Calendar

The Amrop Woodburn Mann Wildlife Calendar has been in production since 2006 and reflects our deep connection to the African continent. The images are taken by our Chairman and founder, Dr Trevor Woodburn, and our Managing Director, Andrew Woodburn and are enjoyed by wildlife and photography enthusiasts alike. The collection below is a photographic journey across the plains and oceans of Africa from calendars past.

October 2023

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Slender sweepers and pink coral bouquet

During a dive in the beautiful blue water of the Mozambique current, I passed over a gully in the reef topped with bright pink thistle coral. As I looked down, a ball of swirling flashing greens, pinks and golds emerged, almost a living creature. This ball consisted of thousands of small sweepers, swirling together in unison, all using their big eyes to look at me and ready to bolt for cover into the gully at a moment’s notice. It was as if the ocean was presenting me with a bouquet of stunning colour, the equivalent to a landscape with colourful flowers in the world above.

Golden or slender sweeper - Parapriacanthus ransonneti

The more juvenile golden sweeper is more of a pinkish translucent colour compared with the adult. Adults have a more coppery coloured body with a bright yellow green coloured head that almost appears luminescent. In their stomach they have luminescent organs which can be seen if one looks carefully. They grow up to 10cm in length. The Golden sweeper is a nocturnal feeder and during the day they collect in large shoals under overhangs and in caves. The shoals can often be very dense and of quite some size, containing separations into sub shoals of different age groups with the adult shoals taking the safer, more preferable position.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 10.5mm F2.8 Fisheye, F10 @ 1/100 sec, ISO 200, Sea & Sea.
Taken on scuba at Amazon reef, Tofo Mozambique
Photograph by Andrew Woodburn


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