Category: Mammal

2025, Ethiopia Selection, Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), Mammal

Ethiopian Wolf, Nose to the Wind

Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) catching a scent in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) catching a scent – Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

The Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), also known as the Simien jackal, is the world’s rarest wild canid, endemic to the highlands of Ethiopia. A rodent-hunting specialist, it moves gracefully through alpine meadows.

In this image, an individual lifts its head into the morning breeze—perhaps tracking prey or simply attuned to the subtle cues of its environment. With fewer than 500 individuals remaining in the wild, every observation is a profound privilege. Its russet coat, slender muzzle, and poised silhouette make it a quiet but powerful symbol of Ethiopia’s unique natural heritage.

2025, Ethiopia Selection, Gelada (Theropithecus gelada), Mammal

Young Gelada female on a Cactus

Young female Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) perched on a cactus, Ethiopia

A unique specialization among primates to survive in high-altitude grasslands.

The Gelada, a primate endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands, is distinguished by an almost exclusively herbivorous diet.

Unlike most monkeys, it spends the majority of its day grazing on grass, much like a ruminant. Over 90% of its diet consists of shoots, seeds, roots, flowers… and even cacti, from which it consumes the tender, water-rich parts. This unique specialization allows it to thrive in altitude prairies where resources are seasonal but abundant. In this photograph, a young female nimbly explores the resources provided by the local flora, showcasing the species’ incredible adaptation.

2025, Ethiopia Selection, Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), Mammal

The Ethiopian Wolf, Sentinel of the Abyssinian Highlands

Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) standing in the tall grass, Ethiopia

A silhouette that stands still, watchful, in the silence of the high plateaus.

At the edge of dawn, across the vast expanses of the Ethiopian highlands, the Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) embodies elegance and discretion.

Its silent steps lead it through the high-altitude pastures, where it scans every movement in the grass, stalking its favorite prey—primarily endemic rodents. This image reveals the profound harmony between the animal and its environment: soft lines, diffused light, and a suspended silence. As a critically endangered species, this solitary predator of the Simien and Bale mountains is a symbol of the raw and fragile beauty of Abyssinia.

2025, Ethiopia Selection, Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), Mammal

The Abyssinian Wolf, Watcher of the Ethiopian Highlands

The

The Abyssinian Wolf, Watcher of the Ethiopian Highlands

 

Alone on the highlands of Abyssinia, the Ethiopian wolf scans the horizon. This slender predator, perfectly adapted to life at high altitude, is now one of the most endangered mammals on the African continent. Threatened by habitat fragmentation and diseases transmitted by domestic dogs, only about 500 individuals remain in the wild.

2025, Ethiopia Selection, Mammal

Male Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) – Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Male

Male Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) – Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

 

Shy and elusive, the mountain nyala lives only on the Ethiopian highlands, among misty heather forests, alpine meadows, and shadowy clearings. Fewer than 4,000 individuals remain in the wild, most of them confined to the Bale Mountains — the species’ last stronghold.

Males are especially striking: larger and darker than females, they bear long, spiraled horns and a dark crest along their back that stands erect during tension or display. These features make them elegant, ghost-like figures of the high-altitude forests — rare, silent, and hard to glimpse.

2024, Ethiopia Selection, Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), HD, Mammal

Pack of Abyssinian Wolves on Patrol in the Bale Mountains (Canis simensis), Ethiopia


Pack

Pack of Abyssinian Wolves on Patrol in the Bale Mountains (Canis simensis), Ethiopia

Click to see the complete picture in a virtual tour

 

Abyssinian wolves feed almost exclusively on rodents. Their habitat is limited to the high plateaus and mountains of Ethiopia, where rodent density is particularly high. In the Bale Mountains, where this photo was taken, up to 6,000 rodents can be found per square kilometer.

This diet has shaped their behavior: unlike other wolf species that hunt large prey in packs, Abyssinian wolves hunt alone.
Yet each morning, before spreading out to search for food, clan members carry out a joint patrol across their territory.

On this particular day, six wolves from the Meguiti clan were roaming their land, ensuring no intruders had trespassed.

2015, Japan Paper, Mammal, Paper

Japan: A Monkey with a Surprising Habit

Snow monkeys (in Japanese, nihonzaru 日本猿), also known as Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), are the only species of primate living in the wild in Japan. This species is also endemic to the Japanese archipelago. These monkeys are mainly found in mountainous regions, at altitudes ranging from 500 to 2,500 meters. In winter, when temperatures become harsh, these monkeys have developed a surprising habit: soaking in natural hot springs to keep warm!

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