#bionerds

Look at that nose!!! 😍 To get a photograph of these mammals is not easy at all... Round-eared Elephant Shrews inhabit the more arid regions of the South, Western and Northern Cape. They forage on insects as well as roots and tubers - and they have been documented feeding on fallen berries as well. They are solitary animals, believed to be monogamous. They live in burrows that they expropriate from other rodents, reuse or dig themselves. Macroscelides proboscideus, somewhere dry, Western Cape, South Africa. #canon #canonmacro #macro #ishootwithorms #bionerds #biodiversity #planning #surveys #support #ecoexploration #mammal #mammals #mammalsofinstagram #shrew #shrews #shrewsofinstagram #elephantshrew #Macroscelidesproboscideus #nature #wildlife #arid #cute #longnose (at South Africa)

Puff Adder ! ! ! It is always awesome to see these heavily built, bulky snakes in their natural habitat. They always look so menacing... This species is very common throughout South Africa. They are slow moving, well camouflaged ambush hunters... and they are very seldomly seen in their natural habitat. This species is of medical significance. Bites should be considered as life threatening and immediate medical attention is advisable. Bitis arietans, Overberg, South Africa. #canon #canonmacro #macro #ishootwithorms #bionerds #biodiversity #planning #surveys #support #snake #snakes #snakesofinstagram #reptile #reptiles #reptilesofinstagram #adder #puffadder #bitis #bitisarietans #venomous #southafrica #wildlife #nature (at Overberg)

The Knysna Leaf-folding Frogs are dainty endangered amphibians. As the name suggests, this species folds a leaf (grass or reed) and deposits its eggs in the 'leaf pocket'. When the eggs hatch the tadpoles slip out of the egg mass and drops into the water, where it develops to maturity. We were very fortunate to find this gorgeous Afrixalus knysnae outside of Wilderness on the Garden Route, South Africa. #canon #canonmacro #macro #ishootwithorms #bionerds #biodiversity #planning #support #surveys #ecoexploration #frog #frogs #frogsofinstagram #amphibian #amphibians #amphibiansofinstagram #afrixalusknysnae #leaffoldingfrogs #southafrica #endemic #endangered #nature #wildlife (at Garden Route)

This is such a charismatic species... and they are super docile. Opistacanthus capensis is a large scorpion species, getting up to 90mm in length, and they are nocturnal. They are found in a variety of habitats and are not uncommon in towns and homes. They really are a very calm and docile species and stings are rare. Overberg, Western Cape, South Africa. #canon #ishootwithorms #bionerds #biodiversity #planning #surveys #support #EcoExploration #animalsofinstagram #scorpion #scorpions #sting #venomous #naturephotography #nature #wild #wildlifeofinstagram #southafrica #africa #westerncape #overberg (at Western Cape)

Great White Sharks are spectacular animals! This species is found along coastal surface waters of all of our major oceans. In South Africa the highest density of Carcharodon carcharias is found around Dyer Island, Gansbaai. The ever growing colony of Cape Fur Seals on Geyser Rock offers the Great Whites a great hunting area - which in turn affords scientists from all over the world an opportunity to study this species. Great Whites are a migratory species, individuals that visit the Gansbaai coastline regularly have been recorded in Mozambique and as far as Australia! This charismatic animal was photographed on board of Marine Dynamics boat, Slashfin, which conduct Great White Shark cage diving and viewing out of Kleinbaai, Overberg, South Africa. #canon #canonmacro #macro #ishootwithorms #bionerds #biodiversity #planning #surveys #support #ecoexploration #nature #wildlife #sharks #elasmobranch #greatwhiteshark #shark #whiteshark #fish #cagediving #diving #ocean #sealife #wildlife (at Marine Dynamics)

What a lucky day, for us - and this immature Ground Woodpecker! Ground Woodpeckers live in tight-knit family groups. This species lives and forage on steep rocky terrain. They are one of three terrestrial woodpecker species across the globe, and the largest woodpecker in South Africa (up to 30cm total length). We were driving along the pass and there was this youngster sitting in the middle of the busy road! We thought it had already been hit by a car... there wasn't time to debate our options, the bionerds swerved, the bionerds jumped, and we had a spectacular bird in hand. Which turned out to be fine, just a bit lost having strayed from its family group, and unable to fly up high enough to clear the verge to get back to safety... We could hear its family foraging and calling on the rocky slope further up away from the road. We carried it closer to where we could hear them, and set him free again, he wasted no time in getting back to them - and away from us! One lucky Geocolaptus olivaceus, Tradouw Pass, Western Cape. #canon #ishootwithorms #bionerds #biodiversity #planning #surveys #support #ecoexploration #bird #birds #birdsofinstagram #birdlife #avian #feathered #woodpecker #woodpeckers #woodpeckersofinstagram #nature #wildlife #southafrica (at Tradouw Pass)

This Long-jawed Six-eyed Spider (aka Woodlouse Spiders) can be found around our homes and in rural areas, under rocks or in warm leaf litter - majority of the time in close proximity to woodlice. This is a nocturnal active hunter which does not spin a web to catch their prey - but they do construct silken retreats in crevices between bricks or rocks which they occupy during the day. The most common prey in their habitat is woodlice, but they will eat any invertebrate they can overpower with their disproportionately large jaws. Dysdera crocata, Napier, Overberg - South Africa. #canon #canonmacro #macro #nikon #nikonsa #nikonic #bionerds #biodiversity #planning #support #surveys #ecoexploration #ishootwithorms #spider #spiders #spidersofinstagram #arachnid #arachnids #atachnidsofinstagram #sixeyedspider #woodlicespider #dysderacrocata #southafrica #westerncape #introduced #nature #wildlife (at Napier, Western Cape)

Chameleons are mesmerizing... and this little dwarf chameleon was fast asleep when we found it! Robertson's Dwarf Chameleons is an endemic to the southwestern part of South Africa. They prefer karoid, renosterveld and fynbos vegetation - where one can find their ghostly forms in ones headlamp lights at night. Bradypodion gutturale, Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve, Overberg - South Africa. #canon #canonmacro #macro #ishootwithorms #bionerds #biodiversity #planning #surveys #support #ecoexploration #chameleon #chameleonsofinstagram #chameleons #reptilesofinstagram #reptile #reptiles #herping #herpetology #bradypodiongutturale #robertsonsdwarfchameleons #nature #wildlife #southafrica #africa #haarwegskloof (at Overberg)