Dragon!

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 16, 2012501 views3 comments

This is certainly no dragon, but only a land monitor looking like one as it emerges from a hollow in a tree! There are two kinds of monitor lizards in Sri Lanka - the land monitor and the water monitor. The former is hunted for its meat and is endangered, but the water monitor is protected and there is a widespread belief that its meat is poisonous, which also helps in protecting its numbers.
Species: Land monitor lizard (Varanus bengalensis)
Location: Yala NP, Sri Lanka
Equip: Canon 5D Mlll, Canon 500 f4
Specs: ISO 400, f4.5, 1/400s, beanbag on vehicle.

Thank you for taking the time out to look, and for your comments/critiques.

Comments

3 comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on December 17, 2012 at 12:14 PM

I like how he (or she, difficult to telll from any angle

) protrudes from that tree stump Ajit. The clarity and detail is astounding. I do have two small nits and that is the level of noise in the BG; not bad as such, but for that low ISO I had expected less. Easy to fix of course. What bothers me a little is the bokeh with those circular large whitish spots.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on December 18, 2012 at 8:17 AM

Very nice, the head certainly has a 'dragon' feel to it and the details are superb. Nits coeverd by Vincent already

Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on January 2, 2013 at 1:35 AM

Good detail and eye contact.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments