Canids of the World
Kingdom: Animalia 
As a dog lover, I am particularly fond of wild canids. Being able to watch these dogs in their own special niche is something beautiful. To hear and even feel the vibrations of a wolf or coyote pack howling leaves a lasting imprint on you. By no means am I prejudiced to North American canids, I have just been exposed to them the most. One of my favorite wildlife encounters involved a courageous black-backed jackal darting into a lion killed giraffe carcass. With stunning intelligence, patience, and adroit movements this small canid was able to bring back small chunks of meat, stomach, and a few entrails to his/her mate and single pup that were nervously lurking in the shadows of the acacia trees. This particular night was especially lovely as my wife and I were completely alone in an open topped land rover watching this carcass at night. Nighttime is a special time of high activity, pungent odors, and vivid sounds in the savannah-woodlands of South Africa.
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Coyote Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
This early morning shot was taken on a particularly cold, clear, day in Lamar Valley. Before the valley stirred with tourists, this coyote was conserving his energy while keeping an eye on the activities of his pack…and of course the occasional look to see what I was up to. |
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Here’s an example of a classic road beggar. Please DON’T feed wildlife!! Still a beautiful light pelage specimen. |
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Wolf Yellowstone
National Park
After 4.5 months of living and working in Yellowstone
and seeing wolves almost on a daily basis, I only ended up with one decent
shot of a wolf. Unlike coyotes, wolves shy away from people, vehicles, and
even roads. This photo was pure timing. As my research partner and I were
driving through Lamar Canyon this 2-year-old black wolf walked right passed
us and into the area known as paradise park. Wolves are a wonderful aspect to
any landscape. I hope to someday see them back in even a moderate percentage
of their former range. |
Black-backed Jackal
Timbavati Nature Preserve, South Africa
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African Wild Dogs
Timbavati Nature Preserve, South Africa
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It was on my second trip to South Africa that I finally saw the second species (The 1st being Mountain Gorillas) that I came to Africa for. What struck me the most with these dogs are their extremely sociality and cooperative efforts in hunting, raising young, and protecting the pack. Wild Dogs are the extreme endurance runner, reaching speeds of up to 60km/hr for several kilometers. |
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