Take advantage of the opportunities that zoos offer!

 As photographers, make sure to take advantage of the opportunities that zoos offer. Though its not nearly as exciting or rewarding as photographing wildlife in the wild (I've even heard of it as "cheating") they allow you to photograph animals that a lot of us will never even see in the wild. For example I took these photos at the San Diego Zoo of a Eurasian Lynx...a rare species of cat that is very hard to find - let alone photograph - in the wild. Yet I got these excellent "head shots" of this species.

The Jaguar! (Panthera onca)

One of my favorite cat species is the Jaguar (Panthera onca). Native to Central and South America (as well as the very Southernmost parts of Arizona, USA) these animals prefer thick forest as their habitat but can also be found in wetlands and dry grasslands. These creatures are most abundant in Tropical Rainforests. Growing up to six feet long (not including the tail) and standing 30 inches at the shoulder, these large cats are quite amazing.

     

Amur Tiger

This is a beautiful photo that I captured of an Amur (Siberian) Tiger at the Minnesota Zoo. I think that the digitally added sepia color tone adds alot. They are such majestic creatures!