Silver Dik-dik (Madoqua piacentinii), Ogaden, Ethiopia, December 2024.

This tiny antelope, the smallest of the dik-dik species, weighs about as much as a house cat. They are rare, with a population that is probably declining though in fact very little is known about their ecology. The Silver Dik-dik was first described as a species in the late 1970s and was thought only to live in a small section of coastal Somalia until animals were discovered in Ethiopia’s Somali region in 2006. We saw several last month in the same area, close to Ethiopia’s border with Somalilland. A fascinating region with some fabulous wildlife.

#mammalwatching #mammals #landmammals #wildlife#wildlifephotography #naturephotography #wildlifeplanet#wildplanet #discoverwildlife #naturegeography#wildgeography #ourplanetdaily #bbcwildlifepotd #ungulates #ethiopianmammals #hornofafrica ...

Black-and-white Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti), Yunnan December 2024

This large monkey is endemic to the mountains of Yunnan, where they live in massive troops of up to 500 animals and feed primarily on lichen. Though they are endangered they are easy to see in a protected area about 4 hours drive from Lijiang.

#mammalwatching #mammals #landmammals #wildlife#wildlifephotography #naturephotography #wildlifeplanet#wildplanet #discoverwildlife #naturegeography#wildgeography #ourplanetdaily #bbcwildlifepotd #primatesofinstagram #Yunnan #ChinaMammalwatching #voldemort ...

Indochinese Leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri). Thailand, January 2025. Trip report on mammalwatching.com

Leopards are now very rare in SE Asia outside of protected areas. And melanistic leopards - the back form of the regular leopard - seem very rare generally. I have seen more than 30 leopards over the years but have never seen a ‘Black Panther”. At least two animals are using the road in Kaeng Krachan National Park at the moment and have become quite unafraid of people. A sign that suggests the park and its visitors are now protecting the wildlife well.

#mammalwatching #mammals #landmammals #wildlife#wildlifephotography #naturephotography #wildlifeplanet#wildplanet #discoverwildlife #naturegeography#wildgeography #ourplanetdaily #bbcwildlifepotd #felids #leopardsofinstagram #mammalwatchingthailand #blackpanther ...

Somali elephant shrew or Somali sengi (Galegeeska revoilii), Djibouti 2024

This small insectivore had been lost to science for 50 years until it was rediscovered in Djibouti in 2020. But now we know where to look they are fairly easy to find, though more often than not all you get is a glimpse of an animal running from hiding place to hiding place. This little guy was far less bashful and posed on a rock for 20 minutes unfazed by the clicking of our camera shutters.

#mammalwatching #mammals #landmammals #wildlife#wildlifephotography #naturephotography #wildlifeplanet#wildplanet #discoverwildlife #naturegeography#wildgeography #ourplanetdaily #bbcwildlifepotd #elephantshrew #insectivore ...

Northern Lesser Galago (Galago senegalensis dunni) from the Somali region of Ethiopia. December 2024
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Speke’s pectinator (Pectinator spekei) or Speke’s gundi, Djibouti December 2024.

There are several species of gundi across North Africa including Speke’s, which is found in the Horn of Africa and geographically isolated from the other gundis. They are pretty easy to see among the rocks in the right habitat in Djibouti and Ethiopia’s Somali region.

Unlike the other gundis this species is also called a pectinator. I’m not sure why. Pectinate means comb-like. And gundis are characterised by “comblike rows of bristles on the inner two toes of each hindfoot”. So presumably this is no coincidence. Though why the other gundi species don’t share this moniker remains a mystery! If anyone knows please comment.

#mammalwatching #mammals #landmammals #wildlife#wildlifephotography #naturephotography #wildlifeplanet#wildplanet #discoverwildlife #naturegeography#wildgeography #ourplanetdaily #bbcwildlifepotd #rodentsofinstagram #gundi #djiboutimammalwatching ...

Beira (Dorcatragus megalotis), Djibouti December 2024

This beautiful desert antelope is found only in the Horn of Africa, with a range centred on Somalia, spilling into Djibouti, Somaliland and the extreme north east of Ethiopia. Extremely shy, they live on inaccessible rocky hills, so there are very few photos of the species in the wild. They were only discovered in Djibouti in 1993. Beira have likely always had a very small range across the Horn of Africa, and are threatened primarily by competition with the ever increasing numbers of livestock in the region. Every ‘protected area” in Djibouti and Ethiopia we visited was overrun with goats and camels, a problem which seems set to get worse given continuing rapid population growth.
#mammalwatching #mammals #landmammals #wildlife#wildlifephotography #naturephotography #wildlifeplanet#wildplanet #discoverwildlife #naturegeography#wildgeography #ourplanetdaily #bbcwildlifepotd #antelopeofinstagram #ungulate #djiboutimammalwatching ...

Maned - or Crested - Rat (Lophiomys imhausi)
Djibouti, December 2024

This spectacular rat is also spectacularly interesting. The world’s only poisonous rodent, they chew the bark of poisonous trees and then coat their fur in their now poisonous saliva. But they are considerate enough to provide a “toxic - do not eat” warning label via their boldly marked fur. One of several mega mammals we found in Djibouti this month.

#mammalwatching #mammals #landmammals #wildlife#wildlifephotography #naturephotography #wildlifeplanet#wildplanet #discoverwildlife #naturegeography#wildgeography #ourplanetdaily #bbcwildlifepotd #rodentsofinstagram #Djiboutimammalwatching ...

A great article in the New York Times all about watching mammals from @mihirzaveri A link to the piece is in my bio. ...