There’s something special about elephants! They’ve a complex social structure, care for each other, are curious, intelligent and fun to watch. They’re at the top of the life pyramid in Africa and know little fear (except for man). African elephants can be distinguished from Asian elephants by the size of the ears — African elephants have huge ears shaped like the African continent, while Asian elephants have ears less than half this size.
Botswana has a very healthy population of elephants, so pachyderms are commonly seen on safari. It appears the tough anti-pouching laws have been effective because they’re extremely punitive (e.g. years in prison for just possessing an elephant tusk, even if the animal died of natural causes).
This photo was taken in the Okavango Delta. I like the image because it looks like the elephant posed for me, although she was moving quite quickly. Someone once told me the best wildlife photos show the far front foot striding forward plus you need to be able to see the animal’s eyes. I’ve been studying wildlife pictures in detail since then and I think these are both good tips.
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