hippos are remarkably agile and aggressive. They occasionally kill or scavenge impala, kudu and buffalo. Sometimes they even kill humans. On nightly sojourns out of the water, hippos trek miles to nibble on tasty vegetation – including crops, making humans and hippos uneasy neighbours. Most grazers rely on sharp incisors to carefully nip the top of vegetation. Hippos do have lengthy incisors and canines but their purpose is combat, not grass mowing. These mammals have to clip grass with their lips.
Good morning!
Starting today I also have 4 incisors :)
PS: Tomorrow is my Birthday, I'm turning 1 month old
Photographed in Tanzania, Africa - From a safari vehicle, no cover
Please click twice on the image to view at the largest size
On a drive to our next safari camp, we were able to spend almost an hour watching a group of 20-30 hippos in a river. Most of the hippos were just side-by-side in a main group but, around the perimeter, there were almost continuous face-offs between two or three pairs of male hippos who were trying to show dominance by opening their mouths almost 180 degrees, displaying their very long teeth and pushing up against their opponent.
Note: In the Wikipedia text below, most people will be surprised to discover that the closest living relatives of the the Hippopotamus are cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc.).
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From Wikipedia: The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus or river hippopotamus, is a large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammal and ungulate native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis). The name comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse" (ἱπποπόταμος).
After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third-largest type of land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl (in the traditional, non-cladistic sense of the term, not including cetaceans). Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the Hippopotamidae are cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc.), from which they diverged about 55 million years ago. Hippos are recognisable by their barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths revealing large canine tusks, nearly hairless bodies, columnar legs and large size; adults average 1,500 kg (3,310 lb) for males and 1,300 kg (2,870 lb) for females. Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it is capable of running 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances.
Hippos inhabit rivers, lakes, and mangrove swamps, where territorial males preside over a stretch of river and groups of five to thirty females and young hippos. During the day, they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and birth both occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grasses. While hippos rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land. The hippo is among the most dangerous animals in the world due to its highly aggressive and unpredictable nature. They are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth.
Hippos are among the largest living land mammals, being only smaller than elephants and some rhinoceroses. Among the extant African megafauna, behind the two African elephant species, they average smaller than the white rhinoceros but are larger by body mass than the black rhinoceros and the giraffe. Hippos measure 2.90 to 5.05 m (9.5 to 16.6 ft) long, including a tail of about 35 to 56 cm (1.15 to 1.84 ft) in length and 1.30 to 1.65 m (4.3 to 5.4 ft) tall at the shoulder. Mean adult weight is around 1,500 kg (3,310 lb) and 1,300 kg (2,870 lb) for males and females respectively, very large males can reach 2,000 kg (4,410 lb) and exceptional males weighing 2,660 kg (5,860 lb), 3,200 kg (7,050 lb) and 4,500 kg (9,920 lb) (in captivity) have been reported. Male hippos appear to continue growing throughout their lives while females reach maximum weight at around age 25.
Hippos have barrel-shaped bodies with short legs and long muzzles.[34] Their skeletal structures are graviportal,[8]: 8 adapted to carrying their enormous weight, and their specific gravity allows them to sink and move along the bottom of a river. Hippopotamuses have small legs (relative to other megafauna) because the water in which they live reduces the weight burden. Though they are bulky animals, hippos can gallop at 30 km/h (19 mph) on land but normally trot. They are incapable of jumping but do climb up steep banks. Despite being semiaquatic and having webbed feet, an adult hippo is not a particularly good swimmer nor can it float. It is rarely found in deep water; when it is, the animal moves by porpoise-like leaps from the bottom. The eyes, ears, and nostrils of hippos are placed high on the roof of their skulls. This allows these organs to remain above the surface while the rest of the body submerges. The testes of the males descend only partially and a scrotum is not present. In addition, the penis retracts into the body when not erect. The genitals of the female hippos are unusual in that the vagina is ridged and two large diverticula protrude from the vulval vestibule. The function of these is unknown.
The hippo's jaw is powered by a large masseter and a well-developed digastric; the latter loops up behind the former to the hyoid. The jaw hinge is located far back enough to allow the animal to open its mouth at almost 180°. A moderate folding of the orbicularis oris muscle allows the hippo to achieve such a gape without tearing any tissue. The bite force of an adult female hippo has been measured as 8.1 kN (1,800 lbf). Hippo teeth sharpen themselves as they grind together. The lower canines and lower incisors are enlarged, especially in males, and grow continuously. The incisors can reach 40 cm (1 ft 4 in), while the canines reach up to 50 cm (1 ft 8 in). The canines and incisors are used for combat and play no role in feeding. Hippos rely on their broad horny lips to grasp and pull grasses which are then ground by the molars. The hippo is considered to be a pseudoruminant; it has a complex three-chambered stomach but does not "chew cud".
Unlike most other semiaquatic animals, hippos have very little hair. The skin is 6 cm (2 in) thick, providing it great protection against conspecifics and predators. By contrast, its subcutaneous fat layer is thin. The animals' upper parts are purplish-grey to blue-black, while the under parts and areas around the eyes and ears can be brownish-pink. Their skin secretes a natural sunscreen substance which is red-coloured. The secretion is sometimes referred to as "blood sweat", but is neither blood nor sweat. This secretion is initially colourless and turns red-orange within minutes, eventually becoming brown. Two distinct pigments have been identified in the secretions, one red (hipposudoric acid) and one orange (norhipposudoric acid). The two pigments are highly acidic compounds. They inhibit the growth of disease-causing bacteria, and their light absorption peaks in the ultraviolet range, creating a sunscreen effect. All hippos, even those with different diets, secrete the pigments, so it does not appear that food is the source of the pigments. Instead, the animals may synthesise the pigments from precursors such as the amino acid tyrosine. Nevertheless, this natural sunscreen cannot prevent the animal's skin from cracking if it stays out of water too long. The secretion does help regulate the body temperature of the hippo and acts as an antibiotic.
A hippo's lifespan is typically 40–50 years. Donna the Hippo was one of the oldest living hippos in captivity. She lived at the Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville, Indiana in the US until her death in 2012 at the age of 61. The oldest hippo recorded was called Bertha; she had lived in the Manila Zoo in the Philippines since it first opened in 1959. When she died in 2017, her age was estimated to be 65.
Attacks on humans
The hippo is considered to be extremely aggressive and has frequently been reported charging and attacking boats. Small boats can easily be capsized by hippos and passengers can be injured or killed by the animals or drown. In one 2014 case in Niger, a boat was capsized by a hippo and 13 people were killed. As hippos will often engage in raiding nearby crops if the opportunity arises, humans may also come in conflict with them on these occasions, with potential for fatalities on both sides.
Like most herbivores, hippos will consume a variety of plants if presented with them, but their diet in nature consists almost entirely of grass, with only minimal consumption of aquatic plants. Hippos are born with sterile intestines, and require bacteria obtained from their mothers' feces to digest vegetation. On occasion, hippos have been filmed eating carrion, usually near the water. There are other reports of meat-eating, and even cannibalism and predation. The stomach anatomy of a hippo is not suited to carnivory, and meat-eating is likely caused by aberrant behaviour or nutritional stress.
Hippo defecation creates allochthonous deposits of organic matter along the river beds. These deposits have an unclear ecological function. A 2015 study concluded that hippo dung provides nutrients from terrestrial material for fish and aquatic invertebrates, while a 2018 study found that their dung can be toxic to aquatic life in large quantities, due to absorption of dissolved oxygen in water bodies. Because of their size and their habit of taking the same paths to feed, hippos can have a significant impact on the land across which they walk, both by keeping the land clear of vegetation and depressing the ground. Over prolonged periods, hippos can divert the paths of swamps and channels.
Adult hippos move at speeds up to 8 km/h (5 mph) in water; typically resurfacing to breathe every three to five minutes. The young have to breathe every two to three minutes. The process of surfacing and breathing is unconscious: a hippo sleeping underwater will rise and breathe without waking up. A hippo closes its nostrils when it goes beneath the surface of the water. As with fish and turtles on a coral reef, hippos occasionally visit cleaning stations and signal, by opening their mouths wide, their readiness for being cleaned of parasites by certain species of fishes. This is an example of mutualism, in which the hippo benefits from the cleaning while the fish receive food. The hippos spend up to 16 hours a day in water as a way to stay cool.
Hippos coexist with a variety of large predators. Nile crocodiles, lions and spotted hyenas are known to prey on young hippos. However, due to their aggression and size, adult hippos are not usually preyed upon by other animals. Cases where large lion prides have successfully preyed on adult hippos have been reported but it is generally rare. Lions occasionally prey on adults at Gorongosa National Park and calves are sometimes taken at Virunga. Crocodiles are frequent targets of hippo aggression, probably because they often inhabit the same riparian habitats; crocodiles may be either aggressively displaced or killed by hippos. In turn, beyond cases of killing the seldom unguarded hippo calf, very large Nile crocodiles have been verified to occasionally prey on "half-grown" hippos—and based only on anecdotal evidence-possibly also adult female hippos. Aggregations of crocodiles have also been seen to dispatch still-living male hippos that have been previously injured in mating battles with other males
4F3A6015fFlkr
I spy with my little eyes - I don't know how the hours passed in the olive groves this morning. Chasing the Caucasian squirrel requires patience, They don't really go down to the ground unless they need to be fed. Even if I see them on the tree trunk, they disappear very quickly by jumping from tree to tree. They're incredibly quick and like flying acrobats. North Aegean region - Türkiye is full of olive groves and this opportunity also determines their living spaces. They are nesting in the trunks of centuries-old olive trees.
Here is this curious lovely male individual; It has made a home for itself in the hollow of a century-old olive tree with a diameter of 50 cm. The female was not in the nest during the period I watched for over 2 hours. My sudden encounter with a curious and young individual male Caucasian squirrel definitely made my day.
Today I tried to capture different close-up poses without using TC 1.4. It was indeed a different experience for me. The teleconverter sometimes causes loss of clarity and lack of light even though I use a monopod. I think even bokeh is affected.
Two eyes watching me curiously ;I hope you'll enjoy the my Caucasian Squirrel series as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The Caucasian squirrel lives in the hollows of centuries-old olive trees. The number of Caucasian squirrels in the North Aegean region is decreasing every year, noticeably.
Like most red squirrels, spotting a Caucasian Squirrel is definitely becoming a rare sight. Climate change affects nature differently in every corner of the world.
The Caucasian squirrel - Sciurus anomalus ; The Caucasian squirrel or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia.
The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae,and named Sciurus anomalus. However, some authors argue that this work was actually published in 1788, and that the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785.
Description -
Caucasian squirrels are small tree squirrels, with a total length of 32 to 36 cm (13 to 14 in), including the 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) tail, and weighing 250 to 410 g (8.8 to 14.5 oz). The color of the upper body fur ranges from greyish brown to pale grey, depending on the subspecies, while that of the underparts is rusty brown to yellowish, and that of the tail, yellow brown to deep red. The claws are relatively short, compared with those of other tree squirrels, and females have either eight or ten teats.
Samuel Griswold Goodrich described the Caucasian squirrel in 1885 as "Its color is grayish-brown above, and yellowish-brown below".
Physical Description -
Caucasian squirrels have a dental formula of incisors 1/1, canines 0/0, premolars 1/1, and molars 3/3, totaling 20. They have four fingered fore feet and five fingered hind feet. Sex differences in body length or mass are not evident.
Distribution and habitat -
Caucasian squirrels are native to south-western Asia, where they are found from Turkey, and the islands of Gökçeada and Lesbos in the west, Iran in the southeast, and as far as Israel and Jordan in the south.It is one of only two species of the genus Sciurus to be found on Mediterranean islands,and, although Eurasian red squirrels have been recently introduced to some areas, is the only species of Sciurus native to the wider region.
The species mainly lives in forested areas dominated by oak, pine, and pistachio, up to altitudes of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
Biology and behavior -
The squirrels are diurnal, and solitary, although temporary groups may forage where food is plentiful. Their diet includes nuts, seeds, tree shoots, and buds,with the seeds of oak and pine being particularly favored. Like many other squirrels, they cache their food within tree cavities or loose soil, with some larders containing up to 6 kg (13 lb) of seeds. They live in trees, where they make their dens, but frequently forage on the ground, and are considered less arboreal than Eurasian red squirrels. They commonly nest in tree hollows lined with moss and leaves, and located 5 to 14 m (16 to 46 ft) above the ground, but nests are also sometimes found under rocks or tree roots. Their alarm call is high-pitched, and said to resemble the call of the European green woodpecker, and they mark their territories with urine and dung.
Breeding occurs throughout the year, but is more common in spring or autumn. Litters range from two to seven, with three or four being typical, and the young are fully mature by five or six months of age.
Conservation -
A survey in 2008 found that the species remained abundant within Turkey, however declines are noted in population within the Levant region. The guides for a survey in 1993 in Israel stated that they considered the species to be nearly extinct within the area studied. Whilst the Caucasian squirrel is threatened by poaching and deforestation, the declines recorded are not sufficient to qualify them as anything other than "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Hunting of the species is banned by the Central Hunting Commission, and the Caucasian squirrel is protected by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
This information is sourced from "Wikipedia".
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