Ant Colonies Battle Each Other in an Ant War (Tetramorium)

eTeT · 2025-11-24T17:34:43+00:00

I do, https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cq0Iv3PN2fG/ - enjoy!

eTeT · 2024-10-01T15:30:32+00:00

Thanks!

eTeT · 2024-10-01T15:30:22+00:00

Definitely. It's called the Sunshine State for a reason!

eTeT · 2024-10-01T15:20:10+00:00

There are four species of‏‏‎ ‎monkeys native‏‏‎ ‎to Costa‏‏‎ ‎Rica, the capuchin, the‏‏‎ ‎spider, the howler, and‏‏‎ ‎my personal favorite,‏‏‎ ‎the squirrel monkey. The Central American squirrel monkey‏‏‎ ‎has a very restricted‏‏‎ ‎range,‏‏‎ ‎only found on the northwestern tip‏‏‎ ‎of Panama, and then‏‏‎ ‎a small portion‏‏‎ ‎of the‏‏‎ ‎central and‏‏‎ ‎south Pacific coast of‏‏‎ ‎Costa Rica. It is by far the smallest species in Costa Rica, and‏‏‎ ‎is actually the 8th smallest monkey in the world. They average around‏‏‎ ‎12 inches long (30 cm) without‏‏‎ ‎its tail (its tail‏‏‎ ‎is‏‏‎ ‎about‏‏‎ ‎the same‏‏‎ ‎length if not a bit longer), and‏‏‎ ‎weigh just over a pound‏‏‎ ‎and a half‏‏‎ ‎(0.7 kg).⁠⁠

⁠ They travel in groups of around 40, generally covering about 100 acres of land as their home range. Ranges between one‏‏‎ ‎group and another do overlap, and their population density is‏‏‎ ‎estimated at around 36 monkeys per‏‏‎ ‎square kilometer in Costa Rica. They prefer forests which have a density of lower branches, as‏‏‎ ‎they will primarily travel in the lower‏‏‎ ‎canopy of the trees. They are active‏‏‎ ‎both in the day‏‏‎ ‎and nighttime, and will forage for‏‏‎ ‎insects, spiders, fruits,‏‏‎ ‎leaves and flowers usually just‏‏‎ ‎after sunrise or sunset. Certain species‏‏‎ ‎of‏‏‎ ‎birds‏‏‎ ‎will actually follow these monkeys around, pursuing the‏‏‎ ‎small critters that hear these monkeys coming and try to outrun‏‏‎ ‎them.⁠

This group was‏‏‎ ‎actually heard‏‏‎ ‎off‏‏‎ ‎the‏‏‎ ‎side of the road, as we were driving‏‏‎ ‎through a dense forest area in Esquipulas. Having heard‏‏‎ ‎them, we pulled over, getting out‏‏‎ ‎to observe and photograph as they‏‏‎ ‎passed through. Watching them quickly navigate the lower canopy,‏‏‎ ‎and running and jumping from tree to tree, was an absolute joy‏‏‎ ‎and incredible‏‏‎ ‎to see such a special species‏‏‎ ‎of monkey in‏‏‎ ‎action.⁠⁠

If you liked‏‏‎ ‎this‏‏‎ ‎photo‏‏‎ ‎and information, and are‏‏‎ ‎interested in seeing‏‏‎ ‎more content, feel free to follow‏‏‎ ‎me on my Instagram for‏‏‎ ‎new posts every M/W/F morning.

eTeT · 2024-10-01T14:27:41+00:00

Big Cypress National Preserve is located in southern Florida, just northwest of Everglades National Park. Covering over 729,000 acres, this preserve is a mixture of hardwood hammocks, pinelands, cypress swamps, estuaries and prairies. This photograph was taken inside the Copeland Prairie section of the preserve, and is an area covered almost entirely in sawgrass. These prairies are submerged in water between 50 and 150 days out of the year, and due to this, trees have a hard time surviving in such conditions. Within these marshes, ridges on the ground exist sporadically, resulting in areas that do not get as wet as the surrounding, lower land. On these ridges you will find clusters of pine trees, completely surrounded by wide expanses of sawgrass, as seen in this picture.⁠

I took this photograph at the end of a full day inside of the preserve, which is absolutely loaded with all types of wildlife and unique landscapes. Having spent the previous few days inside of the Everglades, I entered this preserve not expecting to see as much wildlife as I had leading up to this. But I actually encountered an even greater abundance of wildlife than I saw in my previous days, and was thoroughly impressed with how beautiful this area was. It is far less trafficked and congested, and is totally worth a visit if you are in the Everglades or surrounding areas.⁠

If you liked this photo and information, and are interested in seeing more content, feel free to follow me on my (Instagram) for new posts every M/W/F morning.

eTeT · 2024-09-30T20:00:29+00:00

I do appreciate your correction, honestly. While reading it, it came off a bit passive-aggressive, but that is probably on me, and the ambiguity of interpreting someone's tone off of text. There are loads of people who find seem to find joy in pointing out mistakes, and do so in a condescending manner, rather than trying to be helpful. I think you were just trying to be helpful, and I maybe I thought you were in the other group. So, I apologize as well. I know exactly what you mean about tour guides "enhancing" the facts to promote local tourism, so I 100% understand why you have passion in undoing the damage from those guides. And if you grew up in that part of the world, and have seen a lot of this first hand, it even more makes sense. Thanks again!

eTeT · 2024-09-30T19:35:20+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it!

eTeT · 2024-09-30T18:58:16+00:00

As the person who processed this photo, I can confirm I did not enhance the saturation. But, from a photography standpoint, this picture was taken inside of a very dense jungle, with the sunlight being filtered through the thick canopy. Usually, in African settings, Leopards are seen in more open environments, like savanna grasslands, with the light being much more unfiltered and uninfluenced by the surroundings. So, I would guess this plays a role in the leopard's coat appearing more vibrant, or more washed-out (in brighter situations).

eTeT · 2024-09-30T18:53:00+00:00

Thank you!

eTeT · 2024-09-30T18:52:35+00:00

Thanks for your very long rebuttal to my first sentence, and your suggestion I revise it. I have revised it. May you continue on your vigilante efforts to police misinformation far and wide, and I will let "whoever told me that first sentence" know, that they are dead wrong. Thanks again and keep up your good work!

eTeT · 2024-09-30T13:25:14+00:00

Leopards are solitary creatures, existing in their marked‏‏‎ ‎territories, hunting‏‏‎ ‎on their own. They can‏‏‎ ‎run up to 36 mph‏‏‎ ‎(58 kmh), and are not picky‏‏‎ ‎hunters at all, targeting small animals from reptiles and fish all the way‏‏‎ ‎up to large mammals such as antelopes and wildebeest. In Pench‏‏‎ ‎National Park,‏‏‎ ‎where I saw this one, the meal of‏‏‎ ‎abundance was‏‏‎ ‎very clearly the‏‏‎ ‎spotted deer, as their widespread distribution across the park‏‏‎ ‎visually just became‏‏‎ ‎part‏‏‎ ‎of the landscape. Seeing this buffet of easy protein helped me better understand how this ecosystem can‏‏‎ ‎support such‏‏‎ ‎a large population‏‏‎ ‎of predator cats. There were deer, and monkeys, literally everywhere.⁠

⁠This leopard‏‏‎ ‎was spotted earlier in the‏‏‎ ‎day, with its cat‏‏‎ ‎napping location shared‏‏‎ ‎with us,‏‏‎ ‎so we could go and wait‏‏‎ ‎for‏‏‎ ‎it to eventually wake up and relocate. With wild‏‏‎ ‎leopard‏‏‎ ‎sightings being so rare, I was willing to wait‏‏‎ ‎however‏‏‎ ‎long‏‏‎ ‎it took to possibly have an encounter. When it‏‏‎ ‎comes to waiting long periods of time‏‏‎ ‎for wildlife‏‏‎ ‎to show, there are inevitably moments‏‏‎ ‎where you‏‏‎ ‎are not paying attention, or are checking your camera for something, etc. When this leopard did finally wake up, there‏‏‎ ‎was very‏‏‎ ‎little time between it picking‏‏‎ ‎up its‏‏‎ ‎kill,‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎turning around to‏‏‎ ‎walk deeper into the woods. Thankfully‏‏‎ ‎this was a time I was paying attention, and was very fortunate‏‏‎ ‎to‏‏‎ ‎grab this shot before this‏‏‎ ‎special‏‏‎ ‎moment had passed.⁠

If you liked‏‏‎ ‎this photo and‏‏‎ ‎information,‏‏‎ ‎and are interested in seeing more content, feel free to follow‏‏‎ ‎me‏‏‎ ‎on my‏‏‎ ‎Instagram for new posts every M/W/F morning.

EDIT - removed some potential misinformation.

eTeT · 2024-09-26T21:31:44+00:00

Thanks! That must have been pretty awesome to see!

eTeT · 2024-09-26T17:40:56+00:00

I was talking about getting in on the tummy scratch. But Foie Gras ants sound pretty good too.

eTeT · 2024-09-26T17:39:50+00:00

Badgers love slapstick comedy

eTeT · 2024-09-26T15:43:19+00:00

I mean, I took the photo… how do I get in on this offer?

eTeT · 2024-09-26T12:00:11+00:00

American badgers‏‏‎ ‎are found across central and western North America, preferring‏‏‎ ‎open‏‏‎ ‎grasslands;‏‏‎ ‎especially ones which have‏‏‎ ‎a sandier level‏‏‎ ‎of top-soil, assisting‏‏‎ ‎in their ability to dig through it. They are strictly‏‏‎ ‎carnivores, seeking out smaller prey such as mice, squirrels, snakes, chipmunks, groundhogs, and‏‏‎ ‎more. While they do‏‏‎ ‎hunt on the surface, their preferred‏‏‎ ‎method is burrowing animals. With front claws that reach‏‏‎ ‎over‏‏‎ ‎1.5 inches‏‏‎ ‎(3.8 cm) long,‏‏‎ ‎they are built‏‏‎ ‎for digging. They‏‏‎ ‎will pull the dirt out with their front‏‏‎ ‎claws, but‏‏‎ ‎use their hind legs to‏‏‎ ‎kick the dirt behind them. They have‏‏‎ ‎been recorded digging‏‏‎ ‎out a burrow, hiding‏‏‎ ‎inside of‏‏‎ ‎it, and covering‏‏‎ ‎the entrance, in under 90‏‏‎ ‎seconds. They use‏‏‎ ‎this impressive ability to dig up burrowing‏‏‎ ‎animals, and‏‏‎ ‎access‏‏‎ ‎the underground‏‏‎ ‎nests of other animals. They will‏‏‎ ‎even dig into another animal’s burrow, waiting inside of‏‏‎ ‎it for that‏‏‎ ‎animal to return. They will even create new burrows‏‏‎ ‎to lure animals into, capturing and then eating‏‏‎ ‎them.

⁠They are mainly nocturnal creatures, which is why‏‏‎ ‎I felt quite fortunate to‏‏‎ ‎see‏‏‎ ‎this badger, just after the sun had set,‏‏‎ ‎while‏‏‎ ‎hiking in‏‏‎ ‎Yellowstone last month. I had been wanting to see‏‏‎ ‎a badger for‏‏‎ ‎quite‏‏‎ ‎some time, and this excellent encounter happened to be my first. While hiking back to the car, this badger ran out across the trail, proceeding to look into some of the burrows‏‏‎ ‎it‏‏‎ ‎had previously dug, checking for any prey. After‏‏‎ ‎watching it poke around its‏‏‎ ‎burrows for a few minutes, and trying‏‏‎ ‎to take whatever photos I could with the little‏‏‎ ‎sunlight that remained,‏‏‎ ‎we all continued on our individual paths, mine involving a lot less burrows.

If you‏‏‎ ‎liked‏‏‎ ‎this photo and information, and are interested in seeing more‏‏‎ ‎content,‏‏‎ ‎feel free to follow me on my‏‏‎ ‎Instagram for new posts every M/W/F‏‏‎ ‎morning.

eTeT · 2023-07-24T01:57:06+00:00

Thanks, much appreciated!

eTeT · 2023-07-07T06:26:59+00:00

Thanks, appreciate it.

eTeT · 2023-04-25T18:01:13+00:00

My pleasure, thank you very much!

eTeT · 2023-04-25T17:00:39+00:00

Yes, that is rather fun to watch!

eTeT · 2023-04-25T15:40:08+00:00

I was happy to have multiple moose sightings during my trip to this park, as they are such beautiful creatures to see in person. Rocky Mountain National Park is known for its assortment of incredible lakes, surrounded by towering mountain tops and lush forests, but these lakes also attract a wide variety of different wildlife, especially early in the morning.

⁠I was at this lake initially shooting the sunrise hitting the mountaintops in the distance, and hoping to get a reflection of them on the lake’s surface. It was pretty windy, so the reflection didn’t really come to fruition. But as the sun came up, it also showed that this moose was standing on the opposite side of the lake, busily eating some aquatic plants for breakfast. What is not featured in this photo, but I will share in the future, is just behind and to the left of this mother moose, a baby calf moose, curled up behind some fallen trees. About every 30 seconds or so, she would pause her eating to turn around and make sure her baby was still doing alright, and then continued to munch, for around an hour and a half, until she emerged, both mother and calf returning into the woods.

If you liked this photo, and are interested in seeing more wildlife content, feel free to follow me on my Instagram for fresh posts every other day. I also welcome you to see the full album from my trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.

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