This week a French translation of my book “Relics” is being officially released in France. The one difference from the original version, other than the language of course, is the cover. I was thrilled to see that the publisher decided to place on it one of my all-time favorite animals, the South African armored katydid…
Category: Katydids
Leaf-eating leaves
If you ever have a chance to visit a humid, tropical area in South or Central America, make sure to bring a good flashlight or a headlamp with you, because if you go out into the forest at night, you may be rewarded with the discovery of one of the most amazing animals that this…
Galapagos: The lovely orthopterans
Considering the fact that the archipelago is situated right on the equator, the insect fauna of the Galapagos is shockingly small, with only about 1,500 recorded species. Of these a large proportion is endemic, and additional 400+ introduced species were also recorded at least once. Although I went to the Galapagos mainly to see marine…
My rainforest portrait studio
Katydids of the tribe Pterochrozini are some of the best leaf mimics that you can find in the Neotropical rainforest. Or rather the best mimics that you cannot find, as their resemblance to leaves, both green and shriveled, is so exquisite that in my 18 years of working in the Neotropics I have never found…
A portrait of the competition
White-throated Round-eared Bat (Lophostoma silvicolum) is an insectivorous bat that specializes in hunting katydids, the very same group of insects I like to catch (albeit for different reasons.) This species is common in rainforests of Central and South America. Note the large, leaf-like flap on its nose, which is a device that helps the bat…
Macro lenses: longer is better (sometimes)
What is the best lens for insect macrophotography? I am asked this question every now and then, and the answer is always: “It depends.” The choice of your macro lens in nature photography depends on which aspects of your subject interest you the most. True macro lenses come in different focal lengths, but they all…
The Smaller Majority 