Humans aren't the only narcissistic selfie-loving animals, turns out much of the animal kingdom enjoys a good portrait. Biologist Roland Kays assembled hundreds of candid photographs of animals from across in the globe in the wild from scientists and conservation projects in a new book, Candid Creatures: How Camera Traps Reveal the Mysteries of Nature. "Kays reveals how scientists have used camera traps to indentify problems, as well as solutions, so that humans and wild animals can coexsist," the book states. Aside from its conservation usefulness, the photos have undeniable humor and interspecies friendships.
Here, Long-tailed macaques are a common species in Southeast Asia and live a bold and curious lifestyle. Although about half of their diet is fruit, they are always on the lookout for a small insect or lizard to pounce on. They also beg for handouts from tourists, congregating in huge groups at temple sites.
Benoit Goossens
Across their range, northern raccoons are typically one of the most common mammals, especially in areas that have water or human development nearby, supplying streams or rubbish for them to forage through. This animal from the Florida Keys has plenty of people and water around to live a prosperous raccoon lifestyle.
Mike Cove
As this cooperative animal lounging in front of a camera trap shows, jaguarundis have one of the most unusual faces in the cat family. Analysis of their skull shape con rms this, showing that they are more similar to the cougar and cheetah than other cats.
TEAM Central Suriname
A vampire bat feeds on a cow that is sleeping at the forest edge in Panama. Cattle are now a primary food for vampire bats, and the bats reach their highest densities near cattle ranches. Ranchers hate vampire bats because their feeding slows the weight gain of individual cows, reduces milk production, and could even transmit rabies to the herd.
Helen Esser,Yorick Liefting,Patrick Jansen Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Tapirs have a long, fleshy prehensile nose that works similarly to an elephant’s trunk. It can be used to grab leaves, as a snorkel while swimming, and, of course, to smell for food or predators. The Malayan tapir has the longest snout of the five tapir species.
Ruben Clements
The genet might be using this rhino as a movable hunting blind, waiting for mice or insects to run out of the way of the big lumbering beast and then pouncing on them from above. Genets are great jumpers and climbers and presumably would have little problem getting onto the back of a slow-moving rhinoceros. This animal looks like it may have just jumped onto the rhino’s back.
Wildlife ACT and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
A chimpanzee reaches out to touch the camera trap and triggers its motion sensor, taking an apparent selfie.
Badru Mugerwa/ITFC/TEAM Network
The long ears of this aardvark probably help keep it cool in the dry savannas of Kenya.
T. O'Brien/M. Kinnaird/WCS
This spotted hyena isn’t hiding from anyone as it enjoys a bath in a water hole.
Ongava Game Reserve
A great horned owl lands in front of a cat robot and displays, pounces on the cat to sink its talons into the faux fur, and then flies off with its mechanical prey. The cat was found not far away, mostly intact, suggesting that the owl probably discovered the ruse after its first bite.
Credit: Roland Kays
Candid Creatures: How Camera Traps Reveal the Mysteries of Nature is available now through Johns Hopkins University Press.
via Amazon
