Other animals

Bioko's southern coast is a key sea turtle nesting site, where up to four species lay eggs each dry season. This vital moment also feeds many predators. Most hatchlings never reach the sea, like this Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) taken by a Atlantic land crab (Johngarthia weileri). A stark example of the relentless harshness of nature.

Every fall, many winter moths (Lepidoptera Geometridae) hatch in the forest around my hometown in Bavaria. The males try to find one of the flightless females sitting on tree trunks. To capture the flight movement of the moths, I chose a shooting technique with an LED and a flash in the 2nd shutter. After a few thousand exposures, I found this photo in my shots where some branches were illuminated during the exposure.

A male southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida) peers out from underneath outstretched tree branches covered in California newt (Taricha torosa) egg masses with well-developed larvae inside.

Anchored to submerged tree roots in the rushing current of an Apennine stream, two  European toads (Bufo bufo) remain locked in amplexus. The flow sweeps past them, yet their grip holds firm, offering a brief underwater glimpse into the determination behind their breeding ritual.

Observing from the top of a bridge over the river, I was able to photograph this yacare caiman (Caiman yacare) stalking potential prey among the algae. As the day was drawing to a close, some friends alerted me to the presence of this specimen. It was undoubtedly an exceptional opportunity to photograph it before daylight completely faded.

A single long exposure: 108 sec. Since 2016 I have been photographing winter moths (Lepidoptera Geometridae) in the dark, cold forest. Swarming of male wintermoth under bald trees in closed forests in a beautiful evening in late Octobober when the temperature was 0-8°C. In the past 10 years, I had never managed to capture winter moths in front of such a beautiful, autumn, moonlit, carefully aligned background.

Deep within the Turkey oak's forest (Quercus cerris), hidden amongst the leaf litter, lies a fascinating creature. A oak hawk-moth (Marumba quercus) that only reveals itself when darkness takes over everything. When the sun sets, some leaves take flight, coming back to life, as if the moonlight were pushing them upwards, defeating gravity.