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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · 14d

When it comes to animals, I prefer to photograph them in natural settings. But recently, I was giving a talk & realized I didn't have a photo of a ringneck that illustrated my point. I ran into the backyard, found one, & photographed it in a 'studio' set up on the patio. I think it turned out nicely

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · 14d

Oh yes, I have a handful I can send you whenever :)

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · 18d

I think galls are pretty cool. In recent years, I've photographed a few, but the project has been on pause.. Until the other day, I looked at a cut-down willow (Salix sp) whose leaves were covered in galls, maybe from the Willow Apple Gall Sawfly (Euura californica). Couldn't resist snagging a few.

Willow leaves on a black background, the leaves have bright red nodules or galls on them.

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · 18d

What an incredible series! World class and very impressive images - well besides that one shot 😅

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Reposted by Anton Sorokin

Marshal Hedin @mhedin.bsky.social · 18d

let me share a little story about a remarkable wasp that I encountered yesterday in our local deserts

I stumbled across her, and scrambled to get a few crappy photos .... but then realized that she had a burrow, perhaps a better photo op was possible ??

here she is at her burrow entrance.

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Aug 18

Two striped gartersnake (Thamnophis hammondii) - not what I had in mind initially but maybe the 1st underwater images of this species. ,🐍🌎

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Aug 16

A very young white-lipped mud turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum). One of the most common turtle species in Belize. But also one of the cutest. 🐢🌎

A very young white-lipped mud turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum) being held by a scientist.

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Jul 25

Schooling Sacramento pikeminnow, despite being minnows they reach impressive size (4+ft) and are top predators in the ecosystems they inhabit. Really bold fish too which is always welcome for photography.

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Jun 29

Seeing them in the wild is surprisingly doable! Might take some persistence but its not one of those endangered species you have to go to remote wilderness to see. With luck an easy day trip can produce!

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Jun 28

My latest article is on the snakes of the San Francisco Bay Area and how to find them for BayNature Magazine. Snake seeking is the new bird-watching! I'm a bit biased but I'd say there is some fun natural history to learn in there, even if you're not local. baynature.org/article/hith...

Hither and Slither: How to Find Bay Area Snakes - Bay Nature

For nature lovers seeking a challenge, finding a rare snake is deeply rewarding. "Snake hunting is the new birdwatching," says one expert.

baynature.org

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Jun 25

An amazing weekend with amazing company, both human and fish. @emmasteigerwald.bsky.social & Green sturgeon in Northern California. We loaded our inflatable raft up with scuba gear, paddled out to a secret sturgeon hole, & dropped in to say hi.

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Jun 20

Really pleased to have contributed several images to this article in the Smithsonian on hellbenders! Love to see and hear about hellbender appreciation 🦎🌎
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Why Has This North Carolina Town Embraced a Strange Salamander?

The city of Boone has put a giant mural of the eastern hellbender downtown and its residents often imbibe a local Hazy IPA named after the amphibian

www.smithsonianmag.com

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Jun 16

Bucket list item checked off, I swam with sturgeon! Green sturgeon in California. Hoping to go back in the coming weeks and make another attempt with scuba gear, freediving worked but just barely.

A green sturgeon swimming along the bottom of a California river.

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · May 29

Yesterday, I saw news about a cicada discovered in California due to community science on iNaturalist. Good time to reshare this article I wrote about a rediscovered cicada from the same genus & the importance of community sci for studying this genus! www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

How an ‘extinct’ cicada was rediscovered 100 years later

Billions of cicadas will soon flood the eastern U.S. But their western counterparts are relatively lesser known—with one species described as "the holy grail of western cicada rediscoveries."

www.nationalgeographic.com

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · May 23

The critically endangered Hickatee (Dermatemys mawii), a freshwater turtle found in Belize, Mexico, & Guatemala. 1 of the world's most aquatic turtles & absurdly fast underwater - photoing them was a real challenge. Sadly, this species is hunted for its meat, adult turtles are rare in most sites. 🐢🌎

A hickatee turtle comes to the surface to take a quick breath of air.

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · May 22

The single animal I was most excited to see in Belize - the giant musk turtle - here he is, equally excited to see me. Just kidding, he was furious. But I was happy enough for the both of us. This is an uncommonly seen sp, I think everyone who has photoed this sp wild & UW was in the canoe with me 🐢

A giant musk turtle angerly and defensively opening its mouth showing off its jaws and tongue.

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · May 13

Not groundbreaking photography wise - but the 1st time I've photographed sharks underwater. It was tremendously fun and a privilege to share the water with them. 🌎🦈

A reef shark swims overhead in front of a backdrop of blue water

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · May 8

Really pleased to have contributed to the Smithsonian podcast talking about wildfires and wildlife in California!

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · May 1

To go deeper into how the L.A. wildfires affected animals, check out this @smithsonianmag.bsky.social podcast—featuring @antonsrkn.bsky.social. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Looking Back on the L.A. Wildfires Through the Lens of Two Photographers

As wildfire becomes an increasingly lethal force that’s remaking broad swaths of California, people and animals alike are in the hot seat

www.smithsonianmag.com

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Apr 20

I might have a new favorite freshwater fish in California. Pacific lamprey, you've probably seen pics of their scary mouths - but have you realized how adorable they are? They scrunch their noses up moving rocks, have permanent googly eyes, and look like sock puppets. 🌎🐟

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Apr 15

Thank you!!

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Apr 15

Thanks Dan!

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Apr 15

This past weekend, @emmasteigerwald.bsky.social said yes, and officially agreed to spend the rest of our lives together. Surrounded by bear tracks, bird + frog song, and snowy mountains, it was the perfect location to take the next step. I couldn't be happier or feel any luckier!

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Apr 7

Sometimes as a photographer, I worry the bugs, frogs, snakes, & fish I photograph are just TOO charismatic and broadly appealing & have to dial it back a notch. This one is a real crowd-pleaser. Invasive signal crayfish eating a drowned rat from the butt end.

A drowned rat and a signal crayfish scavenging it underwater on a silty bottom.

A crayfish sitting ontop of a drowned rat

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Reposted by Anton Sorokin

Ben Goldfarb @bengoldfarb.bsky.social · Apr 3

You surely know that Greenland sharks live for centuries — but did you know that females likely *don't reach sexual maturity until they're older than the oldest human who has ever lived*?

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

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Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · Apr 2

Not my single best photo, but I'm excited to share! A new-to-me freshwater fish: Hitch (Lavinia exilicauda), a monotypic minnow endemic to California. They might be minnows but they're big fish, over a foot long & sometimes weighing a pound+. Very rarely photographed in the wild underwater. 🌎💧🐟

A school of Lavinia exilicauda fish in a deep section.

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