Trimeresurus sabahi, Borneo 2024
The Sabah Pit Viper is a submontane species formerly thought to be endemic to northern Borneo. In recent times, it has not only been found also around other localities above 1000m asl, but also other green pit vipers from Sumatra and the mainland have been synonymized with T. sabahi.
So now, it is a rather widespread species in South East Asia with five valid subspecies, one of which is the Bornean clade.
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#trimeresurussabahi#pitviper
#trimeresurus#snakesofinstagram
#snake#reptile#herpetology
#wildlifephotography#nature
#photography#macrophotography
#canonphotography#canon#macro
#biodiversity#biology#passion
#berlin#sciencecommunication
#EarthCapture#NiFFeature#cupoty
@bbcearth@natgeowild@cupoty
STAUROIS!
As some of you know very well, the foot-flagging frogs of the genus Staurois are probably my favorite frogs of all.
One of many reasons, why Borneo is maybe my absolute dream place, biogeographically.
It is home to four of six Staurois species, two additional ones are endemic to the Philippines.
To be able to take pictures of all four Bornean species was definitely on my list last year. However, to be honest I only found three in the wild and for the very first time I post footage from captivity on this account. Staurois parvus, currently the only species in captivity, was subject to many interesting research projects of the @zooviennaschonbrunn . Furthermore, it nowadays is a species of the @citizen.conservation program of ex-situ conservation breeding.
So I got the chance to take some photos of the species in Europe, after missing it in the wild.
One day I will be back and hopefully will find them!
This video is dedicated to @_ajec_ , another Staurois lover and connoisseur! šø
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#staurois#footflaggingfrog#borneo
#ranidae#frogsofinstagram#frog
#zoovienna#citizenconservation
#wildlifephotography#macrophotography
#canonmacro#canon#nature#wildlife
#nature#amphibians#naturephotography
Chamaeleo africanus, Greece 2023
The African Chameleon is one of two species occurring in Europe. However it is neither a native species nor a so-called neozoon. Latter describes species which have been introduced by humans in modern age (after 1492).
C. africanus has been brought to Greece by the ancient Romans and still only dwell a tiny strip of the coastal dune forest.
Nowadays this population is under threat due to construction projects which are planned in the area.
Nevertheless, we could find more than 10 individuals in a rather short time, which indicates a high density in this small habitat.
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#chamaeleo#africanus
#chameleonsofinstagram
#reptiles#herpetology
#greece#peloponnese
#wildlifephotography#nature
#photography#macrophotography
#sensibilisation#expedition
#biodiversity#biology#passion
#berlin#sciencecommunication
#EarthCapture#NiFFeature#cupoty
#cygnustechdiffuser
@bbcearth@natgeowild
Rana arvalis, Germany 2026
The Moor Frog is a widespread amphibian across northern and central Europe, typically associated with wetlands, peat bogs, and damp meadows. In Germany, it occurs mainly in lowland regions where suitable breeding habitats persist.
This medium-sized brown frog is best known for the brief breeding period in early spring, during which males can develop a striking blue coloration. As Moor Frogs is highly dependent on intact wetland ecosystems and is considered an important indicator species for the conservation status of these habitats.
At the same time, its numbers are drastically declining in recent years as also its habitats and breeding sites are more and more altered or even fully destroyed.
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#ranaarvalis#frogsofinstagram
#macrophotography#canon
#naturephotography
For #WorldFrogDay and my very first posting of 2026, I want to start with some Common Frogs (Rana temporaria).
Right now, it is mating season in Berlin and this pair was one of the first I was able to spot last week in a pretty urban park.
Letās hope the year will bring many more such observations - it will definitely bring some very cool publications I was contributing to, stay tuned!
Froggy Greetings,
Fred
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#wildlifephotography#nature
#canon#macrophotography
@bbcearth@natgeowild@cupoty
TOP 9 OF 2025
Thank you so much for your interest in my photos and learning about amphibians, reptiles and other cool organisms.
2025 was intense year with lots of highs and lows for me. Regarding wildlife however, I am very happy with all the stunning encounters of frogs, snakes, insects, orchids, birds, ā¦
I hope 2026 will bring lots of interesting trips and opportunities to capture wildlife photos again.
Feel free to share this post with all your friends and family who might be interested in nature, biodiversity and photography.
Finally, I wish you all a happy and healthy new year!!!
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#instagramtopnine
#wildlifephotography#nature
#naturephotography#science
Rana arvalis, Germany 2025
As the year slowly comes to an end, I wanted to share a photo of the āAmphibian of the Year 2025ā.
This title is given yearly by the @dght.official to a native species to promote its conservation.
While being one of the most common species of northeastern Germany in the past, the Moor Frog drastically declined in recent years.
This summer, I was very happy to encounter several young individuals during a hike in a Berlin wetland. Among them, there was the most beautiful specimen Iāve ever seen, which is depicted here. Look at this incredible marbled pattern!
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#rana#ranaarvalis#frog#dght
#frogsofinstagram#amphibian
#fieldherping#herpetology
#wildlifephotography#nature
#photography#macrophotography
#canonphotography#canon#macro
#biodiversity#biology#passion
#berlin#sciencecommunication
#EarthCapture#NiFFeature#cupoty
@bbcearth@natgeowild@cupoty
Natrix natrix, Germany 2025
For a long time, I havenāt posted a photo of the most common snake species of Germany, the Grass Snake.
This picture was taken in summer, while collecting genetic data of the species in Berlin. This project aims to shine a light on the lineages and potential subspecies, present in the city.
As you can see in the upper part of the photo, this individual shows a brightly colored line along the body, which is untypical for the native subspecies N. natrix natrix. Hence, @brudibrussel and me want to figure out if there have been allochthonous individuals released into the wild, or this morph occurs naturally in Berlin after all.
The project is generously funded by @dght.official .
For more details, check my story highlight NATRIX.
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#natrix#natrixnatrix#grasssnake
#genetics#research#snakeofinstagram
#wildlifephotography#nature
#photography#macrophotography
#canonphotography#canon#macro
#biodiversity#biology#passion
#berlin#sciencecommunication
#EarthCapture#NiFFeature#cupoty
@bbcearth@natgeowild@cupoty
Speleomantes ambrosii, Italy 2025
As a last photo of the cave salamander series, I wanted to show a real in-situ picture of one individual clinging to the rocky wall of the cave.
In the previous post, I already mentioned the morphological adaptations allowing these animals to climb vertical surfaces. Still, it was impressive to see some individuals sitting in the walls, several meters above ground, partly on overhanging structures.
All kn all, we easily found around 15 salamanders in a pretty small cave, which made this excursion a full success.
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#speleomantes#cavesalamander
#italy#amphibian#herpetology
#wildlifephotography#nature
#photography#macrophotography
#canonphotography#canon#macro
#biodiversity#biology#passion
#berlin#sciencecommunication
#EarthCapture#NiFFeature#cupoty
@bbcearth@natgeowild@cupoty
Speleomantes ambrosii, Italy 2025
The genus Speleomantes comprises Europeās only plethodontid (lungless) salamanders, uniquely adapted to life in humid subterranean and forest habitats. They respire entirely through their moist skin and oral mucosa, requiring constant humidity to survive.
Morphologically, they possess elongated limbs with prehensile digits as well as webbed hands and feet, that enable precise climbing on rocky and even vertical surfaces. These traits, together with their dependence on stable microclimates, make these cave salamanders a remarkable example of evolutionary specialization within European amphibians.
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#speleomantes#salamander
#cavesalamamder#amphibian
#italy#salamandersofinstagram
#wildlifephotography#nature
#photography#macrophotography
#canonphotography#canon#macro
#biodiversity#biology#passion
#berlin#sciencecommunication
#EarthCapture#NiFFeature#cupoty
@bbcearth@natgeowild@cupoty
Speleomantes ambrosii, Italy 2025
One of three cave salamanders of the Italian main land is the Spezia Cave Salamander.
It is very hard to distinguish from S. italicus, which it even hybridizes with in its most southern range.
Despite checking several recent publications on their distribution, I could not certainly assign the respective cave to one side of the range border.
Hence, the identification remains uncertain to some degree.
I will post more photos of the species soon, providing more information on their interesting lifestyle and biology.
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#speleomantes#cavesalamander
#caudata#salamandersofinstagram
#amphibian#herpetology#italy
#wildlifephotography#nature
#photography#macrophotography
#canonphotography#canon#macro
#biodiversity#biology#passion
#berlin#sciencecommunication
#EarthCapture#NiFFeature#cupoty
@bbcearth@natgeowild@cupoty
Vipera aspis, Italy 2025
Maybe the biggest surprise encounter during our Italy holiday, was this Asp Viper newborn.
@brudibrussel found it at night, between the roots of a tree right on the edge of a gravel road to our house.
It was not active anymore, but coiled up, sleeping quite in the open with only a hidden head.
In this kind of habitat, and given the time of the day, I was really not expecting a viper.
Suitable habitats were located not far, and small juveniles usually prefer cooler and more humid microhabitats than adults, still this was a very nice surprise that night.
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#viperaaspis#vipera#snake
#snakesofinstagram#viper
#herptology#italy#venomous
#wildlifephotography#nature
#photography#macrophotography
#canonphotography#canon#macro
#biodiversity#biology#passion
#berlin#sciencecommunication
#EarthCapture#NiFFeature#cupoty
@bbcearth@natgeowild@cupoty
