DOLPHIN DELIGHT
Wild Bottlenose dolphins around the world are often seen surfing the breakers with seemingly great delight. Dolphins surf from behind and under the swell as it begins to break and then turn, punching out the surface into the air as the wave rolls in toward the beach or rocks. They often continue this behaviour as they travel along a coastline and in this photo can be seen training a juvenile alongside its mother.
Inshore Bottlenose Dolphin - Tursiops truncates
Inshore Bottlenose Dolphins are small cetaceans that have long, beaklike snouts, falcate (sickle-shaped) dorsal fins, and sharp teeth. They are Odontoceti (toothed Whales) and have one blowhole. They live in small groups called pods and grow to be at most 3.7m long, sometimes weighing more than 635kg. Dolphins can dive down to more than 300m and can jump up to 6m out of the water.
Nikon D7000, Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS lens @ 230mm, F10 @ 1/800th sec, ISO 640
Taken from the shore off De Hoop Nature Reserve and marine protected area, Western Cape, South Africa.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
GIRAFFE 360
One can do a lot with such a long neck – like turn your head completely around to see what’s biting your back. This giraffe swung his head 360 degrees; from inside a tree that was lunch to see what the oxpecker bird was up to at the base of its mane. It provides us with a unique view of its thick mane hair as well as the flexibility of the long neck that makes it the tallest animal on the planet.
Giraffe - Giraffidae giraffa (South African giraffe)
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus Giraffa. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. Most recently, researchers proposed dividing them into up to eight extant species due to new research into their mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, as well as morphological measurements. Seven other extinct species of Giraffa are known from the fossil record.
The giraffe’s chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its spotted coat patterns. Their food source is leaves, fruits, and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach.
Nikon D4, Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 APO DG OS lens @ 500mm, 1/2000th sec @ f11, ISO 7200.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
STRANGE SHARK
The bowmouth is quite a rare sight for divers in our African waters but this one seemed very curious. It approached me a number of times, staying near the ocean floor with its attendant remora and cobia fish in diligent accompaniment. It had a prehistoric look to it with the ridges resembling the back of a dinosaur, matched with large upward facing eyes. After a few passes it calmly vanished into the blue.
Bowmouth Guitar shark - Rhina ancylostoma
The bowmouth guitarfish, shark ray or mud skate is a species of ray. This rare species occurs in the tropical coastal waters of the western Indo-Pacific, at depths of up to 90m (300 ft). Highly distinctive in appearance, Rhina ancylostoma has a wide and thick body with a rounded snout and large shark-like dorsal and tail fins. Its mouth forms a W-shaped undulating line, and there are multiple thorny ridges over its head and back. It has a dorsal colour pattern of many white spots over a bluish gray to brown background, with a pair of prominent black markings over the pectoral fins. This large species can reach a length of 2.7m (8.9 ft) and weight of 13kg (298lb). Usually found near the sea floor, Rhina ancylostoma prefers sandy or muddy areas near underwater structures. It is a strong-swimming predator of bony fishes, crustaceans, and molluscs. This species gives live birth to litters of two to eleven pups.
Nikon D300 Nikkor 10.5mm F2.8 Fisheye, F10 @ 1/50th sec, ISO 200, Sea & Sea Housing and Two Sea & Sea YS250
strobes on power. Taken on scuba at 25m at Amazon dive site, Tofo, Mozambique.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
INQUISITIVE PAIR
Late afternoon in the Ngala Private Game Reserve, part of the greater Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, these two mongooses scurried across the ground and peered out from behind a termite mound.
Slender or Black-tipped Mongoose - Herpestes sanguineus
Long, lithe, with short legs and black-tipped tail, often seen darting across roads and paths. Tail: nearly as long, tapering to a thin tip. Pointed snout with wide, low ears. Teeth adapted for meat eating. Colour: Grey to dark brown, eyes red. The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its “goose” ending. The plural form is ‘mongooses’.
Nikon Z9 with Nikkor 100-400/4.5 – 5.6 VR 5 lens with Nikon Teleconverter 2.0x,
effective focal length 800mm, 1/2500 sec @ f11, ISO 2200.
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
SOFT CORAL KALEIDOSCOPE
There is a special reef called Amazon located north of Tofo beach in Mozambique, best accessed by dive boat. The current and clean water carry nutrients that feed a host of soft coral on top of the north wall of the reef. Goldies and other reef fish live between the coral and reef cracks waiting for giant manta rays to visit. The rays hover above the reef allowing the fish to swim up and clean them of parasites, the essence of a symbiotic relationship. This results in a busy cleaner station covered in colourful coral and a diverse fish community.
Sea goldie - Pseudanthias squamipinnis
The sea goldie is found in the western Indian Ocean, living around coral outcrops in clear lagoons, patch reefs, and steep slopes to a depth of 35m and often found in very large schools above the reef. The sea goldie feeds primarily on zooplankton. The sea goldie is a protogynous hermaphrodite; a male retains a harem of five to 10 females, but when the male dies or leaves, the largest and most dominant female will undergo hormonal and physical changes to become the harem’s new male.
Nikon D300, Nikkor 10.5mm F2.8 Fisheye lens, F9 @ 1/50th sec, ISO 200.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
LEARNING TO KICK
Late afternoon in the Ngala Private Game Reserve, part of the greater Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, a herd of elephants were foraging for food with a number of baby elephants close to their mothers. This young elephant raised his right leg into a pose which looked as if he was about to kick a ball.
African Elephant - Loxodonta
The African Elephant is a genus comprising two living elephant species, the African Bush Elephant and the smaller African Forest Elephant. Loxodonta is one of two existing genera of the family Elephantidae, the other being Asiatic Elephants. The name refers
to the lozenge-shaped enamel of their molar teeth. African Elephants are the world’s largest land animals and can weigh up to
seven tons in weight. Elephants roam across much of sub-Saharan Africa, but face increasing threat from poaching, habitat loss
and conflict with humans.
Nikon D5 with Nikon VR80 – 400mm, f4.5-5.6G lens with Nikon 1.4 x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 250mm, 1/1250 sec @ f8, ISO 5600.
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
TRANQUILLITY
Early morning in the Ngala Private Game Reserve, part of the greater Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, a family of giraffe came down to a dam to drink and then set off gracefully with their bodies reflected in the water, creating a very tranquil scene.
Giraffe - Giraffidae giraffa
The biggest ruminant and the tallest mammal, very long neck with short, upstanding mane, high shoulders sloping steeply to hindquarters, long legs almost equal in length. Weight between one and two tons. A giraffe has just two gaits: walk and gallop, The long legs and short trunk decree an ambling walk with the entire weight supported alternatively on left and right legs, the long neck moves in synchrony to maintain balance.
Nikon D5 with Nikkor VR80 – 400mm, f4.5-5.6 GED lens with Nikon Teleconverter TC14E III 1.4x,
effective focal length 112mm, 1/640 sec @ f8, ISO 280.
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
PROUD AND PROTECTIVE MOTHER
Late afternoon in the Ngala Private Game Reserve, part of the greater Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, this female zebra and her foal were found in an open clearing. The foal stood very close to its mother who looked proudly on while keeping a protective eye on their surroundings.
Plains or Burchell’s Zebra - Equus quagga burchellii
African version of the horse. Portly build, weighing around 250kg. Colour: no gender difference; background white to buff colour; striping varies geographically and individually. Juvenile coat longer with brown stripes. One of the most numerous and successful large herbivores, adapted to a broad range of grassland habitats. First to enter tall or wet pastures, followed by wildebeests after the zebras have trampled and cropped the grass.
Nikon Z9 with Nikkor 100-400/4.5.-5.6 VR S lens with Nikon Teleconverter 2.0x,
effective focal length 380mm, 1/2000 sec @ f10, ISO 5600.
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
GROOMING TO “PURR-FECTION”
Late afternoon in the Ngala Private Game Reserve, part of the greater Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, this magnificent Leopard was found carefully grooming itself on the banks of a dry river bed.
Leopard - Panthera pardus
Leopards embody feline beauty with stealth, infinite patience and power. A leopard will get to within 5m of its quarry before pouncing, taking it completely by surprise. Tremendously strong, these cats can carry a 70kg impala to a feeding position up a tree. The most secretive and elusive of the large carnivores, the leopard is also the shrewdest. Kilogram for kilogram, it is the strongest climber of the larger cats and is capable of killing prey far larger than itself. The colouring of the leopard varies from white to bright golden brown, spotted with black spots and rosettes. The rosettes consist of groups of five to six spots arranged in a tight ring. This fierce animal has small round ears and long whiskers growing from dark spots on the upper lips. Although leopards are shy and elusive, they are found all over sub-Saharan Africa. They occupy grasslands that have trees in which they can hide and sleep during the heat of the day.
Nikon D5 with Nikon VR80-400mm f4.5-5.6 G lens with Nikon 1.4x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 450mm, 1/640 sec @ f9, ISO 5000.
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn
BLUE HEADED AGAMA LIZARD
This male Agama lizard was quite visible with his bright iridescent head sitting on a cairn of rocks in the De Hoop Nature Reserve enjoying the late afternoon sun. He was fearless in his position as I approached, nodding his head up and down but capable of darting into the cracks of the rock pile if threatened by an eagle or other predator. His head colour was extraordinary and very eye catching, just what he needed the females to see.
Southern Rock Agama lizard - Agama atra
The southern rock agama is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae that occurs in Southern Africa. It lives in small colonies on rocky outcrops, and the males are very conspicuous for their bright blue heads. This rather sociable agama is normally found in small groups or colonies. It grows up to about 25cm and has a thin dorsal crest that runs the length of its body. During the breeding season, the heads of the males become bright blue. The males also take to sitting on top of prominent rocks and are therefore a common sight in mountainous areas of South Africa. These active, diurnal lizards normally hunt small insects such as ants and termites. They have some ability to change colour, although not to the same extent as chameleons.
Nikon D7000 Nikkor 105mm F2.8 Macro, F32 @ 1/640th sec, ISO 2500.
Taken by hand on the Whale Trail in De Hoop Nature Reserve, South Africa.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
MANTA RAY FLY-BY
The group of remoras hitches a ride underneath this ocean-going Manta Ray as it glides past the group of divers – close enough but not too close. They are gentle creatures and will often approach divers in order to satisfy their curiosity. They are so big that when they swim overhead it’s as if a cloud has blocked the sun, they move like a magic carpet in the water with unparalleled grace and speed. This one was still fairly far off, hence the blue haze in the image, but still majestic in its presence.
Manta Ray - Manta Birostris
Manta rays are large rays. The larger species, M. birostris, reaches 7m (23 ft) in width, both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins and large, forward-facing mouths. Mantas are found in warm temperate, subtropical and tropical waters. Both species are pelagic;
M. birostris migrates across open oceans, singly or in groups, while M. alfredi tends to be resident and coastal. They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton, which they gather with their open mouths as they swim. However, research suggests that the majority of their diet (73%) actually comes from mesopelagic sources; that is, they are actually deep sea predators, feeding on fish and other organisms that inhabit areas of the sea between 200–1,000m below the surface. They are listed as vulnerable, threats include pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, and direct harvesting for their gill rakers for use in Chinese medicine. They are protected in international waters.
Nikon D300, Nikkor 10.5mm f2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/160 sec @ f8, ISO 200, Sea & Sea Housing and
Two Sea & Sea YS350 strobes on power. Taken on scuba at 27m at Amazon dive site off Tofo, Mozambique.
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn
“JOE-COOL” – CHILLING OUT AFTER A HECTIC YEAR!
Early morning in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, part of the greater Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, this very young leopard cub was found on a tree branch resting up in a very casual pose while its mother was away hunting.
Leopard - Panthera pardus
The leopard is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, and small parts of Western and Eastern Asia. The leopard’s colour varies between individuals from pale yellowish to dark golden with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its belly is whitish and its ringed tail shorter than its body. The pattern of rosettes is unique in each individual. Cubs have fuzzy coats with indistinct, close-set spots. Offspring become independent at around 22 months, but remain in the natal home range for some time and often get maternal handouts while struggling to become proficient hunters. Leopards are the embodiment of feline beauty, power and stealth, being long and low slung, with short muscular limbs.
Nikon D5 with Nikon VR80-400mm f4.5-5.6 G lens with Nikon 1.4x Teleconverter,
effective focal length 190mm, 1/1000 sec @ f10, ISO 9000.
Photograph by Trevor Woodburn