Lesser Siren

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"Sirens are aquatic, eel-like salamanders that lack hind limbs but have fully developed front limbs. They are neotenic, and retain external gills throughout life. There are several undescribed forms of siren in the southeast that may represent new species or hybrids, pending analysis of their ecology and genetics. The siren pictured here (found in the Florida panhandle) is of the S. intermedia complex, but its exact identity has yet to be determined. " - Zachary Cava

This month’s photo was taken by wildlife biologist, Zachary Cava.  He used a brilliant technique to achieve this image: 

“To accentuate the otherworldly beauty of this animal, I wanted to photograph it from below, against a black background. To achieve this, I placed the siren in a shallow glass dish filled with water, which I balanced between two folding chairs. I then lay on the ground directly beneath the dish to get the shot. I photographed the siren in a dark room and used off-camera flash to get the effect I wanted.”

Thank you for sharing your work with us!  

To connect with Zach, find him on Instagram @zacharycava, or on his website www.zacharycava.net.