Tanzania - 2020 - Part 5

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African Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Olympus OM-D E-M1X camera
300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens + 1.4x teleconverter
1/640 sec at f/6.3 ISO 4000

The spotted coat of the African Leopard allows it to blend in with the leaves of trees where it spends the majority of its time. Their long tails contribute to an excellent sense of balance which prevents falling from the trees.

African Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Olympus OM-D E-M1X camera
300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens + 2x teleconverter
1/500 sec at f/9 ISO 4000

The diet of the leopard, a nocturnal hunter, includes antelope, birds, warthogs and deer. When they face competition from lions and hyenas, leopards will haul prey up into a tree and consume it over several days. They are strong enough to lift carcasses heavier than themselves: one report describes a 275 pound young giraffe being stored at a height of 20 feet. LINK

Common Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvul)
Olympus OM-D E-M1X camera
300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens + 1.4x teleconverter
1/800 sec at f/5.6 ISO 1250

The Common Dwarf Mongoose lives in an extended family group, known as a business, of up to 30 animals. They sleep at night in no longer used termite mounds. They will attack and kill snakes. They are agile, have thick coats that resist snakebites, and also have adaptations that make them relatively immune to the neurotoxic venom of snakes. LINK

Common Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvul)
Olympus OM-D E-M1X camera
300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens + 1.4x teleconverter
1/800 sec at f/7.1 ISO 2000

Dwarf mongooses will forage with hornbills. Hornbills catch insects, rodents and other prey flushed by the pack and in return serve as lookouts, sounding alarm calls when avian predators are sighted.

Common Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvul)
Olympus OM-D E-M1X camera
300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens + 1.4x teleconverter
1/800 sec at f/7.1 ISO 1250

Hornbills have been observed sounding alarms in the presence of dwarf mongooses for predators that hold no danger for the bird but only for the mongoose.

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.