Big 5 Animals Pictures Download
Charise Scrivner
One of the things that annoys me to no end is when I see "no photography" policies that are put into place in order to restrict flash photography. Recently I encountered an example of this at the new California Academy of Sciences, a wonderful and remarkable museum where my family has purchased a family membership and which I've already shot pretty extensively so far.
I have to give the Academy high marks for allowing photography in the entire museum for the most part. It's an incredible architecturally significant (and actually living) structure. The exhibits really are first rate and the fact that you can shoot there (and even wear a backpack) are really great. But I was disappointed recently when I visited and saw several "no photography" signs in the basement aquarium of the new museum.
People were ignoring these signs pretty much and shooting anyways, but that's beside the point. I sat and watched one of the "no photography" exhibits for a while and saw several altercations between photographers and museum patrons. One patron chided another for taking a non-flash photograph, "can't your read," she curtly said to the photographer, "it says 'no photography' why do people like you always think they're above the law."
The photographer said that they thought that the museum meant no "flash photography," (they were using an iPhone without a flash). The woman got agitated with the photographer and continued the altercation, "if they meant no 'flash' photography then it would say 'no flash photography'," she continued. "People like you are so rude," she chided the photographer again.
After seeing a few altercations like this I decided to investigate this policy a bit so I went to talk to one of docents. I asked her why the signs were there and asked if it had to do with flash photography. She told me that actually it did not. She said that cameras have lasers in them and that when the shutter opens the laser in the camera can shoot out and harm the fish. Now, I know that there are not lasers in cameras, at least not in my new Canon 5D M2 that I was shooting with that day," but I left it at that.
When I returned home from my trip I contacted the museum aquarium staff and inquired about the policy by email. The response that I got back was pretty much exactly as I expected. The museum staff confirmed what I assumed the reason why they had the "no photography" signs on certain exhibits was. They said it was to "be on the safe side, lest someone forget to turn off his/her flash."
Now while I can see why the museum staff has this policy in place, I still don't agree with it. My Canon 5D M2 doesn't even have a flash on it. I couldn't use flash on their exhibit even if I wanted to. And it sort of drives me crazy when people try to prohibit all photography based on arguments about flash.
So what's the alternative? Well, they could easily replace the "no photography" sign with a sign that says "no photography without museum permission, or museum permit," and point people to the staff offices for a permit. Here if there were photographers like me who really wanted to shoot those animals they could reconfirm and stress (if it's indeed that important) that any photography must be done *without* a flash. I could then return with my simple paper permit in hand and when that batty woman who won't mind her own business starts to chide me I could pull out my "permit" and show her that indeed I do have permission.
Of course as people mostly were just ignoring the sign anyways, while I was there at least, they could also just consider changing the sign to a more photographer friendly, "no flash photography," with an explanation that flash really stresses the animals out to put extra emphasis on it.
They also might want to consider telling their docents that digital cameras don't shoot laser beams. This is not Buck Rogers in the 21st Century -- it's a science museum, where it's probably better that policies be based on real actual science, not science fiction.
The aardvark is an African mammal. Its name means 'earth pig' in Afrikaans, a language spoken in southern Africa. The animal's name comes from its excellent burrowing ability. The aardvark's diet consists almost entirely of ants and termites.
There are four species of anteater: the giant anteater, northern tamandua, southern tamandua, and silky anteater. (The animal shown in the picture above is a giant anteater.) All four anteaters are found in Central and South America.
Bald eagles are the only eagles unique to North America. Bald eagles are most often found near rivers, lakes, and coasts. They are members of the genus Haliaeetus, a group of birds also known as sea eagles.
Boa constrictors are large snakes that are found in the wild in South and Central America and Mexico. They are also kept as pets. These deadly snakes are not venomous; they squeeze their prey in a deadly embrace.
There are three species of cassowary: the northern cassowary, southern cassowary and dwarf cassowary. The southern cassowary is the world's third largest species of bird, after the two ostrich species.
All three species of cassowary are found in new guinea, but only the southern cassowary is found in Australia.
Believe it or not, your pet dog is actually a subspecies of gray wolf! Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years. Over the years dogs have been used by man to hunt, for protection, to pull sleds, to herd animals or simply for companionship. Dogs have been selectively bred to fulfil certain roles, which is why some breeds can look very different to others.
Dugongs are marine mammals. They are found on the coasts of western Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Unlike manatees (their closest living relations) dugongs are not found in freshwater habitats. Dugongs are herbivores.
The Eurasian wolf is one of the 37 recognized subspecies (types) of gray wolf. All 37 subspecies are essentially the same animal; the Eurasian wolf could have pups with any of the other grey wolf subspecies.
The frill-necked lizard is found in Northern Australia. It gets its name from the frill of loose skin around its neck. When the lizard is alarmed or angry, it raises its frill, making itself look big and scary!
The moose is the largest member of the deer family. It is the second largest land animal in North America (after the American Bison), and the second largest land animal in Europe (after the European Bison).
Orangutans are large primates that spend most of their lives in trees. There are three species of orangutan: the Sumatran orangutan, the Bornean orangutan, and the newly-identified Tapanuli orangutan. All three species are critically endangered.
The panda, or giant panda, to give it its full name, is a bear that lives in south central China. Its diet consists almost entirely of bamboo. Its conservation status is 'Vulnerable', and its survival is reliant on ongoing conservation work.
The polar bear lives in the Arctic. Its long white coat provides excellent insulation and camouflage. The polar bear is the joint-largest bear, being a similar size to the Kodiak bear (a subspecies of brown bear).
Queen Alexandra's birdwing is the largest butterfly in the world. It is found in Papua New Guinea. The brown-colored females are bigger than the striking green and black males. The Queen Alexandra's birdwing is endangered, and is only found in a 100 sq km area of rainforest.
Sea otters are members of the weasel family (Mustelidae). They are the heaviest of the 13 otter species (giant otters are the longest), but the smallest marine mammals. They spend most of their lives in the sea. Most sea otters are found in alaska, although they are found elsewhere.
The snow leopard is a cat in the genus Panthera. Unlike the other members of this group (lion, tiger, jaguar, and leopard), the snow leopard is unable to roar. The snow leopard lives in mountainous habitat in Central and South Asia.
The southern elephant seal is not only the largest pinniped, but also the largest member of the Carnivora order. A male southern elephant seal can weigh up to SEVEN times as much as a polar bear! The large, fleshy nose of the male elephant seal gives the species its name.
Tapirs are large, pig-like herbivorous mammals. They have 'mini-trunks', with which they manipulate food and other objects. There are five species of tapir: the Brazilian tapir, Malayan tapir, Baird's tapir, kabomani tapir, and mountain tapir.
The tiger is the world's largest cat. This beautiful but deadly animal is a member of the genus Panthera, which also includes lions, jaguars, leopards and snow leopards. There are 6 surviving tiger subspecies. These include the Bengal tiger, Sumatran tiger and Siberian tiger.
Utah Prairie DogThe Utah prairie dog is an endangered mammal found only in the state of Utah, USA. It inhabits grasslands, where it builds large tunnel systems. It has been persecuted by farmers because it can cause extensive damage to crops.
The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial (pouched mammal) found in the United States and Canada. The Virginia oppossum pretends to be dead when it is threatened. This behavior gave rise to the saying 'playing possum'.
The walrus is a large marine mammal that lives in the Arctic. Both males and females have long tusks. Among the pinnipeds (the group of animals that includes seals, sealions and the walrus), only the two species of elephant seal are larger than the walrus.
The wolverine is a member of the Mustelidae (weasel) family that also includes badgers, otters and stoats. The wolverine has a fearsome reputation that is well-deserved; it has been known to drive away wolves and bears that are after its food.
Yaks are large, hooved mammals found in the Himalaya region of southern Asia. There are two species of yak: the domestic yak Bos grunniens and the wild yak Bos mutus, from which the domestic species was descended. The yak provides food and milk for local people, and is also used as a means of transport.
The zebra duiker is a species of antelope found in West Africa. Its name comes from the zebra-like markings on its back. A herbivore, the zebra duiker forages for fruit, leaves and other plant material in the rainforests in which it lives.