As a child I loved to see butterflies in our garden of course. But I was also fascinated by caterpillars, daddy-long-legs, even worms! Today I see insects and other bugs mainly as potential subjects for photography. I love to stalk bees as they move from flower to flower.
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It’s widely recognised that elephants mourn their dead, but what about other animals? It’s rather easy to fall into the trap of anthropomorphising, attributing our feelings and behaviours to them. Yet there are examples of what appear to be very human-like emotions, and we were once privileged to witness one.
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All of us have places where we feel at home and are comfortable. Places where we can find all the necessities of life. And animals are no different. A sloth must live in a tree, a whale in the sea, a lion on the plains of Africa, a bee where there are flowers.
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The Sea of Cortez is considered one of the most diverse seas on earth, home to more than 5,000 species of micro-invertebrates. And where there are micro-invertebrates there are bigger animals too – sometimes much bigger. Blue whales come here to mate and calve each spring, while many other whale species are also to be seen, either seasonally or, in the case of fin and sperm whales, year-round.
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Every year on 3rd March World Wildlife Day celebrates the unique roles and contributions of wildlife to people and the planet. Initiated by the United Nations in 2013, the day invites all of us to remember how much we rely on the earth’s natural resources and have a responsibility to protect them.
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For a few weeks during February and March each year blue whales, the world's largest mammals, visit the the Sea of Cortez off the eastern coast of the Baja California Sur peninsular. They come to calve, mate and feed on the krill that flourishes in its rich waters.
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Did you know that there is a World Lemur Day? No, nor did I, until we happened to find ourselves in Madagascar on the last Fridy of October which is when it is celebrated. It was wonderful in any case to be able to view these beautiful animals in their natural setting, but especially so to do so on their special day!
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Many of the fascinating and endemic creatures of Madagascar are nocturnal. Frogs, geckos, chameleons and lemurs all include some species that prefer the cover of darkness. So to see them you have to get out at night too, of course.
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There are a lot of reasons to visit Madagascar, but for most people the biggest draw is lemurs. These cute animals are endemic to the country, having evolved there separately to apes and monkeys, their closest relatives. And of all the lemurs the one I most wanted to see, and hear, was the Indri.
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I photographed this black and white ruffed lemur on Lemur Island, a private reserve in the grounds of one of the Andisibe lodges.
