Into the Wilderness: Part 1

We're thrilled to present Part 1 of a series of beautiful wildlife photographs taken by Olivia Binfield, an MSci Zoology student at UCL. Each photograph tells a unique story, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the natural world.

A male Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) showing off his mane. Sea lions are sexually dimorphic, with the males reaching weights of 400kg during the breeding season and exhibiting aggressive mate-guarding behaviours.

A female and her pup: Australian sea lions have the longest pregnancy of any marine mammal, with a gestation period of 18 months.

Echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) are a striking example of convergent evolution. Despite their superficial resemblance to hedgehogs, they belong to an entirely different order: Monotremata, the egg-laying mammals.

Despite their reputation, most wasps are also pollinators, such as the Campsomeris tasmaniensis pictured above. These wasps play a crucial role in ecosystem balancing.

The absence of mammals has allowed New Zealand’s endemic birds to occupy unique niches. Take the kea, Nestor notabilis, the world’s only alpine parrot. They are highly intelligent, social animals, being the only non-mammal to show contagious emotion. They are also opportunistic omnivores, endangered after decades of persecution for their tendency to prey on living sheep.

Into the Wilderness: Part 1

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