#alpha was based on a sea slug

[squeakadeeks]

*me drawing my own OC* I likee her

[originalwinnercheesecake]

Anne, Sasha, and Marcy as Pokemon Trainers

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So apparently my new favorite thing is to take story based family cartoons and turn all the characters into Pokemon trainers. I have already done 2 posts for The Owl House, Gravity falls has a post saved in my drafts, and I have plans for multiple other cartoons. The Owl house just ended, and that has sme poeple talking about Amphibia to again (I know the endings were different, I am not gonna say which ending was better. One show was about the hardships of growing up, one show was about the importance of finding a supportive community). But I figured now was as god as any time to do my Amphibia trio as trainers post. I am only making Anne, Sasha, and Marcy pokemon trainers. The amphibious characters I am using as inspirations for their teams.

ANNE BOONCHUY”S TEAM:

Froakie: It’s a tough little Frog pokemon, and I picked it to represent Anne’s bonds with the Planters and the Frog citizens of Amphibia.

Torracat: Anne loves her cat Domino more than almost anything in the world. When she first tells Sprig and Polly about Domino she states “You would like her. She has fire”. So  I had to give her a fire-type cat pokemon. I chose the second evolution of Litten’s line because Anne has a;ready invested so much time into raising and training Domino, that I feel like she would have already evolved the first time.

A western Gastrodon: I picked this one for a couple reasons. 1.) I really wanted to give Anne a sea based water-type because she mentions that loves the aquarium in her home town and goes there whenever she feels sad. Also while I know a sea slug and a garden snail are not the same thing, Gastrodon still reminded me a bit of Bessie. I went with its Western apparence because it is blue, Anne’s calamity color

Ambipom: Since Tennis is Anne’s sport I tired to find a tennis based pokemon that she could train/play with. There is not any pokemon that are tennis based. So after looking and finding nothing I decided to instead give Anne an Ambipom. She could teach one to play tennis with her. It stands upright and has two gloved hands on its twin tails for holding and swinging a racket.

Honedge and Bronzo: Honedge is a single bade which is the weapon Anne learns to wield during her time on Amphibia. Bronzo is a shield and representative of Anne’s protective nature for towards her friends and her willingness to leap to the defense of those in need

Anne’s team: Froakie, Torracat, Western Gastrodon, Ambipom, Honedge, Bronzo

SASHA WAYBRIGHT”S TEAM

Crogunk: its a fighting toad, and represents Sasha’s bond with Grime and the Toad citizens of Amphibia.

Doublade: Sasha learns to wield dual blades during her time in Amphibia

Pom-Pom style Oricorio: Surprise, surprise there actually is a cheer leading based pokemon. Well actually its 1 pokemon with 4 different styles based on what color flower nectar it is fed. Cheer leading Pom-Pom style is flying and electric, and is maintained by giving it nectar from yellow flowers. I imagine that is what Sasha would feed hers.

Hitmontop and Braixen: So when Sasha creates a introduction title for herself, after hearing General Yuana’s many times, she recounts that she is “Captian of the cheer squad, top scorer on the arcades dance game, and 1st lieutenant of Grimes Army”. She seems equally as proud of her dance skills as she is of her fighting skills, so I gave her two fighting type pokemon that also have moves when it comes to dance

Houndour: okay Sasha is really protective of her loved ones too, but unlike Anne she is a lot more forceful and alpha type. So instead of a shield she gets an alpha guard dog... I also wanted to give her a dog because she cannonly struggles with going back and forth between her parents houses, and according to Matt was just starting to realize her bisexuality during the shows original run and that realization was scaring her. the girl is going through a lot and I feel she needs something furry to pet/hug.

Sasha’s team: Crogunk, Doublade, Pom-pom style Oricorio, Hitmontop, Braixen, Houndour

MARCY WU’S TEAM

Marcy was actually the hardest of the three girls to chose a team for, and I had to change and eliminate some pokemon I had originally picked out for her, but I eventually buit a team that I am satisfied properly represents Marcy’s character

Treeko: It’s a Newt and reprasentative of Marcy’s bonds with Yuana, and lady Olivia and the Newt citizens of Amphibia

Decidueye: I looked for a bow and arrow or crossbow pokemon but no. Deidueye as the only archer pokemon I could find. it’s high level but since Marcy is both the most strategic and researched of the group, as well as an experianced battler I could see her being able to level it up fast.  Still after giving her Decidueye I had to take pigeot (Joe Sparrow) off her list.

Ledyba: Marcy has a notable interest in bugs in the show (ants, spiders, ladybugs, and beetles). I looked at the pokemon counterparts and I picked Ledyba because it looked liked the one that was the least likely to injury her while training.

Lampent: she is good a architecture and public lighting.

Rotom: closest thing I could find to an electrical/ computer based pokemon

Klefki: she wants to go to new and unknown areas to adventure. I did not want to give her an unknown, because I have already given it to a couple other nerd characters and they’re supposed to be rare. So instead I am giving her klefki to unlock new doorways to hidden adventure. plus its a fairy type which appeals to Macy being a fantasy nerd.

Marcy’s team: treekco, Deidueye, Ledyba, Lampen, Rotom, and Klefki.

[ruthlesslistener]

blacked out and woke up to a doodle page of my new alien species, whose name roughly translates to the Seawalkers in their language. If you ever wanted a super intelligent amphibious eel-reptile sea-land predator that stands 6-9 feet at the shoulder and would eat you in a heartbeat instant if you failed to impress it, then here you go!

*NOTE: THIS IS A CLOSED PERSONAL SPECIES THAT IS STILL IN DEVELOPMENT*

Some bio and worldbuilding notes under the cut:

-Lives in social groups comprised of one 'Alpha' male and multiple females. Beta males also live in the groups but generally stick to one female while the alpha gets to mate with everyone; called pods

-Has a marsupial-like pouch where eggs and hatchlings are carried. Hatchlings are born with their back legs fused to their tail, paddle-like forelimbs with usable middle limbs, and slowly metamorphose in the mother's pouch. Clutches of 5 or more or common, but the two largest hatchlings will usually eat their weaker siblings, so 1-3 offspring more common

-Pods go up to 15 in number, territorial but not terribly so. World is an ocean planet with a hot tropical-temperate climate and land composed mostly of islands covered in salt marshes, small rainforests, and surrounded by coral reefs, so food is always available, it's more defense of brooding spots that is essential. The deep ocean is considered to be a neutral place for all and is where all pods go to compile their knowledge and advance their learning

-Mostly carnivorous but has a specially adapted sharp tongue with bristles to help poke through tough-shelled fruits and drink/eat the flesh, holding it in place with tusks.

-Do not make clothes. Technologically advanced, but generally does so in ways that blends with their environment and/or is water based, so it goes unseen. Art and architecture are linked. Their planet is rich in magnetics and metals, so most of their technology revolves around power generated through electromagnetic interactions, as fire is almost always suffocated in the water-dense atmosphere

-Middle limbs are long with dextrous fingers and two opposable thumbs. Though they seem like they'd get in the way, they can be tucked flat against the body to avoid interference with the front and hind limbs. Most delicate work is done with these hands, as they were evolved to catch swift prey, gather fruit, and pry open shelled foods. They have an extremely high range of motion and were originally evolved from thick sensory tendrils- similar to gourami fish- that eventually evolved into grabbers

-Not actually the best swimmers, though they’re far more efficient than they look; they tuck their limbs in and swim like eels or crocodiles, but generally prefer to walk along the seafloor, hence their name ‘seawalkers’

-Do not have nostrils. The tendrils in place of nostrils gather chemical cues from both air and water, like a slug. Covered in a thin layer of mucus and are capable of being moved by the seawalker voluntarily

-Able to engage in intense bursts of speed on land to hunt the other creatures that live on their islands, however they cannot sustain this for long. Alpha and beta males/young unbred females are typically the hunters, with the alpha doing the brunt of the heavy work and the beta males/young females darting in for the kill. The matriarch, elders, and breeding females gather fruit for water and collect/crack open smaller prey items, which are sometimes wrapped in leaves and fermented with fruit in burrows to keep prey through the storm season

-Alpha males are basically walls of muscle and function to keep the beta males in check (preventing breeding when they can see it), keep other alphas off the land, and dig the brooding-wells that breeding females and neonates need. They also dig out underwater caves for the pod to rest in during hurricane season, and keep watch over the pod. They’re basically a wall of muscle constantly set to ‘is this guy bothering you queen’ mode

-Years are called season-cycles and are comprised of three total, each roughly 7 earth months long. There is the long-sun season, the swelling-storm season, and the long rains. The Long Rains are the closest to our winter, the long-sun is the closest to summer, and the swelling-storm are just nonstop hurricanes

-Modified gill slits work as lung entrances, however they are vulnerable to losing water through those holes, so they need to be in a very high-humidity environment. Spacefarers describe air on their planet as being 'basically water' 

-Stands 6ft tall at the shoulder at the very least. Alpha males usually reach 9ft at the shoulder on average

-have found out how to access space via their deep underwater labs, but are not terribly interested in it- they're more concerned with evolving their knowledge of the planet, of medicine, and of more efficient biotech. Open to parley with alien species if the negotiation is respectful, will hunt and eat the rest

-While aloof, protective bonds around pods are strong and a 'life for a life' mentality is even stronger. If one member of the pod is killed, then the life of another from the perpetrators must be taken before the debt is considered to be fulfilled, a blood debt that is kept track of by the matriarch. The only exception to this is if the alpha is killed in ritual battle, as it is understood that an alpha’s life is given entirely for his pod, and becoming an alpha is typically voluntary (with the exception of some particularly ambitious matriarchs pushing their favored sons into the position when they are too young to contest)

-Communicates mostly through clicks, rumbles, and trills that cannot be replicated by human voices, as well as a lot of sign/body language. When replicating human languages, their voices have a buzzing tone and have eerie dips in frequency. Vocalizing is usually limited to water while sign reigns on land, as their calls can be strong enough to rupture eardrums and cause brain damage

-Tusks also used for fighting, goring, and spearing prey; do not inhibit eating bc the middle arms will tear pieces off of the meal to feed to the head. Both males and females have 4 tusks, but only alpha males have 4 long ones; in beta males and females, the two top tusks are usually much smaller

-Neck and head frills used for mating and dominance displays, and are usually bright blues and teals in colour. Alpha males have jowel spots not unlike that of iguanas

-They have 4 eyes and two eyespots, which is standard for many species on their planet. The two larger eyes judge distance, the two smaller judge depth, and the eyespots are located on the underside of the jaw, only useful for judging light and shadow. Eyes tend to be an iridescent blue or green, with a barely-noticeable pupil (or four)

-Primary diet consists of crustaceans, smaller fish, and the occasional large landdwelling grazer, hunted by the alpha and younger males/females. They are capable of quick bursts of speed, but cannot sustain these for long, much like cheetahs. In water, they will use their dextrous middle arms and eyespots to forage for small prey items. Hydration comes from mashing the liquid out of tropical fruits, dropping the pulp and the seeds, or by puncturing coconut-like fruits and drinking their water like mentioned. They pay very close attention to where they drop their pulp, and meticulously do so to ensure that waterbearing trees are always available year-round

-Their planet is smaller than Earth, mostly composed of water, and has high amounts of nitrogen and oxygen in it. Water density is significantly lower and more water is in the atmosphere, making humidity at a constant 100% (made worse by the fact that it is also a mostly tropical climate; one pole is temperate, and the other is iced over due to the planet's tilt). Seawalkers breathe oxygen and nitrogen in through modified gill-lungs that are dependant on this high water content to filter it out of the air; ‘lungs’ are basically pockets in the neck lined with many flesh-flaps on the inside that are rich in blood, and connected to a heart in the throat that pumps this blood directly to the brain, back to the lungs, and then down to the main heart in the center of the body. Their blood is blue and rich in copper 

-Pods are ruled by a matriarch and an alpha male. The alpha male is always the matriarch's son, and his spot can be won by his mother fighting for him, which he then defends fiercely as she ages. The alpha male dying may not always displace the matriarch, but it removes her line of defense (as arthritis is an issue when they reach old age, which is around 150 earth years)

-Gender roles are strongly divided, but are not considered permanent. There are in essence 3 sexes- alpha male, beta male, and female- but these are fluid. Gender is all about behavior, not sex, as a beta male will always grow to obtain alpha traits in the absense of an alpha, and females can voluntarily shut off the female sex hormone to prevent estrus (done in cases where she does not approve of the males present)

-Skin is similar to that of a ball python, in that it is composed of a bunch of small, soft scales; however, these scales are constantly being shed on an individual level and do not come off in one piece. Peeling skin like a lizard's shed usually means that the seawalker is in a too-dry environment and is typically an itchy, miserable experience

-There is no monetary system, as trade does not exist between pods. The closest thing to it is the exchange of knowledge, if one pod finds itself at the mercy of another and does not want to fight; the seawalkers take honour and truth very seriously, and lying about valuable resources because you are a coward is considered a very serious offense that can result in death or total isolation from your pod (as fighting occurs between alphas and matriarchs, and the rest of the pod can leave if wished)

[primrose-fr]

Wildlife of the Scarred Wastes

Hey I put together a list of all wildlife found in Plague, for writing purposes. Because it's pretty unique from the rest of Sornieth. Thus can be a bit difficult to write for.  It's also interesting to note that most of the creatures can be found in other locations too, I picture the varieties found in plague to be more...plague-y. I hope this is at least a good jumping off point for you writers/worldbuilders!

Includes little personal notes here and there about possible uses, ecology and real-life equivalents, and interesting notes from the items bio too.

Everything under the cut. Long post ahead

Meat:

Panther Anole (Small, fool hardy, easy prey for hatchlings) Plague Bat (Bat that carries plagues?? Probably a small snack for adults and a meal for hatchlings) Satin Mouse (Magically charged mice, might have been introduced from Arcane) Java Sparrow (Small songbird, Nutritious) Shrew (Small and mole like, cannot be tamed) Marsh Rabbit (Oily water repellent fur, probably like a softer beaver pelt. Decent meal. Probably farmed for fur) Dappled Clucker (Chickens whose females brutally fight over males. Probably farmed for meat) Steppes Box Turtle (known for it's shell pattern) Musk Scrapper (Like a brown skunk, stinks but apparently the meat is incredible.) Flecked Bushrunner (Type of quail. males race each other to impress females. Proabably a common type of wild game) Wood Duck (Probably a common type of wild game) Silver-Laced Rooster (There was a play about a rooster trying to woo a dragon. Ended poorly.) Arroyo Toad (Most dragons are immune to it's toxin but Mirrors are allergic to it.) Plantain Poacher (Type of squirrel monkey. Common pest that raids produce stores.) Bush Rat Wallaby (Probably a decent sized meal) False Podid (Decent meal, cousin to common podid, tastes best when roasted in the shell) White-Eared Hummingbird Coral Snake (VENOMOUS. Rear-fanged. But edible to dragons if eaten carefully. Snakes store their venom in the head area. Body meat is generally fine.) White Squirrel (Cannot jump, probably easy prey. Most likely is native to Ice) Tokay Gecko (DEADLY. Covered in a potent poison from head to toe. (Note: real tokay geckos are not poisonous, just massive bitey assholes)) Bleeding Heart Crow (Only Males have the "Bleeding Heart" coloration) Ferret (a treat for most dragons, might also be kept as pets and for hunting small game) Sugarglider (Common pest in sugarmelon crops. might also be kept as pets.) Bar-Headed Goose (Might be farmed for meat/feathers) Hellbender (Massive salamander (one of the largest species on earth!)) Emerald Striker (VENOMOUS. Emeralds contain the toxin) Silver Raccoon (Known to steal and hoard silver.) Green Iguana (apparently very friendly and probably common pets (Important Note: Real green iguanas are NOT friendly and want nothing more than to whip you to shreds. Make terrible pets!)) Bog Canary (Song is apparently horrible, but plumage is pretty, might be kept as pets (Note: the art depicts a budgerigar not a canary)) Golden Reefprince (Regal and golden, best served to someone you're trying to impress. Probably farmed and marketed in the same vein as Valentine Roses) Black Swan (Probably farmed for Meat/Feathers) Green-throated Skink (More confident then it's cousin, probably more common to see skittering around in daylight) Dustrat (Seen as vermin, a sign to clean your lair) Banded Dart Frog (POISONOUS. However NOT deadly. Instead it's hallucinagenic. Probably farmed as an legal and/or illegal narcotic. Probably a big market for them.) Collared Lemming (Probably has a local superstition about it staring into your soul and knowing all your secrets) Webwing Alpha ( might be farmed for meat or plumage. Or kept as familiars) Yellow-Throated Sparrowmouse (kept as Familiars. Plumage might be used in crafts) Basilisk (Direct eye contact can turn dragons to stone. Probably Hunted as Big/trophy game. Also Kept as familiars) Clown Charger (Skin is poisonous. Might be hunted as Trophy Game but not eaten. Also Kept as familiars) Parasitic Fungus (Has mind controlling fungus, however fungus rarely takes. Also Kept as familiars) Fungalhoof Qiriq (Leaves a trail of fungus where ever it goes, easy to track dangerous to hunt. Might be hunted as big/Trophy game or as possible rites of passage . Also Kept as familiars) Roving Lionsnake (Large dangerous ambush predators that stalk long grasses. Might be hunter for trophy game or possible rights of passage. Also kept as familiars) Murkbottom Gull (Common seabirds, most likely a common sight at waterways. Also kept as familiars) Giant White Toridae (Large! Has Myths and urban legends surrounding it. Probably hunted as Trophy game or even rites of passage. Also Kept as familiars.) Ultramel Amphithere (Amphithere displaying the "Ultramel" color morph. Probably popular pets. Also kept as familiars) Auburn Woolly Walrus (Hostile due to chronic pain. Probably Farmed for meat and fur while also being hunted as big/trophy game. Also kept as familiars.) Hooded Dodo (Completely blind despite three sets of eyes. Probably farmed for meat and feather. Also kept as familiars) Infestation Hound (Wild ones are ambush predators, baiting and eating scavengers. Probably Domesticated by plague clans and bred then raised as hunting partners and companions. Kept as familiars) Heartred Croaker (Meat is uniquely brown and green in coloration. Kept as familiars) Mossy Cerdae (Healing magic-less Unicorns. Population is rising exponentially. Probably hunted for meat/fur/horns. Kept as familiars) Hippojay (Might be farmed for meat or hunted as big/trophy game. Or kept as familiars) Bluetail Skira (Blue algea clings to their tail fur causing the blue coloration. Might be farmed for meat or hunted like big game. Or kept as familiars) Paddyfowl (Common predator to smaller amphibians, might be farmed for meat or plumage. Or kept as familiars) Moordwelling Trunker (Displays are a lot like jousting. Probably farmed for meat. Or kept as familiars) Glowing Pocket Mouse ( A light snack. Or kept as familiars) Grey River Flight ( Probably farmed for meat and water resistant hide. Or kept as familiars) Brown River Flight ( Probably farmed for meat and water resistant hide. Or kept as familiars) Bearded Pupowl (Actually a vertebrate! Amphibian and probably distantly related to salamanders. Kept as familiars)

Aquatic Life:

Crawdads Wetland Vampire (Leech) Glass Minnows (maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Mussels Clown Shrimp Warmouth (A mid sized bass/perch-like fish, probably decent eating) Wave Skippers (Flying fish?) Sea Hare (Sea slugs) Sunset Sea Dragon Dumpling Squid (bio implies they’re eaten and dipped in sauce.) True Rainbow Trout Green Corydoras Catfish (tiny bottom dwelling catfish, maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Golden Cushionfish (Pufferfish) Seabed Pincher (Hermit crab) Blackwater Jester (Appears to be a cardinal fish of some sort) SeaHeart (Some kinda urchin) Aether Hermit Black Maiden (type of Black Guppy, possibly poisonous? maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Ruby Tetras (possibly a red version of the blackskirt tetra, maybe kept in dragon aquaria?) Blue Ring Octopus (DEADLY. Venom can straight up kill smaller dragons. Considered an accomplishment to catch and eat properly. Probably equivalent to Fugu.) Striped biter (Similar to a cat shark in appearance. Apparently very common.) Devilsnap (Apparently an oyster that bites back) Blue Dragon Seaslug Cobra Snakehead (mid-sized carnivorous fish) Nebula Floaters (Jellyfish of some sort, very sweet may cause tooth decay) Pond Slip (Come from dirty water, VERY important to clean) Cinnamon Loach (Popular gift among the seafood eating dragons, may also be kept in dragon aquaria?) Deviant Darter (Covered in pustules, looks plague-y) Giant Isopod Billy Bass (Breaks into song when taken out of the water, mid-sized fish probably decent eating) Discus (Popular, beautiful, and challenging to care for in irl aquaria. Possibly kept as decorative fish for the upper class in dragon aquaria) Four-Eyed Butterflyfish Pincushion Urchin Gaseous Megashrimp (Big, kept as familiars. this is speculation but depending on the size it may also be used as a seafood alternative to whole roasts like pig) Skittering Megashrimp (See above) Longjaw Lurefish (Based on the jawfish, probably much bigger. preys on birds) Glow Star (glowing starfish. Glow fades when it leaves the water. Might make good underwater decoration) Wave Sweeper (Patrols shallow waterway. Probably hunted for meat or ignored, Kept as familiars) Plantation Pincher (Considered a rampant pest on farmland.)

Insect Life:

Fungus Cutter (Large fungivore ants) Glade Swarmer (Builds large hives and defend it fiercely, disturbing it will end in either a feast or a healers visit) Crop Cutter (Pests that can devour entire fields. Plant eater hate them while others feast on them.) Maggot (common on the many festering corpses of the scarred wastes) Harlequin Ladybug (perform intricate aerial acrobatics, can be challenging for hatchlings to catch) Salt-Marsh Mosquito (Carry many diseases, numbers swell in summer) Tachinid Fly (Their carapace can be ground into tincture and tonics with restorative capabilities. Valuable. Probably farmed for medicinal purposes) Redwing Hopper (Spend most of their time gliding. low-flying dragons end up with face fulls of them.) Greenworm (Blends in well and challenging to find) Land Snail Rainbow Grasshopper (Taste terrible. seems to be a common prank to tell younger dragons that they taste like rainbows.) Tinder Bug (Tastes good if properly cooked, also effective tinder) Earwig Craftsman Brightback (Crafts intricate nests around spherical fruit, to which the fruit inside is eaten leaving behind the dried structure.) Redknee Tarantula Dusty Cicada (Collecting their shells and placing them in unexpected places around your den is considered a fun pastime) Millipede Wasteland Pauper (In an event known as the Blue Harvest vast numbers of this butterfly go migrating.) Stinglash (DEADLY. Aposematic. Skull pattern on it's head is a threat display. When stinger is removed however it's considered a delicacy) Shale Skitter (Pillbug relative. Completely flatten themselves when threatened) Parasitic Grub Red and Black Froghopper Fever Fly (Ingesting this fly is fine. being bitten by this fly leads to fevers and muscle spasms (dancing!)) Two-Tone June Beetle (Best served lightly toasted) Blackshield Cockroach (Fae use rocks to crack it's shell for eating.) Yellow Jumper (Deadly? Very tasty apparently) False Veneer Moth (Pattern on it's wings shines to distract predators) Yellowtail Caterpillar (Commonly eaten in piles with pepper sauce, cucumber, rice, and wrapped in seaweed) Orchid Beetle (Native to the Starwood Strand. gets its coloration from the plants it eats) Water Bug Catocala Moth (Cryptic patterning on wings) Giant Prickly Stick Insect (Has a hard time find mates due to effective camouflage) Autumn Pennant (Dragonfly. Scarce, only appears towards the end of autumn) Sugarbee (Feeds on sugarcane. Popular as sweet treats. might be treated like candy to insectivores) Firefly (Probably native to Fire. Has a crisp, crunchy texture with an extremely spicy flavor.) Dead Leaf Mantis (Feeds entirely on brain matter. (braaains)) Hydra Scorpion (It's said that cutting off it's tail grows two more in it's place. Probably large and treated like big/trophy game. Kept as familiars) Triple-Sight Firebug (Dragons closely bonded to this bug can use it's sight for short periods of time. Possibly used for rough reconnaissance. Kept as familiars) Tufted Leaf Beetle (Pests. A swarm of these beetles can devour a field overnight. Kept as familiars.) Tender Larail (Consumes all parts of a plant except seeds, which it carefully buries. Might be a Keystone species. Kept as familiars.) Spoiling Scorpio (Probably large and treated like big/trophy game. Kept as familiars)

Plant Life:

Highland Dryleaf (Hardy. Tastes awful. Plentiful) Marsh Choker (Named for it's choking pollen. probably grows in wetland areas.) Desert Scrub (Plentiful. Tastes like dirt) Diseased Fungus (Has a following that believe it tastes zestier than normal fungus. Probably cultivated or foraged for.) Carnaval Tulip (Pretty, often in bouquets. considered by plant eaters to be "edible arrangements" Probably cultivated for food and appearance) Crisp-leaf Amaranth (Seeds are edible and commonly eaten, while the leaves are eaten less commonly.) Wild Catsup (grows along cliff-sides in thin patches with bright red flowers. might also go well with wild mustard greens) Always-Autumn (Thistle. Blooms year-round with sun-dappled colors.) Canyon Ruffage (Staple for herbivorous animals and dragons alike, common in dry areas) Blood Acorn (Filled with nutrient rich nectar) Cinnamon (Probably cultivated for exportation in the spice trade) Chickweed (Used in herbal remedies to sooth itchy scales. Probably cultivated for medicinal purposes) Herbal Plantain (Leaves of this plant can be used as an effective anti-toxin. Probably cultivated for medicinal purposes) Peace Lily (Pretty and edible, it's petals are a favorite snack of peace doves. Probably cultivate for decoration and consumption.) Gryphon's Blood Sempervivum (Appears to be a type of succulent that grows in sandy red (clay rich?) earth near gryphon territory. does not actually use blood in cultivation.) Treasure Plant (Considered to bring good luck if kept in the lair. Possibly cultivated for decoration or as gifts.) Boxwood (Has a subtle flavor?) Winter's Delight (Sweet red berries that taste the best at the coldest point in winter, Most likely native to Ice) Bonebark Mold (Plentiful. grows on dead trees.) Ashfall Prickler (Nectar on the inside has a spicy flavor that oddly goes well with anything.) Honeycrisp Apple (Probably cultivated for food. Most likely food source to Craftsman Brightbacks) Turnip (Does not keep long and must be eaten immediately. Probably cultivated for food.) Wasteland Pear (Common. but finding an edible one is not.) Cindermint (crunchy texture with a  fiery kick. Often dried and crumbled up to help accent desserts or teas. Probably cultivated for this reason.) Butcher's Fig (Fruit has a crimson coloration, juice stains the mouth for days.) Leechroot Mushroom (Parasitic fungus native to the Scarred Wastes. Pests. Targets healthy plants.) Green Plantain (Has a tart flavor and can be stored in cool places for long periods of time. Probably cultivated and exported to other flights.) Daffodil (Can be boiled, mashed, and used in stews. Blooms are also pretty. Probably cultivated for these reasons.) Grassland Grain (Easy to spot and filling meals. Great for foraging on the road.) Water Lilies Crimson Jadevine (Extremely rare. ground up to make war-paint. Might be cultivated for this purpose and might also be treated as sacred.) Sour Strawberry (It's a strawberry, but sour) Wilting Rose (Its a rose, but wilting) Pompom Mums (Vibrant, cheerful petals. Very attention getting to pollinators. might be used to attract pollinators to fields. Also useful for decorative purposes) Sand Creeper (Type of ivy that spreads prolifically over sand. Might be a good crop for those in barren wastelands.) All Seeing Shroom (Disgusting looking, covered in veins and tumors. Unknown if edible but can be traded as currency in select venues.) Ancient Mushroom (Rumored to aid with a dragons growth) Over-ripe Cherries (Cherries that ripen then go bad at a break-neck pace. Probably not cultivated.) Melon Marzal (Behaves like a normal plant until it matures in which it will become more animalistic. Weird. Kept as familiars)

???:

River Muck (Goopy. probably common in or near waterways. Probably a pest/hazard) Poultrygeist (Ghost?? Probably some kind of urban legend. Kept as familiars) Undying Featherback (Undead and requires magic to kill permanently. Probably a serious threat to plague clans. Can be kept as familiar) White Rot Deer (An older wood ear deer, not hunted nor eaten. Cultivated by dryads for protection. Also Kept as familiars) Sanguine Multimist (Sentient mist?? Probably has urban legends surrounding it. Kept as familiars.) Creeping Tendril (Animal like?? Shy, only moves when no one is looking. Kept as Familiars) Blue Vein Pansy (??? Uproots and moves itself to more optimal locations when required.) Ancient Fungus (Has a cracked, stone hard outer shell. Kept as familiars)

[kevinscottgardens]

11 through 17 March 2019

I worked this weekend and it was a blustery one. We are still only working half days because the weather is still very cool. That didn’t stop me from working almost full days anyway, just to concentrate on things I do better when it’s quiet.

There was a bit of damage from yesterday’s inclement weather; as you saw, a glass pane from one of the glasshouses blew-out and smashed. A few plants were ripped out of the ground, and so far, only one structure for winter protection has failed.

Last week we had around three centimetres of rain, torrential at times. We had three millimetres just last night. We also had sleet and hail this afternoon.

I found another huge luffa in the tropical corridor today. It was hiding between the bubble wrap and the glass ceiling. I have four on the go at the moment and more flowers all the time.

Robert is busy propagating and there are lots of seedlings sprouting in glasshouse one. It is a bit worrisome because the boilers have failed so I need to heat the glasshouses with heaters, which are very dry. Tonight is supposed to be even colder than last night so I put extra heaters in the glasshouses. A super silent generator was delivered Friday, which is running the heaters because using so many heaters at the same time trips the fuse.

Medicinal plant of the week is Helleborus niger.

There is no new plant ident this week because Charlotte was in Edinburgh for a work placement opportunity.

There were interviews for the summer seasonal position and I’m excited for a new member of staff, just in time to start mowing.

Thursday morning I woke with my left eye swollen shut (I’ll spare you a visual) so I headed to Moorefields Eye Hospital. They are great and at that time of the morning, I was seen and had my prescription in under an hour. I was diagnosed with bacterial conjunctivitis. It is different from the viral one both the way it feels and it is less contagious. I was able to work at my computer. As the antibiotics started working, my eye looked even worse. Thankfully most of the itching has subsided.

Plant of the week

Solanaceae Mandragora officinarum L.

common name(s) - mandrake, devil's apple, devil’s candle, devil’s food, medicinal mandrake synonym(s) - Atropa acaulis Stokes; A. humilis Salisb.; A. mandragora L.; Mandragora acaulis Gaertn.; M. vernalis Bertol. conservation rating - none native to - Mediterranean location - poison bed, accession _____ leaves - borne in a basal rosette up to 300mm across flowers - clustered at the centre of the rosette, each with five sepals, five petals and five stamens; sepals and petals are fused at the base forming two five-lobed bell-shaped cups; ovary has two chambers and a long style; fruit is a fleshy berry with many seeds habit - herbaceous perennial, with a large upright tap-root, often branched and sometimes shaped somewhat like a person to 250mm wide and 350mm tall habitat - open habitats, such as light woodland and disturbed sites, including olive groves, fallow land, waysides, railway embankments and ruins, from sea level to 1,200m pests - slugs, snails disease - generally disease-free hardiness - to -10ºC (H4) soil - well-drained, not clay sun - full sun, sheltered propagation - seed sown as soon as ripe or in autumn, root cuttings taken in winter nomenclature - Solanaceae - comforter, an ancient Latin name in Pliny; Mandragora - man-dragon, a Greek name, μανδραγορας, derived from Syrian, namta ira, for mandrake; officinarum - of the apothecaries, officinal medicines, sold in shops NB - The boundary between the two species M. officinalis and M. officinarum varies among authors, with some regarding them as the same species; Mandragora officinalis Mill. has violet or purple flowers (photo at right above), M. officinarum is much less widespread and has somewhat smaller flowers, greenish-white in colour, and berries that are yellow and globe-shaped. Both contain highly biologically active alkaloids, including hyoscyamine, hyoscine, cuscohygrine, apoatropine, 3-alpha-tigloyloxytropane, 3-alpha,6-beta-ditigloyloxytropane and belladonnine. Non-alkaloid constituents included sitosterol and beta-methylesculetin (scopoletin). The alkaloids make the plant, particularly the root and leaves, poisonous. Clinical reports of the effects include severe symptoms similar to those of atropine poisoning, including blurred vision, dilation of the pupils, dryness of the mouth, difficulty in urinating, dizziness, headache, vomiting, blushing and a rapid heart rate. Hyperactivity and hallucinations also occurred in the majority of patients. Mandragora species have a long use in traditional medicine, an extract being used for its real or supposed aphrodisiac, hypnotic, emetic, purgative, sedative and pain-killing effects. Tropane alkaloids are known to be effective as analgesics and anaesthetics, and can be used to increase circulation and dilate pupils, among other effects. Continued use in folk medicine was reported in Sicily in 2014. In the past, mandrake was often made into amulets which were believed to bring good fortune, cure sterility, etc. In one superstition, people who pull up this root will be condemned to hell, and the mandrake root would scream as it was pulled from the ground, killing anyone who heard it.Therefore, in the past, people have tied the roots to the bodies of animals and then used these animals to pull the roots from the soil.

References, bibliography:

Gledhill, David, (2008) “The Names of Plants”, fourth edition; Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 978-0-52168-553-5

ÍIUCN [online] http://www.iucnredlist.org/search [17 Mar 19]

Plant List, The [online] http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2506563 [17 Mar 19]

Royal Horticultural Society [online] https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/10849/i-Mandragora-officinarum-i/Details [17 Mar 19]

Wikipedia [online] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandragora_autumnalis [17 Mar 19]

Wikipedia [online] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandragora_officinarum [17 Mar 19]

[photomaniacs]

Finalist Shots of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 http://ift.tt/2xjowV2

The prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is now in its 53rd year, and this year’s edition certain won’t disappoint. Today the competition offered a glimpse into this year’s finalists, which will be displayed in an exhibition that will tour museums and galleries around the world.

This year’s competition saw almost 50,000 entries from 92 different countries, with photographers all competing for the top prize of over $6,500. Here are the finalists along with their details and captions:

Animal Portraits

Sergey Gorshkov / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Carrying its trophy from a raid on a snow goose nest, an Arctic fox heads for a suitable burial spot. This is June and bonanza time for the foxes of Wrangel Island in the Russian Far East. Lemmings are the basic diet for Arctic foxes, but Wrangel suffers long, harsh winters and is icebound for much of the year, making it a permanent source of stored food for these opportunist animals. The food convoys arrive at the end of May. Over just a few days, vast flocks of snow geese descend on the tundra of this remote UNESCO World Heritage Site, traveling from wintering grounds some 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) away in British Columbia and California. Not only is this the biggest breeding colony of snow geese in the world, and the only remaining one in Asia, but it is also growing: from 160,000 geese in 2011 to about 300,000 by 2016. The Arctic foxes catch any weak or sick birds, but what they feast on are the goose eggs, laid in early June in open nests on the tundra. Though the pairs of snow geese actively defend their nests, a fox may still manage to steal up to 40 eggs a day, harassing the geese until there’s a chance to nip in and grab an egg. Most of the eggs are then cached, buried in shallow holes in the tundra, where the soil stays as cold as a refrigerator. These eggs will remain edible long after the brief Arctic summer is over and the geese have migrated south again. And when the new generation of young foxes begins to explore, they too will benefit from the hidden treasures.

Nikon D300S + 600mm f4 lens; 1/1250 sec at f5; ISO 800; Gitzo tripod + Wimberley head.

Animal Portraits

David Lloyd / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

At dusk, in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, David waited for the herd of elephants on their evening trek to a waterhole. As they got closer to his vehicle, he could see that the mellow light from the fast-setting sun was emphasizing every wrinkle and hair. For a photographer who enjoys working with texture, this was a gift. When they were just a few meters away, he could see the different qualities of different parts of their bodies – the deep ridges of their trunks, the mud-caked ears and the patina of dried dirt on their tusks.

The elephants ambled by in near silence, peaceful and relaxed. The female leading the dozen-strong herd – probably the matriarch – looked straight at him, her eye a glowing amber dot in the heavy folds of skin. Her gaze was, he says, full of respect and intelligence – the essence of sentience.

Nikon D800E + 400mm f2.8 lens; 1/500 sec at f13 (–0.3 e/v); ISO 1000.

Behavior – Invertebrates

Andrey Narchuk / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Andrey was on an expedition to the Sea of Okhotsk in the Russian Far East, and his intention on this day was to photograph salmon. But as soon as he jumped into the water, he found himself surrounded by thousands of mating sea angels. Quickly swapping to his macro equipment, he began photographing the pairs, 3 centimeters (11⁄4 inches) long and swirling around in the current. Sea angels are mollusks related to slugs and snails, without shells and with wing-like lobes used as swimming paddles. They hunt sea butterflies – swimming sea snails – using specialized feeding parts to prise them from their shells. Each individual is both male and female, and here they are getting ready to insert their copulatory organs into each other to transfer sperm in synchrony. One is slightly smaller than the other, as was the case with most of the couples Andrey observed, and they remained joined for 20 minutes. Both would go on to lay 30–40 tiny eggs after fertilization. It was late summer and peak phytoplankton time, so there would be abundant food for the resulting larvae.

To photograph them mating, Andrey had to battle against strong currents and avoid a wall of gill netting, and when he was swept into the net and his equipment became snared, he was forced to make an emergency ascent – but not before he had got his shot. The following day, there wasn’t a single angel to be seen.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II + 100mm f2.8 lens; 1/125 sec at f13; ISO 200; Nexus housing; two Inon strobes.

Under Water

Qing Lin / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The bulbous tips of the aptly named magnificent anemone’s tentacles contain cells that sting most fish. But the clown anemonefish goes unharmed thanks to mucus secreted over its skin, which tricks the anemone into thinking it is brushing against itself. Both species benefit. The anemonefish gains protection from its predators, which daren’t risk being stung, and it also feeds on parasites and debris among the tentacles; at the same time, it improves water circulation (fanning its fins as it swims), scares away the anemone’s predators and may even lure in prey for it.

While diving in the Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Qing noticed something strange about this particular cohabiting group. Each anemonefish had an extra pair of eyes inside its mouth – those of a parasitic isopod (a crustacean related to woodlice). An isopod enters a fish as a larva, via its gills, moves to the fish’s mouth and attaches with its legs to the base of the tongue. As the parasite sucks its host’s blood, the tongue withers, leaving the isopod attached in its place, where it may remain for several years. With great patience and a little luck – the fish darted around unpredictably – Qing captured these three rather curious individuals momentarily lined up, eyes front, mouths open and parasites peeping out.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III + 100mm f2.8 lens; 1/200 sec at f25; ISO 320; Sea & Sea housing; two Inon strobes.

Wildlife Photojournalist Award – Single Image

Justin Hofman / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Seahorses hitch rides on the currents by grabbing floating objects such as seaweed with their delicate prehensile tails. Justin watched with delight as this tiny estuary seahorse ‘almost hopped’ from one bit of bouncing natural debris to the next, bobbing around near the surface on a reef near Sumbawa Island, Indonesia. But as the tide started to come in, the mood changed. The water contained more and more decidedly unnatural objects – mainly bits of plastic – and a film of sewage sludge covered the surface, all sluicing towards the shore.

The seahorse let go of a piece of seagrass and seized a long, wispy piece of clear plastic. As a brisk wind at the surface picked up, making conditions bumpier, the seahorse took advantage of something that offered a more stable raft: a waterlogged plastic cottonbud. Not having a macro lens for the shot ended up being fortuitous, both because of the strengthening current and because it meant that Justin decided to frame the whole scene, sewage bits and all. As Justin, the seahorse and the cottonbud spun through the ocean together, waves splashed into Justin’s snorkel. The next day, he fell ill. Indonesia has the world’s highest levels of marine biodiversity but is second only to China as a contributor to marine plastic debris – debris forecast to outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050. On the other hand, Indonesia has pledged to reduce by 70 per cent the amount of waste it discharges into the ocean.

Sony Alpha 7R II + 16–35mm f4 lens; 1/60 sec at f16; ISO 320; Nauticam housing + Zen 230mm Nauticam N120 Superdome; two Sea & Sea strobes with electronic sync.

Animal Portraits

Klaus Nigge / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

After several days of constant rain, the bald eagle was soaked to the skin. Named after its conspicuous but fully-feathered white head (bald derives from an old word for white), it is an opportunist, eating various prey – captured, scavenged or stolen – with a preference for fish. At Dutch Harbor on Amaknak Island in Alaska, USA, bald eagles gather to take advantage of the fishing industry’s leftovers. Used to people, the birds are bold. ‘I lay on my belly on the beach surrounded by eagles,’ says Klaus. ‘I got to know individuals, and they got to trust me.’

The species was declining dramatically until the 1960s, but reduced persecution, habitat protection, and a ban on the pesticide DDT have led to its recovery. Some threats persist, including lead poisoning – US prohibition on lead ammunition (which ends up in animals the birds eat) has recently been overturned. ‘As the eagle edged nearer, picking up scraps, I lowered my head,’ says Klaus, ‘looking through the camera to avoid direct eye contact.’ It came so close that it towered over him. His low perspective and simple composition, allowing full concentration on the eagle’s expression, created an intimate portrait, enhanced by the overcast light of the rainy day.

Nikon D200 + 200–400mm f4 lens + 1.4x extender; 1/80 sec at f10; ISO 500.

Behavior – Birds

Tyohar Kastiel / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Tyohar watched the pair of resplendent quetzals from dawn to dusk for more than a week as they delivered fruits and the occasional insect or lizard to their two chicks. Resplendent quetzals usually nest in thicker forest, but this pair had picked a tree in a partly logged area in the Costa Rican cloud forest of San Gerardo de Dota. The additional light made it easier for Tyohar to catch the iridescent color of the male’s dazzling emerald and crimson body plumage and tail streamers, despite his fast, erratic flight pattern. But the light also made it easier for the birds to see Tyohar. So he would arrive before dawn, sit in the same place and wear the same jacket, with the result that the pair accepted his presence and continued to stuff food into their chicks’ beaks every hour or so.

On the eighth day, the parents fed the chicks at dawn as usual but then didn’t return for several hours. By 10 am, the chicks were calling ravenously, and Tyohar began to worry. Then something wonderful happened. The male arrived with a wild avocado in his beak. He landed on a nearby branch, scanned around, and then flew to the nest. But instead of feeding the chicks, he flew back to his branch, the avocado still in his beak. Within seconds, one chick hopped out to the nearest perch and was rewarded. Moments later the female appeared and did exactly the same thing, and the second chick jumped out. The family then flew off together into the rainforest, leaving Tyohar bereft – and thrilled.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III + 300mm f2.8 lens; 13200 sec at f4; ISO 800.

Behavior – Mammals

Laurent Ballesta / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

“We were still a few meters from the surface when I heard the strange noises,” says Laurent. Suspecting Weddell seals – known for their repertoire of at least 34 different underwater call types – he approached slowly. It was early spring in east Antarctica, and a mother was introducing her pup to the icy water.

The world’s most southerly breeding mammal, a Weddell seal gives birth on the ice and takes her pup swimming after a week or two. The pair, unbothered by Laurent’s presence, slid effortlessly between the sheets of the frozen labyrinth. Adults are accomplished divers, reaching depths of more than 600 meters (1,970 feet) and submerging for up to 82 minutes. “They looked so at ease, where I felt so inappropriate,” says Laurent. Relying on light through the ice above, he captured the curious gaze of the pup, the arc of its body mirroring that of its watchful mother.

Nikon D4S + 17–35mm f2.8 lens; 1/640 sec at f11; ISO 200; Seacam housing.

Black and White

Mats Andersson / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The red squirrel closed its eyes for just a moment, paws together, fur fluffed, then resumed its search for food. Winter is a tough time for northern animals. Some hibernate to escape its rigors, but not red squirrels. Mats walks every day in the forest near his home in southern Sweden, often stopping to watch the squirrels foraging in the spruce trees. Though their mainly vegetarian diet is varied, their winter survival is linked to a good crop of spruce cones, and they favor woodland with conifers. They also store food to help see them through lean times. On this cold, February morning, the squirrel’s demeanor encapsulated the spirit of winter, captured by Mats using the soft-light grain of black and white.

Nikon D3 + 300mm f2.8 lens; 1/320 sec at f2.8; ISO 800.

Plants and Fungi

Jack Dykin / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

A band of ancient giants commands the expansive arid landscape of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert National Monument in the US. These emblematic saguaro cacti – up to 200 years old – may tower at more than 12 meters (40 feet) but are very slow growing, some sprouting upwardly curved branches as they mature. The roots – aside from one deep tap – weave a maze just below the surface, radiating as far as the plant is tall, to absorb precious rainfall. Most water is stored in sponge-like tissue, defended by hard external spines and a waxy-coated skin to reduce water loss. The surface pleats expand like accordions as the cactus swells, its burgeoning weight supported by woody ribs running along the folds. But the saturated limbs are vulnerable to hard frost – their flesh may freeze and crack, while the mighty arms twist down under their loads. A lifetime of searching out victims near his desert home led Jack to know several that promised interesting compositions. ‘This one allowed me to get right inside its limbs,’ he says. As the gentle dawn light bathed the saguaro’s contorted form, Jack’s wide angle revealed its furrowed arms, perfectly framing its neighbors before the distant Sand Tank Mountains.

Nikon D810 + 14–24mm f2.8 lens at 14mm; 1/3 sec at f20; ISO 64; Really Right Stuff tripod.

Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year, 11-14

Ashleigh Scully / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

After fishing for clams at low tide, this mother brown bear was leading her young spring cubs back across the beach to the nearby meadow. But one young cub just wanted to stay and play. It was the moment Ashleigh had been waiting for. She had come to Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park intent on photographing the family life of brown bears. This rich estuary environment provides a buffet for bears: grasses in the meadows, salmon in the river and clams on the shore. A large number of families spend their summers here, and with plentiful food, they are tolerant of each other (though wary of males) and of people. ‘I fell in love with brown bears,’ says Ashleigh, ‘and their personalities… This young cub seemed to think that it was big enough to wrestle mum to the sand. As always, she played along, firm, but patient.’ The result is a cameo of brown bear family life.

Canon EOS 5D + 500mm f4 Mark II lens; 1/1250 sec at f8 (+1 e/v); ISO 1250; Gitzo tripod.

Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year, 11-14

Laura Albiac Vilas / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Laura had seen many of Spain’s wild animals, but never the elusive Iberian lynx, an endangered cat found only in two small populations in southern Spain. Unlike the larger European lynx, the Iberian lynx feeds almost entirely on rabbits. So a disease that wipes out the rabbit population can be catastrophic. They also need a particular blend of open scrub and natural cavities for natal dens. Laura’s family traveled to the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park in search of the lynx – and struck lucky on their second day – a pair were relaxing not far from the road. There were many photographers there but an atmosphere of ‘respect’. Laura watched for an hour and a half, the only sound being the whirr of cameras if a cat glanced in their direction. ‘The animals’ attitude surprised me. They weren’t scared of people – they simply ignored us,’ says Laura. ‘I felt so emotional to be so close to them.’

Canon EOS 5D Mark III + Canon 500mm f4 lens; 1/250 sec at f4; ISO 1600.

Wildlife Photojournalist Award – Single Image

Steve Winter / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

A back leg of this six-month-old Sumatran tiger cub was so badly mangled by a snare that it had to be amputated. He was lucky to survive at all, having been trapped for four days before being discovered in a rainforest in Aceh Province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The likelihood is that the snare was set by oil‐palm plantation workers to catch bushmeat (though tigers are also deliberately snared). The workers are migrants who have been given small plots to grow their own oil palms but who have to work on the big plantations for about five years until their own crops generate a return. To feed their families, they have to hunt, and this cub’s bones would have fetched a good price on the black market. The population of Sumatran tigers, a subspecies, is as low as 400–500 (the world population of all wild tigers is no more than 3,200) – the result of poaching to fuel the illegal trade in tiger parts for the Chinese-medicine market. Anti-poaching forest patrols are helping to stem the killing, partly by locating and removing snares (now illegal), which is how this cub came to be rescued. The cub, however, will spend the rest of his life in a cage in a Javan zoo. Today, there are probably more Sumatran tigers in zoos than there are left in the wild.

Canon 5D Mark II + 24–105mm lens at 58mm; 1/45 sec at f5.6; ISO 400.

The overall winner, category winners, and other finalists will be announced on October 17th this year.

The exhibition will be on display from October 20th, 2017, until spring 2018 at the Natural History Museum in London, UK. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.

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September 13, 2017 at 12:01AM