The unmissable Shoebill
A shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) in Uganda. This swamp-loving large bird is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss, hunting, and nest disturbance. Researchers estimate that there are around 5,000-8,000 left in the wild. Populations in the Sudan still need to be determind, however. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of Uganda’s...
Hairy elephant-relative with baby
This bizarre animal, resembling a rodent, in Kenya is a southern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus). Although the size of rabbit, the hyrax is actually closely related to the elephant and belongs to the Afrotheria clade that includes not only elephants, but manatees, sengis, tenrecs, and aardvarks. Four species of hyrax survive today. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of...
Elephant pair at the Chobe River
As the day ends numerous herds of Africa elephants (Loxodonta africana) come down to the Chobe River to drink and socialize. African elephants are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. They are threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and human-elephant conflict. On the positive side, African elephant populations are viewed as increasing on the continent. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs. Click to see more photos of...
Face to face
The Wolf Guenon (Cercopithecus wolfi) is native to central Africa. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of the Wolf Guenon.
From space: Nile at night
The Nile River Delta as seen from space at night. Photo courtesy of NASA.
Gorilla born at the London Zoo
Mjukuu with her new baby boy. Photo courtesy of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) . On October 26th, the London Zoo received a new arrival: a baby western lowland gorilla. The as yet unnamed boy was born to first-time mother Mjukuu. Zoological director, David Field, said the pair were doing ‘brilliantly’. Classified by the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered, western lowland gorillas, a subspecies of lowland...
Small antelope on Mount Kenya
A Suni (Neotragus moschatus), a small East African antelope, photographed on a trek up Mount Kenya. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2007. To see more photos of Mount Kenya.
Unidentified moth emerges from the dark
An as yet unidentified moth in Madagascar. Photo taken at Andasibe-Perinet-Analamazoatra. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2009. If you have information about the identity of this species, please contact us. To see more photos of moths and butterflies in...
Turkana woman
A Turkana woman. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2007. The Turkana of northern Kenya are semi-nomadic livestock herders inhabiting a harsh dry region, particularly susceptible to drought and therefore climate change. Surviving in a land of famine, the Turkana have long been marginalized by Kenyan government and society. To see more photos of the...
Photo: the bee and the crocodile
In Laongo National Park in Gabon, a bee rests on a African-slender snouted crocodile (Cocodrilo hociquifino africano), also known as the false gavial. The species is considered Data Deficient by the IUCN Red List, but has not been evaluated for over 15 years. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2006. More photos of Gabon’s...
