Wildlife Thread

[avi777]

Do we have a wildlife thread somewhere?

[Jason25]

I didn't see one, so I started one for some wildlife I had shot.

EDIT: Here's the thread I started : http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18455

[print-digital]

Theres my Safari images thread :)

[Prospero]

Your Safari-thread is great, print-digital. However, the pictures of wildlife I shoot here in the Netherlands hardly qualify as safari ;). So, why don't we, from now on, post our images of wildlife from all over the world in this thread? I think that way we will get a very nice collection of pictures in this thread.

Here's one to start with, I took this picture with the Nikon D-50 with my new Sigma 70-300 lens:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~dolkens/pictures/deer1.jpg

[Bullitt]

I see these guys every now and again on a ranch, not sure if there are different breeds of bison or if these ones are just young but they look a little shaggy and rough compared to others I have seen...

[avi777]

Here's one I took with 12x zoom. IS makes pics like these easy

[avi777]

this one's the cool dude for sure

[avi777]

Am not even sure this baby would qualify as wildlife. He's inside the Zoo in Mysore, India

[Bullitt]

I would think anything you can't go in and wrestle or play with would be considered wildlife Avi...;)

Very nice photos, I like the sleepy lion...

[avi777]

LOL there's a lot of things I wouldn't wanna wrestle or play with. That means we are soon gonna have a huge collection of wildlife pics :-)

[avi777]

This guy I certainly wouldn't wanna wrestle with.

[avi777]

I would stay away from this guy too. Actually this fella reminded me of the Ace Ventura movie. Well, I didnt try to find out if it was the same

[Prospero]

Nice pictures, Avi777.

Here's another one of a deer:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~dolkens/pictures/deer2.jpg

[Prospero]

Here are two shots of a lizard I took in Sorrento, Italy, almost two years ago.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~dolkens/pictures/lizard1.jpg

http://www.xs4all.nl/~dolkens/pictures/lizard2.jpg

[avi777]

Awesome lizard. I have a few deer too. Not quite as good as prospero's deer though

[avi777]

And here are the deer who seemed to be comfortable staying away from me. 12x zoom again. The deer didnt give me a choice. Prospero's deer has nice antlers I think.

[sod1]

avi777, your pictures are really nice. It seems to me that they could have been even better if you did not use so much zoom. Sometimes it seems that the pictures were taken in a zoo so close animals are. I prefer to take safari pictures with some interesting background

[sod1]

That one from Ngorongoro crater

[sod1]

with a kill

[sod1]

The people from that car were probably eaten

[sod1]

Taringeri, Tanzania

[sod1]

It was hard to make them all look into camera

[mumbles420]

Some deer.

[avi777]

Nice pics Sod. I think I need to take your advice about the zoom.

[mumbles420]

More boring deer.

[Prospero]

More boring deer.

Here's another picture of this boring species ;).
I would love to shoot some pictures of more impressive animals, but as it happens, deer is the only type of wildlife (not really wild, but behind a fence) that can be found in the region where I life in. I guess I will have to go to the zoo one of these days.

[Spot focus]

Its wildlife but not as we know it;)

[sod1]

Nice pictures, everybody.
A turtle in an ancient Roman city

[sod1]

a jellyfish in Dardanelle Strait

[JPW2020]

A Red Panda-some purple fringing as taken at full zoom looking up at tree branches but I still like the picture.

[sod1]

A Red Panda-some purple fringing as taken at full zoom looking up at tree branches but I still like the picture.
It's a really nice picture, JPW2020. Thanks for sharing. Where did you take it?

[JPW2020]

Much as I would like to be able to say I took the shot in the depths of China in reality it was taken at Banham Zoo Norfolk,U.K.

[Phill D]

Another zoo picture, this time Twycross zoo in Leicestershire. Shame about the reflection from the glass, must be more careful next time.

[Phill D]

Guess this is look out duty. Twycross again.

[Jason25]

Took our son to the pond today and I decided to bring some of my gear.

D50 + Tokina 80-200

[sod1]

Polar bears in Canadian Arctic

[sod1]

This one was a big guy

[sod1]

a lizard from Kenya

[sod1]

a brown bear and a salmon

[CrispinsCrispian]

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/9794/dsc001327wv.jpg

[CrispinsCrispian]

I like how she is framed :)
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/1025/dsc004741cj.jpg

Closer...
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/7743/dsc004729df.jpg

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/847/dsc004769bw.jpg

[Rummager]

Sorry.. nothing to impressive to add except a neighbors oddities.... (best pic i could find of em, they were being noisy so didn't wanna look like I was spying on the neighbors themselves!)

Basic settings.. Canon S2 IS.

[Rummager]

few snaps of a horse.. (wildlife?.. or human pet?) .. :(

[Bill Markwick]

For some people, a sign of spring is the first robin. For me it's the first chipmunk, my favorite animal. And here he is, a youngster checking me out. The free peanuts soon convinced him I was okay. :p

Regards,
Bill
Panasonic FZ20

[Stiger]

Some great shots in this thread.

This one is from the Atlanta Zoo. It was my first real trial of my new S2 and I was a happy camper.

http://www.systekonline.com/upload/files//41/Wildlife/Tiger1-600x800.jpg

[TJG]

Hope fully this is going to work. Here is the deal I bought my first digital camera two weeks ago. I got the S2 IS and am having a great time with it. These are a couple of pictures I took the first weekend. I think they are pretty good for a total novice. Let me know what you think.
Cheers

[Stiger]

I really like those, TJG. Gotta love the great macro mode on the S2.

[TJG]

Thanks,
I do like that feature. I was getting ready to do a little fishing and that guy was under the boat. He was very docile so it made things easy.

[Travis9000]

Wow! I love that first frog shot, its a very nice photo. That macro ability on the S2 looks great.

[JTL]

Langur Monkey....Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India

Canon S2, ISO 50, f/3.5, 1/100 sec., 336mm
http://JTL.smugmug.com/photos/62732839-L.jpg

[Bill Markwick]

"Any food in that bag?" is what he's thinking. I had put my backpack on a park bench and was some distance away photographing trees. Out of the corner of my eye I could see this raccoon creeping closer and closer to the bench. I got there at the last second.

He seemed annoyed. :p

Regards,
Bill
Panasonic FZ20

[Chem]

A sunbathing Florida local.

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9139/gator9dq.jpg

[Bill Markwick]

A spring snail checks things out on a rainy day.

The slight lack of sharpness is due to motion blur. :p

Regards,
Bill
Panasonic FZ20

[Prospero]

I know this doesn't really classify as wildlife, but it is about as wild as we get around here :rolleyes: (excluding birds and insects)...

http://prospero.cabspace.com/pictures/wildlife1.jpg

[YZdirtrider13]

"Any food in that bag?" is what he's thinking. I had put my backpack on a park bench and was some distance away photographing trees. Out of the corner of my eye I could see this raccoon creeping closer and closer to the bench. I got there at the last second.

He seemed annoyed. :p

Regards,
Bill
Panasonic FZ20
i hope that was zoomed, they can get nasty;)

[jjay74]

This guy just stole a chunk of dog food from the dog's bowl. Went to the top of the cage to enjoy his treat in safety.


12021

[jjay74]

another squirrel in the backyard....

12022

[jjay74]

I took this picture at an alligator reserve in NW Florida

12067

[Bill Markwick]

This is how the animals see me.

Regards,
Bill :p
Panasonic FZ20

[mikeym]

first wildlife pic with new canon S3IS. very co-operative little guy!. love this camera.

[Jason25]

I'm surprised there's not more posts in this thread! Anyhow, here's a fox I captured with my D50 + Tokina 80-200 f2.8.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p54/jmodzik/foxbw3.jpg

[Prospero]

I'm surprised there's not more posts in this thread! Anyhow, here's a fox I captured with my D50 + Tokina 80-200 f2.8.



Very nice shot Jason. Excellent use of black and white and nicely composed.

The reason there are not more posts in this thread is probably that there is another wildlife thread called "other animals". It had been started after this one, but for some reason everyone started posting his wildlife there.

[Jason25]

Thanks for the comment! This is one of my favorites to date, and I may have to order a big print of it :)

[T06]

Heres one in my garden taken with the 50mm f/1.8

[American Nomad]

Forgive me. I am pretty sure I have posted this somewhere before but I don't know where. This was taken at a roadside park in southern Louisiana.

[turtlefl]

this guy loves the camera
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q315/turtlefl/DSC00507.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q315/turtlefl/DSC00504.jpg

[turtlefl]

this one isn't as good but quiet entertaining

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q315/turtlefl/chimpsfighting.jpg

[TNB]

Here's a photo I took near the main road at Hoover Dam.

D200
Nikon 70-200 F/2.8 VR (I changed lenses on the fly!)
SB-800

http://image.rcuniverse.com/forum/upfiles/70716/Yw69070.jpg

[rtronick]

Here's a couple from an elk farm near my house.

http://rtronick.smugmug.com/photos/125299060-L.jpg

http://rtronick.smugmug.com/photos/125299371-L.jpg

[gmtech79]

Got these in Estes Park, Co. Sorry about all the clutter in the first one.

[Threecurl]

Holy CRAP, rtronick, that bull is massive!

Here is a close shot of a bunch of mallards, with a double banded hen I shot yesterday, the closing day of our duck season. The second band was a $100 reward band.

[Elisha]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/elishajesudason/1020840.jpg

[Surf The World]

This fella was lurking in the surf by the rivermouth we were surfing at in costa rica. we always jsut thought people were joking when they said the crocs down there surf...not really as funny.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c275/THEHUSTINJ/costa006.jpg

[avi777]

......................

[avi777]

This is certainly not wildlife. But then, I dont think anyone would wanna wrestle with him/her whatever.

[avi777]

Here's Monty

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/419825744_3ac75713aa_b.jpg

[Surf The World]

Galapagos Marine Iguana

~Take your son to work day~

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c275/THEHUSTINJ/galapagos2078_1.jpg

[AdamW]

My new 70-300 IS and a rare sunny day at the San Francisco Zoo

[Pantanal]

Taken in the hills of Encino, California, April 8, 2007. Canon A710

[reppans]

My favorite deer shots :D (unfortunately I didn't take them)

http://onfinite.com/libraries/469264/6a7.jpg

http://onfinite.com/libraries/469263/6a7.jpg

http://onfinite.com/libraries/469266/6a7.jpg

[nagesh rao]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/475534708_69c2eaf8ef_o.jpg

[toriaj]

Both antelope and wild horses live near me. I see antelope all the time:
24315

Today was the first time I saw wild horses. This one was right up close, and didn't seem afraid. He bears the scars of old fights ...
24316

This herd was up on top of the ridge. Next time, I hope I can find the wild horses running, tossing their manes, etc.! :)
24317

[tim11]

Taken yesterday at Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney.

A young goat and its mother bathing in warm sunlight.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/goats150.jpg

A young chimp and mom.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/chimp145.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/chimp148.jpg

Going for a ride. (Blurry and out of focus but I like this shot all the same.)
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/chimp182.jpg

[XOO]

http://myweb.cableone.net/wsumrall/IMG_5930_2.JPG

[tim11]

Soaking up the sun.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/chimp147.jpg

Australian dingo. Both are 14 years old though still very active. It's very hard to take a clear shot of them.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/dingo163.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/dingo176.jpg

Some Aussie Natives:
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/emu025.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/kangaroo017.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/kangaroo019.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/wallaby021.jpg

[tim11]

A lone sentry.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/meerkat127.jpg

Soaking up the sun.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/meerkat114.jpg

Pondering...
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/meerkat118b.jpg

Which way?
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/meerkat116.jpg

That away!
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/meerkat131.jpg

I have seen these meerkats barking like dogs! All taken in Sydney Taronga Park Zoo, with FZ20 and TCon17.

[toriaj]

Wow, I've never seen them before! They're so expressive!

[Bill Markwick]

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s103/bmarkwick/chipflash17.jpg
Okay, he has his cheeks full of peanuts I put there for him. Why is he looking up the tree?

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s103/bmarkwick/chipflash27.jpg

Agh! He's discovered the peanuts I put out for the birds. Another critter's stuff is always more interesting than your own. :p

Regards,
Bill
Panasonic FZ20, Vivitar 285HV

[Phill D]

My 13yr old daughter said I could post these shots she took of her new pet rabbit called smudge. She was willing to spend £70 of her birthday money on a digital camera so I had the challange of what to get. In the end I plumped for a Fuji A610 (couldn't get her to inc the budget to an F20 or 30). Anyway these are a couple of the first few shots she's come up with as she gets used to the camera.

[Phill D]

Here's shot number 2 another close up. I am pretty impressed with this camera for what it cost & obviously very proud of my daughter. Looks like I've got serious competition coming in the future. Mind you maybe that will mean someone else will get moaned at for taking too many pictures & take the hassle off me ;). Both pictures straight out of the cam by the way no cropping or PP.

[Idnas71]

Taken with a Canon S2 at nearly if not all of the 12x zoom. Mama moose was with her baby, but I didn't get a shot of them together. The bear was actually inside Yellowstone park.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b191/Idnas71/Denver%20and%20Yellowstone%202006/mamamoose.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b191/Idnas71/Denver%20and%20Yellowstone%202006/babymoose.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b191/Idnas71/Denver%20and%20Yellowstone%202006/bear.jpg

[toriaj]

Phill D., your daughter's shots are great! If she does that now, imagine, in 20 years!!! :)

[tim11]

I agree with Toriaj. That was some good shots and well exposed.
PhilD: How much difference between A610 and F20? I'd say A610 is confusing with the old (couple of years???) Canon PowerShot A610. Don't they have better imagination, I wonder? LOL.

[Phill D]

Thanks guys for the nice comments my daughter was quite amaized to get praise from all round the world. I hope this will spark her imagination & yes who knows what 20yrs will bring.
Tim yes you are right about camera numbering dull & boring doesn't really cover it does it. The Canon idea of calling their camera a Rebel seems to have been the best bit of naming inspiration around. I call my cams the Tizzy & the Fluzy from the nicknames that came up in the forums. Wonder what nicknames other people have come up with for other cams?

[AdamW]

took my nieces to the zoo...
koalas and a snow leopard

26144



26145



26146

[Viky]

took my nieces to the zoo...
koalas and a siberian tiger


Looks more like a Snow Leopard :confused:

[AdamW]

Looks more like a Snow Leopard :confused:

That's because it is a snow leopard. That's what I get for posting past my bed time!:o;)

[Bynx]

Ah, whats in a name. A rose by any other name etc. Besides if either one of them was chewing on your backside it wouldnt make any difference and Im sure you wouldnt be calling them by their proper name anyway. :p

[AdamW]

The picture doesn't really show it, but she was HUGE! Her tail was at least three feet long. If she took a notion to chew on me, it would be over too fast to worry about names!

[val123]

A few shots taken at a recent visit to the Wildlife Heratige Foundation in Kent.

Hope you like:

http://mansaards.smugmug.com/photos/170738613-L.jpg

http://mansaards.smugmug.com/photos/172779020-L.jpg

http://mansaards.smugmug.com/photos/171467481-L.jpg

All taken with the 20d and canon 100-400 IS

[Bynx]

Val, the clarity and detail of your pussy cats is absolutely breathtaking.

[val123]

Val, the clarity and detail of your pussy cats is absolutely breathtaking.

Thanks Bynx for your kind comment.

In this shot the Lion seemed to be saying 'You still here!'

http://mansaards.smugmug.com/photos/172778974-L.jpg

[avi777]

Nice pictures here

[Prospero]

Here is a set of pictures I took when I was in the zoo with my family. I didn't know in advance that I we would be going to the zoo, so I didn't have my telelens with me. This limited me to the animals that were quite close. Also, it was rainy all day, so most animals were in there shelters.

34902

34903

34904

34905

34906

34907

34908

[toriaj]

I love #3, and unusual angle. Did you use your 17-70mm?

[tim11]

and wallabies.
A rock wallaby.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_022c.jpg

Native Aussie favourite past time. :)
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_009b.jpg

A sleeping red kangaroo.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_032c.jpg

I have no idea why this kangaroo had to sit there hanging on to his dear tail.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_031c.jpg

[Prospero]

I love #3, and unusual angle. Did you use your 17-70mm?

Thanks Tori
No, I didn't use the 17-70. For the first three I used the 135 f/2.8 AI-s and for the last three I used the 50 f/1.8. The fish were lit very dimly, so I needed the 50 and ISO 1600 to get the shots.

Tim, nice shots of the kangaroes.

[far2000]

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa177/tcsmidway/SimunyeHlanefair06330d199.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa177/tcsmidway/SimunyeHlanefair06330d186.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa177/tcsmidway/47.jpg

EOS350D
Lions at the Hlane Game Reserve
SWAZILAND
2005

[AdamW]

Far2000, I really like the second one. It looks dreamy--or nightmarish!

[tim11]

Far2000, I really like the second one. It looks dreamy--or nightmarish!
I'd say nightmarish. Should do some more PP to add more effect.

[tim11]

Exotic if you don't live in Australia. :D
The sleepy koala.

Some sleep alone.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_003c.jpg

Some sleep in group.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_001c.jpg

Some sleep high up.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_207c.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_205c.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_200c.jpg

Sleeping looks like a tiring job so when they are not sleeping they eat.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_201c.jpg

Hope you like the koala.

[rx_morph]

Sleeping looks like a tiring job so when they are not sleeping they eat.


Kind of like this guy....

[tim11]

rx_morph. Is that a wild boar? A pet or in a zoo?
I'm amazed with stuff your Samsung spins out. Keep up the good work.

[tim11]

Constantly on the prowl...
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_210c.jpg

Prowling on the rock...
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_213c.jpg

Leaving no stone unturned...
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_214c.jpg

There has to be something interesting somewhere...
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_208c.jpg

A portrait
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_225b.jpg

Any difference from domestic dogs? See for yourself.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_213b.jpg

[rx_morph]

rx_morph. Is that a wild boar? A pet or in a zoo?
I'm amazed with stuff your Samsung spins out. Keep up the good work.

Thanks tim11. It's actually a pot-bellied pig (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot-bellied_pig) which my aunt has as a pet. Even for a pot-bellied pig though, it is much overweight.

I love the pictures of the dingo. Especially the portrait shot.

[T06]

rx_morph where are you from, what country? NZ?

[rx_morph]

rx_morph where are you from, what country? NZ?

Nah, I live in the United States...Tennessee to be exact. :)

[tim11]

RX_MORPH,
So this pet pot-belly pig. I know now it's a pet but is it tame? Is it approachable? I mean... just look at its tusks...

[rx_morph]

RX_MORPH,
So this pet pot-belly pig. I know now it's a pet but is it tame? Is it approachable? I mean... just look at its tusks...

Well I actually haven't been around him too much to know exactly how tame he is but the times that I have seen him he seems fairly calm. He's definitely approachable. He moves extremely slow due to his size so you wouldn't be in any danger approaching him.;)

[rx_morph]

I was debating on whether or not to put these under the Bird Thread or here...anyway, same nest but just taken about a week apart from the first picture.

[toriaj]

Very cool shot, thanks for sharing. These are the cutest baby birds I've ever seen -- birds are one of the only animals I've seen where the adults are more appealing than the babies :) but these look cute anyway.

[tim11]

A family of chimpanzee.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_037.jpg

The same baby a few minutes later.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_042c.jpg

A teenage chimp on the look out.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_043.jpg

[SpecialK]

Captive.
35956

[rx_morph]

Very cool shot, thanks for sharing. These are the cutest baby birds I've ever seen -- birds are one of the only animals I've seen where the adults are more appealing than the babies :) but these look cute anyway.

You're welcome:) Haha, I agree with their looks. Well here they are a few weeks later -- they're definitely in the not so cute stage now, lol.:p

[Adiseshanaik]

So nice of you :)
http://www.go2india.in/upimg/3125.jpg

[toriaj]

Wow, amazing shot, Adiseshanaik. What's your secret?

[AdamW]

Wow, amazing shot, Adiseshanaik. What's your secret?

I agree. Outstanding!

[mjalex]

Alley Pond Park

[tim11]

Doorman
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_115.jpg

I wonder if he actually feels grumpy as he looks? :confused: Well... I wouldn't want to be anywhere within his reach.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_116.jpg

Notice how the hands bend when they stand on all four.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_118.jpg

Size comparison
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_120.jpg

A smaller, younger and more friendly looking gorilla.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_121.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m116/tim11_2006/animals/n80401_119.jpg

[LBGChris]

A little meerkat posing for the camera!

[Spookonthe8ball]

Nice pics guys. Here is a local squirrel from a city park.
Spook

[LBGChris]

A good ol black bear.

[cmaw63]

I found this pair of swans at a nearby wildlife refuge.

[Geoff Chandler]

Not very wild..
New Forest Pony and foal.
Taken with my wifes Canon A460
That's under £80= !!
Just resized - nothing more!

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Ok my setup cost lots more than 80 pounds but I pushed through 5 metres of blackberries to get this koala photo (and the thorns hurt).

The second shots in a zoo though (I'm not stupid enough to get close to a lioness in the wild):D

[mumbles420]

Well here's one of the many first shots I took with my lovely new Canon 40D.

"Smokey Horses"

http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs27/f/2008/177/b/d/Smoky_Horse_by_AlwaysThinkingPhoto.jpg
EXIF:
Model: Canon EOS 40D
Shutter Speed: 1/250 second
F Number: F/5.6
Focal Length: 80 mm
ISO Speed: 100
White Balance: Cloudy

I titled this photo "Smoky Horse" for two reasons. One, there are horses present and two, because there are something like 800 wild fires here in California and that's what caused the hazy colored sky. The smoke is kind of good and bad. Good because it's like having the golden sunset color all day long and bad, well because it pollutes the air so damn much.

[toriaj]

Brian, that's a beautiful, glowy shot. It reminds me of the Orton effect. Did you enhance the glow somehow?

[LBGChris]

His teeth remind me of candy corns... sharp, flesh-tearing candy corns.

[TNB]

I don't know about "wild" but here's a photo of a white tiger cub I took yesterday. There is also a different "tiger" photo on the "cat" thread and more in my Flickr account.

[Majik_Imaje]

I have a photo of the 'biggest' animal on the planet !!


http://majikimaje.com/images/FLAG06.jpg

Only half of this 48 foot whale is visible !! 48 tons of food !

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Some serious effort to get that up onto the ice and packed away. Love reading your thread about your way of life by the way. Best wishes generally.

[mumbles420]

Brian, that's a beautiful, glowy shot. It reminds me of the Orton effect. Did you enhance the glow somehow?

Sorry it took so long to respond back to a simple post.

Thanks you. Yeah it could be like the Orton effect. In CS3 I first sharpened the Lightness channel in Lab Color Mode with the Unsharp Mask - Amount: 120%, Radius: 1 & Threshold: 3.(sharpening the Lightness channel in Lab Color Mode will only sharpen the detailed areas of the photo, not the color areas). Then added a Gaussian Blur with 20 pixels, then lowered the opacity to 20%. It makes for a great Action.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Sorry it took so long to respond back to a simple post.

Thanks you. Yeah it could be like the Orton effect. In CS3 I first sharpened the Lightness channel in Lab Color Mode with the Unsharp Mask - Amount: 120%, Radius: 1 & Threshold: 3.(sharpening the Lightness channel in Lab Color Mode will only sharpen the detailed areas of the photo, not the color areas). Then added a Gaussian Blur with 20 pixels, then lowered the opacity to 20%. It makes for a great Action.

What did you apply the gaussian blur to, the a+b lightness channels only?
What did you lower the opacity of, an adjustment layer overying the combined RGB?

[Geoff Chandler]

:) Another not very wild post from me...:D
(it was just lurking in a quiet corner of the garden while I was tidying up)
& for those who are interested
- D80/ Tamron 28 - 200; ISO400, 200mm, F5.6, 125th sec flash

[raven15]

Taken on 4th of July weekend. E-410, 18-180mm lens. If any work was done on these afterwards, it was limited to "things I can do in Irfanview."

1. Yellow bellied marmot. Not bad for 800 ISO.
2. Himalayan Snowcock. 100% crop. Apparently these are very rare. After I got back I told my family and a few friends about them, apparently some of them have looked for these birds for years and never seen one. Apparently they are a highly prized game bird. The mother sure wouldn't let me within 100 yards. My stupid lens has issues, so I focused this one manually because it was faster and more accurate that way.
3. Himalayan Snowcock chicks. They were less skittish. I think this was manual focus also.
4. This is what they really look like, if you are thinking of looking for them. And this was at full zoom. The mountain is really much bigger and the birds much smaller than it appears in this shot.
5. I had a whole sequence of great mountain goat shots, about 15 in a row. But my lens screwed most of them up, so I'll only post this one, at a small resolution. I also had some pictures of a pika, but they were even more screwed up.

[raven15]

These are even older, about a month ago. 14-54mm lens.

1. Mountain goat at Mt. Rushmore.
2. Antelope in Wyoming.
3. I don't know what this is. It was near Niagra falls.
4. This is what the mountain goat looked like at 100% crop, if you wanted to see it bigger.

[raven15]

Time to bring thread this to the front again!

1. Mountain goats
2. Frog
3. Yellow-bellied Marmot
4. Chipmunk
5. More Mountain Goats (a whole herd!)

[toriaj]

raven15, the landscapes in those shots look really familiar. Where did you take them?

[raven15]

The mountain goats were in the Ruby Mountains near Elko, Nevada. The chipmunk and marmot were in Desolation Wilderness, which is immediately to the southwest of Lake Tahoe (if you didn't know). The frog was just in a pond near my house.

Normally I don't consider frogs and chipmunks wildlife, but, you take what you can get I guess.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Love your toad Geoff and the chipmunk Raven.

If you don't mind zoo shots here then here's an otter (also posted on nikon POTD thread).

[LBGChris]

Some posing meerkats...

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Four sentries at once, that's not something you see everyday.

[SpecialK]

In Capitol Park, Sacramento.
39967

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Just a captive lion at our zoo through a cyclone fence using a wide aperture to hide the fence somewhat.

[JakeNsa]

Hey All! This is my first Thread EVER! I'm an Amateur. Be kind, but please let me know what you think.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hey All! This is my first Thread EVER! I'm an Amateur. Be kind, but please let me know what you think.
Fish are notoriously hard to get good photos of (they won't stop moving around!!)
You have done very well here.
:)

[Cygnus]

http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq293/Cygnus26/010707014.jpg

[Geoff Chandler]

Cygnus ~ this is a great shot - nice clear detail, well lit.
I like it!

[tim11]

This is from a Canon IXUS 80 IS, taken by my work colleague.

[tim11]

I have to add though... the lizard is tame. They are his pets. :)

[reppans]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2876817439_a65d803313_o.jpg

[TheWengler]

Tim, you can tell your coworker that one is fantastic.

[Spookonthe8ball]

South Dakota Pronghorn @ 500mm handheld :eek:

[tim11]

Tim, you can tell your coworker that one is fantastic.

TheWenglerk, I did tell him that. He is new to photography and wanted to buy an Olympus and only bought IXUS 80 on my recommendation. Now he is as happy as a lizard. :D

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Just a zoo shot but I liked it.

[Phill D]

Wow that's a stunner DPR.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Thanks Phil, more luck and the new lens than anything else.

Here's another from the day. I noticed I have to put more effort into focussing now. At 300mm if I focus on the body the face is OOF at F8, at 200mm I could get away with it.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Any one else shoot wildlife or is it too cheaky posting zoo shots here?

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

A wild emu. (Australias version of an ostrich).

[raven15]

Dread Pirate Roberts, those are some pretty good shots from the zoo. Regarding your second to last post, I will hopefully post some "real" wildlife shots in a few weeks. The problem with "wild" life is that it's harder to find...

[raven15]

Ok, here goes. The 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Mountain Goat Convention. It was cloudy. Portable 600mm equivalent lenses rock, but they should be used with IS or rock tripods in bad light. I was shooting up to ISO 1600 just to keep a shutter speed of 1/640s, not good. Hopefully there will be good light tomorrow.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Nice Raven, real wildlife too.

Whats that about 600mm equivalent? what were you shooting with?

[alessy]

Nice photos...
You can see some battle skars, etc...
Verry nice..

[Rooz]

Nice Raven, real wildlife too.

Whats that about 600mm equivalent? what were you shooting with?

im pretty sure raven shoots Oly. so i'm guessing that may be a 70-300 lens. (600mm equiv).

[raven15]

Thanks everyone. There is about a two month period when these guys move down to avoid the cold weather of higher elevations, but there isn't enough snow to impede humans. Thanksgiving falls at just about the ideal time, it's like shooting fish in a barrel :D. It's still cloudy, so I'm waiting. It might be sunny in a few hours by the looks.


im pretty sure raven shoots Oly. so i'm guessing that may be a 70-300 lens.

Correct :) I upgraded from a P&S specifically for wildlife, though that is now a small minority of my shots. However, the E-400 series is about the last digital cameras with IS completely unavailable, except two Leica branded lenses that are correspodingly expensive. I'd have prefered around f/8 and ISO 200, but that wasn't possible.

[Phill D]

Yes nice shots Raven especially if they are iso1600.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

I was talking to a PHD student at the zoo last week who was studying the behavioural interactions between humans and orangutans.

She mentioned orangutans to all intensive purposes will be extinct in the wild within 15 years. That ubiquitous "vegetable oil" used in most products is apparently the single biggest contributor.

I had no idea they were so threatened. Here's a couple shots from the day.

[raven15]

Sad, isn't it? Seems like every animal in Africa will be gone shortly except humans, from a combination of too many guns and not enough law or foresight. Followed by animals from much of the rest of the world. Though I don't recall using palm oil ever. Is that the student? I think she makes a better picture than the orangutan!

Phill, those were actually 800. I am still iffy on 1600, even if noise isn't bad it still seems to lose something. This deer was at 1600, but it also suffers from other problems including low contrast because the sun had set and I believe lens shake. 1600 is much more usable when it is used to keep the shutter around 1/1000s, it is worse when you get toward 1/100s.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Yeah she's pretty attractive so I was a bit nervous asking to take her photo. Worried she might think I'm a creep:D

I hadn't reallised I used palm oil either but I can now see I do, it's in everything eg tim tams, biscuits. Any time the food packet says "vegetable oil" you can bet it's actually palm oil according to the signs all over our zoo here.

I love your two most recent ones. They've very nice and being wild makes them that much more special captures. I like them as is but if you want more contrast have you tried adjusting curves in photoshop or similar (assuming you have).

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

I'm really pleased with this Macaw shot.

I spent another 3 hrs trying to get a better Sumatran Tiger photo. Still nothing much other than this one I posted on the Nikon POTD thread. Blurry due to shooting through dirty glass.

[Rooz]

Yeah she's pretty attractive so I was a bit nervous asking to take her photo. Worried she might think I'm a creep:D

well its not like you asked her to pose naked or anything.

just in case you did...you know my email addy. :D

[raven15]

Those are both very good catches. The bird especially, I have never tried to get a bird up close. Ok I did once, but my battery died after about four shots.

I didn't do anything to those, not even crop. I was at my parents house all weekend, so all I did was resize them in irfanview. A little contrast would be nice in that guy along with a few other things, but I don't know if it's worth the time. Maybe... or I could just spend that time later on a better picture.

A few different characters of the herd, besides young males. Young females! And the Old Man himself. Still no PP. Next time I will post something beside big horn sheep to avoid losing the novelty, though I still have a few decent pictures left.

[dig-it-al]

This cute little gator was being fed hot dogs by the boat captain and he was very interested in my camera or me.

[Geoff Chandler]

CUTE LITTLE GATOR??? !!!
(As it bite's yer arm off with camera still attached!)
Seriously - great shot :cool:

[tizeye]

Finally got cold enough to chase the manatee out of the river and to the warmer waters of a spring. There were about 75 of them.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee258/ibhim/Manatee2.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee258/ibhim/ManateeJPG.jpg

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Tigress (not the male I've spent days trying for).

[TheWengler]

DPR, beautiful shot. I love how she's peaking past plant.

[ooverdrive]

DPR,she looks sentimental

[ooverdrive]

Its just fun time:)

[raven15]

LOL. I hope the bottom one is a girl.

That is some good framing on the tiger.

Here are some mountain goats. A mountain goat is sort of like a manatee, but the exact opposite. No modification; these were actually taken the day after my earlier big horns.

I did quite a stalking job for these. I saw the white spot on the mountain from far away on the road below. Then I climbed about half a mile up a steep slope, keeping out of sight in a drainage a few hundred yards over, hoping the goat would still be there when I crested. Then I snuck through bushes on the uphill and downwind side, opposite of the direction I came from, I had circled a long way. They don't look up hill, and they usually run away uphill, so that is the best place to be. Eventually I came within around 25 yards (enough for these to be uncropped at 300mm on a 4/3's sensor). In the last picture it is looking at me because it heard my lens focusing, and decided to leave shortly after (bloody hell). Oly needs a SWD version of the 70-300. But I can't complain, that was the closest I've ever been to a mountain goat. I have heard in some places it is opposite: the goats are tame and sheep are shy.

[Geoff Chandler]

Tigress (not the male I've spent days trying for).
This is a wonderfully sharp and nicely exposed & composed shot !!
Very envious!!!
BTW which lens was this....?

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

70-300VR. Basically uncropped.

She has a smaller enclosure than the male and sometimes lays right out where you can see her. In this case she layed there for 200 images! I tried everything, F5.6 to F11. No flash, flash, low iso, high iso etc.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Its just fun time:)

You put the Nikon 2008 log in the wrong spot. The logo should be on the top goat like a tattoo. Oh and the lower goat should be tatoo'd "Canon 2008":D

[LBGChris]

Meerkat portrait...

[Geoff Chandler]

LBGChris ~ Lovely close up on the Meerkat, nice and sharp

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Inland Tiapan (or small scaled snake) basically the worlds most toxic snake ml for ml poison wise. If you ever meet one in the wild don't get the flash out. This fella didn't like me and my flash at all - thank crickeys for the glass between us:)

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Another zoo lioness

[ohmygoat]

This is Chewy, a one year old, Two-Toed Sloth. She's a fascinating little animal and I'm fortunate to have been put in charge of her care and training.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/Chewy2.jpg

[ohmygoat]

These two Gray Whales were photographed on a trip I took to Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, Mexico in March '08. San Ignacio is one of the few lagoons and bays where the Gray Whales exhibit "friendly" behavior, coming right up to boats with their calves apparently seeking human contact. Needless to say, it's really quite an experience.

An Adult Gray Whale:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/Laguna%20San%20Ignacio/GrayWhale3.jpg

And a calf:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/Laguna%20San%20Ignacio/calf1.jpg

[ohmygoat]

Sadie, a 5 month old Coati (with way too much energy!).


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/Sadie.jpg

[ohmygoat]

A few images of adolescent Cougar (Mountain Lion) cubs.

Relaxing:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/Ashkii.jpg

Playing:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/cubs.jpg

Watching:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/cub2.jpg

Stalking:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/Takoda.jpg


Obviously not "wild" cougars, but being "inside the fence" with them made it a lot easier to photograph.

[ohmygoat]

Grizzly Bear at the San Francisco Zoo:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/grizzly.jpg



Better image than I expected since it was shot through several inches of acrylic.

[ohmygoat]

UqUq, a Pacific Walrus:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/UqUq.jpg

[ohmygoat]

Bella, Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/Bella.jpg

[Geoff Chandler]

ohmygoat - great set of wild life images - all really well taken!!
Couldn't say which I liked best- possibly the Walrus or the Dolphin

[ohmygoat]

A "Bull" Elephant Seal at Año Nuevo State Natural Reserve, California

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/elephantseal.jpg

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Great stuff. I like "watching" couger the most. I might try and increase the sharpening, contrast and warmth a touch though.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Red Panda. I think I've made it worse in PP:(

[ohmygoat]

Browsing Giraffe

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/giraffe.jpg

[Geoff Chandler]

Browsing Giraffe



ohmygoat ~ amazing angle and view - really great capture!:cool:

[ohmygoat]

Bacardi, Giant Indian Fruit Bat

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/Bacardi.jpg

[toriaj]

Cool shot at first glance, but what is that thing hanging off his neck?

[Geoff Chandler]

Bacardi, Giant Indian Fruit Bat



ohmygoat ~ That is really unusual - you really are the Master of extraordinary
but excellent images of unusual creatures.
:cool:

[ohmygoat]

It's a lightweight leash and that photo with it Photoshopped out is much cooler. Bats can't be "free flown" because the laws regulating the keeping and exhibition of them are very strict. Any staff who handle them are required to have current rabies vaccinations, even though they are really no more likely to be exposed to, or contract it than any other animal we handle.


Cool shot at first glance, but what is that thing hanging off his neck?

[ohmygoat]

Thanks Geoff! Really appreciate that.


ohmygoat ~ That is really unusual - you really are the Master of extraordinary
but excellent images of unusual creatures.
:cool:

[Marsh Vegas]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/Big_Al1/020909006rs.jpg

Shot this through my slider glass with a Canon A85 with a Canon telephoto lens. I'm surprised it came out this good considering the equipment I have.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

ohmygoat ~ That is really unusual - you really are the Master of extraordinary
but excellent images of unusual creatures.
:cool:

I'll second that. Great stuff.

Nice shot Marsh. Great topic and nice simple background. Wish I had squirels. That sitting pose with raised tail is fantastic. Our equivalent is a possum and they're not half as photogenic.

[GabrielC]

Two squirrels from Bucharest, skinnier and smaller, but still ...

44330

44329

[Geoff Chandler]

Marsh Vegas - That's a really nice shot - (nothing wrong with a Canon A85)
The photographer is the most important thing at the end of the day.

GabrielC - interesting - these Squirrels are quite different - nicely captured!

Hey - this is almost turning into an exclusive Squirrel thread
(what does and exclusive Squirrel look like??)
:D

[GabrielC]

Thanks for the comment, Geoff, it was my first post on this topic. Sorry about the type of, but apart of some taxi drivers, squirrels are the only wild animals you can find in the middle of Bucharest ... :)

[ohmygoat]

Killer Whale (Orca)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/Shouka6x.jpg

[dig-it-al]

That's no squirrel! Awesome capture with that black background.

[Geoff Chandler]

Isn't it always the way?
I went for a cycle ride with my daughter in Richmond Park.
We stopped for a moment, and a herd of around 50 Deer
ran up to see what we were doing!!
Guess what - no decent camera!!!!!!!:eek:
Took a couple of shots on my mobile phone though.....

[ohmygoat]

That's a serious herd of deer!

[Geoff Chandler]

Actually it could have been quite intimidating if you were of a nervous disposition. We stopped, and I heard this deep pattering sound - and looked
around to see all of these charging up towards us.!! I calmly stood and faced them - at the last moment the leader turned and they all stopped and started to graze nonchalently.
Amazing sight!! Would have been far better if I had a reasonable camera
with me...

[D70FAN]

Still a damn good shot Geoff... you have shown once again that the camera is only a fraction the image factor.

[Geoff Chandler]

That thing is about like a 35mm in full frame equiv - so that shows how close these things were.
Thanks George - I did try!!

[D70FAN]

I'm a big wild horse fan since meeting up with these guys a while back. Part of 2 or 3 herds that roam the Pima reservation. One thing you notice right away is that the face markings repeat quite a bit.

[Geoff Chandler]

Lovely image George - feel like you want to see more of them (got any?)

[D70FAN]

Curiously enough...

... now I have to go digging :D for others... gives me an excuse. Somewhere I have a couple of herd shots and some territorial disagreements.:eek:

These guys are pretty tough as they get attacked by coyotes, bobcats, and an occasional mountain lion, so when you are shooting them you need to be ready to take flight. This water tank was put there for them...

[avi777]

I don't know whether it is wild, but I wouldn't want to touch it

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/3292224576_599e59997a_o.jpg

[Geoff Chandler]

George, Another nice shot of these wild horses. The telephoto throws the background out just enough, but not too much.
AVI777 - this looks pretty dangerous!!Like what you did with the edges.

[avi777]

Geoff, the snake must have have been de-fanged, but with or without it's fangs, I would assume it's dangerous. :)

[D70FAN]

I'm not sure why these disappeared, but I can't find them, so here they are again.

The Scuffle...

The Looser...

I think I'm being shunned.

[ohmygoat]

Just another one of those encounters not often seen in the wild...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/CapyDolphin.jpg

Not unlike this one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/OhMyGoat/BeauBrandy.jpg

[MartynJC (UK)]

http://designmjc.smugmug.com/photos/50673611_Sh9As-L.jpg

Here is one from my D70 (back in 2005) - Hope you like it!

[D70FAN]

Hmmmm... D70, I've heard of one being found in an archeological dig...:D

Nice shot Martyn.

Lens?

[Phill D]

Martyn scary detail, if thats what you do with the D70 I'd like to see some of your latest D700 shots.

[Phill D]

Ohmygoat those are smart encounter shots nicely done. Was it just a few opportunist moments or were they staged?

[MartynJC (UK)]

Martyn scary detail, if thats what you do with the D70 I'd like to see some of your latest D700 shots.

Here's a D300 shot? Aren't the eye-lashes super?!

[ohmygoat]

Phill D: They were just spur of the moment shots while we're taking animals out on their walks (and I remember to bring my camera!).


Ohmygoat those are smart encounter shots nicely done. Was it just a few opportunist moments or were they staged?

[GabrielC]

I wonder if I'm not boring you, but all I have - again - is a couple of squirrels ...


44851


44852

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

You might worry that they just look like snapshots. I worry that about mine!

But it clearly comes across that you are making composition and DOF decisions - you have used the rule of 1/3rds for example. Also not everyone has squirrels, we don't have them in Aus so your subject also is interesting.

[raven15]

Ah, the dreaded fear of snapshots! It is true that I don't personally consider squirrels wildlife, but also I know that many people cannot easily access wildlife. So I figure you enjoy taking pictures, they are good for what they are, and you gotta post'em somewhere, so this must be the place! So no worries. In this case they are fairly interesting, and I especially like the hand.

[GabrielC]

You might worry that they just look like snapshots. I worry that about mine!

But it clearly comes across that you are making composition and DOF decisions - you have used the rule of 1/3rds for example. Also not everyone has squirrels, we don't have them in Aus so your subject also is interesting.


Thanks for the considerations. Actually these ARE snap-shots, as it is the only way you can shoot a squirrel, they are too quick and unpredictable sometimes.And about the rules, you're right, I did try to observe at least some rules and in the first shot the intention really was to keep the tail out of DOF and focus on the eyes/head.

[GabrielC]

Ah, the dreaded fear of snapshots! It is true that I don't personally consider squirrels wildlife, but also I know that many people cannot easily access wildlife. So I figure you enjoy taking pictures, they are good for what they are, and you gotta post'em somewhere, so this must be the place! So no worries. In this case they are fairly interesting, and I especially like the hand.
Thank you for what you just said, for some (including me) access to wildlife is indeed scarce - if any ... Literally, if it moves and is FREE it should be even more wildlife than - let's say - a beautiful lion in a nice cage !
About the fear of snap-shots there is also a full debate here in Romania on this and it mainly comes from the misinterpretation of the word itself. In my opinion photos are good
or bad, no matter if they are snap-shots or more artistically intended ones.
Including them in the right post area is a totally different matter though!

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Now you've caught me out. I debated when 1st posting my zoo pics if they belonged in a wildlife thread. I eventually thought hang it, got to post them somewhere and this'll do:)

[S3000]

Nice shots

[GabrielC]

S3000 : Thank you, hopfeully you refer to my photos as being the only ones on this page :)

Dread(ed) Pirate Roberts: Didn't have the faintest idea about this, I didn't read that particular post therefore my example was not targeted to anyone... but I've seen this pro/con discussion in most of the sites I've visited sofar. In many of the zoos around the world, animals are kept in good conditions similar to their wild ones, so they really look like in wilderness. Unfortunately this is not the case in Romania, at least not yet...

[rx_morph]

I nearly accidentally stepped on this little guy/gal. Can anyone tell which it is by this photo? Judging by the size of it, it didn't appear to be fully grown.