Category: CHRISTIAN SPERKA PHOTOGRAPHY

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Ugly, but important!

Vultures are considered ugly creatures by many, but they are very important, cleaning up after the carnivores. Yesterday we had dozens of White-backed Vultures on Thanda Safari feasting on the remains of a Zebra carcass. Their excellent eye-sight and a very keen sense of smell helps them to detect dead animals from far away.

Vultures are one of the ‘Ugly Five’ beside Warthogs, Wildebeests, Hyenas, and Marabou Storks.

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f4-6.3/24-240mm | ISO 6400 | 1/2000sec | f6.3 | ev+0 | 240mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 10% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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Parade!

I love this picture, taken last Sunday. A herd of Elephants had just finished drinking at the small pond in front of the Thanda Safari Lodge when they paraded in single file up the hillside. It was a cloudy and rainy day, which gives this image a rather eerie quality.

Elephants drink a lot of water. A large bull can take in over 200 liters (50 gallons) in just five minutes. They use their trunk like a syringe to squirt water into their mouth. The trunk is an elongated nose and not a straw-like device. And as you know one cannot drink through ones nose!

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f4-6.3/24-240mm | ISO 1600 | 1/125sec | f6.3 | ev+0 | 240mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 50% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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Eye-level!

Taking pictures on eye-level is one of the most important components of many good (wildlife) photos. And even after over 20 years of taking Lion pictures, facing a large cat in that fashion is still very exciting.

Last night Thanda Safari’s dominant male appeared at the right place and at the right time for me to get this shot. He was patrolling his territory, stopping occasionally to roar and assert his position.

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f4-6.3/24-240mm | ISO 1000 | 1/500sec | f6.3 | ev+0 | 240mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 25% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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Musth…

… is a surge in testosterone (and therefore heightened sexual drive) in Elephant bulls which can cause rather unpredictable behavior. During this annual period the males continuously dribble urine to get rid of the extra testosterone and their glands behind the eyes are constantly secreting fluids.

It is a good idea to stay clear of animals in that state – especially middle-aged ones – as they can be quite aggressive. But old musth bulls like this ‘six ton plus’ creature have experienced musth so often in their life, that they usually stay quite calm. Elephant ladies like big and old guys and this bull is therefore not concerned about getting frustrated with the opposite sex.

He passed our vehicle without any fuss, following a breeding herd.

Technical data: Canon R6 with EF lens f2.8/70-200mm | ISO 160 | 1/1/500sec | f2.8 | ev+0 | 150mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 75% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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Native and Invasive!

The African Giant Land Snail (Lissachantina fulica) is native to East Africa, but is an invasive species in many parts of the world, where it has been introduced by humans either as a possible food source, for the pet trade, or just by accident. In these areas it is considered a pest of agriculture and households.

African Giant Land Snails often carry parasitic worms (Angiostrongylus cantinensis), which can cause a very serious form of meningitis.

They are hermaphrodites, which means they have both male and female reproductive organs. But they need a partner to reproduce by cross fertilisation.

Technical data: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Ultra Wide Camera | 13mm | f2.2 | 24mm | 1/100s | ISO250

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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A Leopard…

… Tortoise is no stand-in for its Big Five name giver. Whereas Leopards (the cats) are rather shy and elusive, Leopard Tortoises can be seen quite regularly on Thanda Safari. With leopard-like markings on their shell they are amazing creatures to observe.

Leopard Tortoises are part of the Small Five together with Ant Lions (a tiny predatory insect), Elephant Shrews (a small mouse-like mammal), Rhino Beetles (rather large beetles), and Buffalo Weavers (a gregarious weaver bird).

Technical data: Canon R6 with EF lens f4.0/500mm | ISO 1600 | 1/3000sec | f4 | ev+/-0 | 500mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 20% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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A hard life!

Male Lions are often described as lazy pashas living in cozy comfort, while their females do all the hunting work. That is very far from the truth.

For the first two to three years of his live a young male is looked after very well by his pride. But once he hits puberty and is ready to mate his dad does no longer like him and will kill him unless the youngster runs away. He now has to try to survive by himself.

Only one out of ten male Lion ever makes it to full adulthood. That one survivor will be a strong animal and ultimately kill an older dominant male and take over his territory and his prides. From that moment to the end of his life he will fight other males who want to displace him, until one of them succeeds. A very hard life!

This picture shows a young male at the edge of puberty.

Technical data: Canon R6 with EF lens f2.8/70-200mm | ISO 1600 | 1/350sec | f2.8 | ev+0 | 200mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 25% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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Not only fish!

There are ten species of Kingfishers to be found in Southern Africa. Five of them are aquatic species and therefore hunting mostly fish. The other five are forest species catching predominantly insects and small vertebrates.

This is one of my favorite pictures of a Brown-hooded Kingfisher, the most common forest species on Thanda Safari (the other four are Striped-, Woodland-, Pygmy-, and Grey-hooded). The five aquatic species are Malachite-, Mangrove-, Half-collared-, Giant-, and Pied-).

Technical data: Canon R6 with EF lens f4.0/500mm | ISO 100 | 1/750sec | f4 | ev+/-0 | 500mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 30% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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280/180!

The blood pressure of a Giraffe is over double that of the ‘human standard’ (120/80). The tallest land mammal on earth requires the highest mammal blood pressure on earth to sustain its brain, far up above the ground.

And when adult Giraffe want to rest, they usually sit down and keep their head up in the air, not to risk high pressure damage to their brain.

Whenever they have to lower their head they do it only for short periods of time for the same reason.

Technical data: Canon R6 with EF lens f4.0/500mm | ISO 100 | 1/750sec | f4 | ev+1.5 | 500mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 25% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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Thick skin

An Elephant’s skin can be up to 3.8cm (1.5”) in certain places. The folds and wrinkles may contain far more water than flat skin. That helps them to stay cool. The have no sweat glands, so they often cover their skin with wet mud which also helps them cooling down in hot weather.

Their skin is very sensitive and they are one of only a few mammals who will not tolerated Oxpeckers (birds, which mainly hunt for ticks) sitting on them. But especially behind their ears the skin is very thin with many veins getting a lot of blood close to the surface. Flapping their ears back and forth helps them cooling down their blood.

Technical data: Canon R6 with EF lens f2.8/300mm | ISO 10000 | 1/750sec | f4 | ev+0 | 300mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 90% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

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