Daniel Rosengren, a wildlife photographer whose lens has captured some of the most breathtaking moments in nature, has called many places home – from his birthplace in Sweden to the vast plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania. Currently, he spends much of his time in Frankfurt, Germany, but his heart clearly belongs to the wild.
In July 2015, Daniel made the leap from lion research to full-time wildlife photography, embracing a career that, as he describes on his website, “takes me to amazing places around the globe and constantly presents new challenges for me and my camera.”
Scroll down to explore a stunning collection of images captured by the photographer, which bring you face-to-face with the beauty, intensity, and vulnerability of wildlife, and read the stories Daniel shares from some of the planet’s most extraordinary landscapes.
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#1
“This photo means a lot to me. Not only did the lions position themselves in a perfect circle around a wildebeest kill, but the BBC used the photo in the magazine Radio Times and quoted no one less than David Attenborough on it. The quote was ‘The visual is always more powerful than words.’
To have those words by Sir David Attenborough himself on my photo made me very proud and honoured.”
Image source: naturebydanielrosengren
#2
“The sea otter is a very interesting animal. Weighing up to 45 kg (99 lb), it is the largest member of the weasel family. Unlike other marine mammals like whales and seals, sea otters have no blubber to keep them warm. Instead, they have the densest fur of all mammals, with about 150,000 hairs per square centimetre (almost a million per square inch)!!! The fur is so dense that the water never reaches the skin.
Sea otters are able to live their whole life at sea without ever coming to land (though they can). They hunt, feed, mate, give birth and nurse their young in the water. After birth, the mother spends a lot of time grooming the newborn to the point that the fur is so fluffy and full of air that the pup floats like a cork, unable to dive.
They also use rocks as tools to pry prey off rocky cliffs and to crush shells on their belly while at the surface. They even have a pouch in their skin where they transport this rock and food. The sea otters can drink seawater and have extra-large kidneys that deal with the high salt levels.
These animals are extremely important for some marine ecosystems. When their numbers were decimated during the hunt for their fur, whole ecosystems collapsed. This is because the otter eats sea urchins that, in turn, eat kelp. When there are no otters to control the sea urchin populations, the whole kelp forest disappears. That is, of course, devastating for all animals that depend on the kelp.
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA.”
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#3
“The stunningly beautiful caracal. This cat is an excellent jumper and often catches birds in flight.
Photographed in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#4
“A young lion in a tree photographed with a wide-angle lens in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#5
“Lionesses in the same pride often sync the birth of their litters. This is practical as they then will have more or less the same size cubs with similar needs and can move at the same speed. Lionesses will also suckle each other’s cubs.
Should it happen that they are out of sync, and some females have much larger cubs, it is not unusual for the pride to temporarily split up into smaller groups with the same size cubs in each subgroup.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#6
“Butterflies often land on turtles’ heads to drink their tears for the minerals. I’ve also seen them land on caimans and anacondas for the same reason. “
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#7
“The elegant serval looking back. The large ears are very sensitive to sounds and can pinpoint small rodents with precision.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#8
“Sometimes animals do what they are not supposed to.
When I worked with lion research in the Serengeti National Park, these lion cubs crawled under my car to make use of the shade. I reached down with my camera and took a few shots, not knowing if I was aiming right. This was the result.”
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#9
“A nice mud bath both cools you down and protects against biting and annoying insects.
African Buffalo in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#10
“I spent 5 years living in central Serengeti and working with lion research. Being able to recognise individuals was key for this work. The “fingerprints” of lions are their whisker spots. If you look closely at this image, you’ll see some more or less straight lines of whisker spots above the mouth.
Above the top line, there are a couple of spots (in this case) and these are the ones to look at and their positioning in relation to the top line. These are different on the other side of the face and unique to each lion. In any given year, I had about 300 different lions to keep track of, so making individual ID-cards and noting down the whisker spot patterns along with other distinct characters was necessary.
After a couple of years, I started recognising many of the lions without having to look at their whisker spots. Just like when you see people you know, you don’t have to search for a special feature, you just recognise them anyway.”
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#11
“As some of you may have noticed, I haven’t posted for a long time. I have been away on two photographic assignments, first two months in Peru, then two weeks in Mozambique.
I will now try to post more often again, starting with this capybara from Peru, accompanied by two bodyguards in black suits—two giant cowbirds. The capybara are the largest rodent species in the world with some individuals weighing over 70 kg (155 Ib), while females are typically a bit larger than males.”
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#12
“I found two impalas stuck in a muddy part of the Seronera River in the Serengeti National Park. One was a fully grown male, and the other (seen in this photo), a young male. They were close to solid ground, so I could reach for their horns and pull them out. They couldn’t have been stuck for long, because they still had a lot of energy to struggle from my grip. First out was the young one. When I let go, he ran off full speed, straight out in the mud again. Because of the high speed, he was now far out, away from my reach. After also pulling up the adult male, I hesitated a bit, letting go of the long, pointy horns. He was feisty and I didn’t want one of those horns to pierce me. So, as I let go, I pushed him away from me at the same time and he ran off to safety. Two friends of mine happened to drive by and saw what I was doing. They had a rope that we turned into a lasso. We were terrible at throwing the lasso, but after many attempts, we finally caught it and managed to pull it up on land. By this time, the impala was completely out of energy from struggling in the mud and just lay down panting on the ground. When I came back a little later, he had regained his strength and left.”
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#13
“To see a puma in the Amazon rainforest is not easy, but during my last trip to Peru, I was lucky enough to see one. It had emerged from the dense forest and was sitting on a beach by the river Las Piedras, in the Alto Purus area.”
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#14
“A saiga calf, only one or two days old. Don’t worry, the rest of the body will grow and catch up with the legs.
Saigas are highly specialised animals that live in central Asia. It is barely visible on a calf, but as it gets older, the nose will resemble the trunk of a tapir. This is an adaptation to extreme temperatures. In summer, when temperatures may reach well over 40 Centigrade (104 Fahrenheit), the inflatable nose helps cooling and humidifying the air before it enters the lungs. In winter, when temperatures may drop below -40 Centigrade (-40 Fahrenheit), the nose cavity is used to warm up the air before it enters the lungs. Saigas are also one of the fastest land animals on earth, reaching speeds of 80 km/h (50 mph) and can maintain a high speed for long distances.
Photographed in Altyn Dala NP, Kazakhstan.”
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#15
“An Egyptian Goose with its little chicks. These birds form couples for life and both females and males take turns incubating their eggs and care for the young. They usually nest in a hole in a tree.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#16
“A male lion resting on the famous Serengeti plains. Some nearby zebras are staying alert. They know that this particular lion can’t catch them without the element of surprise. But where there is one lion, there might be more, and by just running away from him, the zebras might run straight into another hidden lion. So, better stay steady and vigilant.”
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#17
“A Black-capped Squirrel Monkey as curious about me as I was about it.
Photographed in Bahuaja Sonene National Park, Peru.”
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#18
“A baby bush hyrax sunbathing on top of its mother.
Hyraxes are special among mammals as their internal thermoregulation is poor.
Like reptiles, they depend a lot on ambient temperatures to control their body temperature. That is why they are often seen sunbathing, especially in the mornings. But sitting exposed on rocks like this makes them vulnerable to predators. Therefore, they often have an individual on lookout that will warn the rest in case of danger.
Personally, I prefer their Swahili name, Pimbi. It’s such a fitting name.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#19
“A young leopard tortoise. This species is one of the largest tortoises in the world and can, in extreme cases, reach a length of 70 cm (28 in) and weigh up to 40 kg (88 lb). They can get to 100 years old.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#20
“A tropical spiny agama on an eland skull. The white ‘peaks’ behind the tail are the teeth of the eland.
I normally only see this lizard speeding across the ground and disappearing into a hole. But this individual played it cool and let me approach it and take wide-angle photos at close range.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#21
“A White-vented Storm Petrel searching for food on the Pacific Ocean surface.
Very little is is known about this species. So far, very few nests have been found. One theory is that the nest in the Atacama desert, the driest place on earth, where a dead chick was found.
Photographed around the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.”
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#22
“A male Boomslang in Serengeti National Park. These snakes have excellent vision and will often move their head from side to side to get a better view of objects directly in front of them.
Boomslangs are arboreal and highly venomous. Their prey includes reptiles, frogs, birds and mammals. They will even eat snakes, including those of their own species.”
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#23
“A foot of a mountain gorilla showing an opposable thumb for gripping branches.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda.”
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#24
“A Mudskipper making a jump (skip) to show his strength to defend his territory and burrow.
These fish are amphibious and spend up to 75% of their lives out of the water. They can breathe on land by bringing some water into their gill chambers. Their pectoral fins have developed limb-like properties, which help them crawl in the mud and even jump into the air (see the photo). Males make burrows in the muddy intertidal zones along rivers and in mangroves. Females lay eggs in their burrows which the males fertilise. The male is then left alone to care for the eggs.
Photographed in Marromeu NR, Mozambique.”
Image source: naturebydanielrosengren
#25
“The silhouette of a zebra seen against the rising full moon.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.”
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#26
“A group of Tui Parakeets feeding on the fruits of a tree. These tiny parrots were very charming but also very noisy while feeding.
These photos were taken far up the River Tahuamanu in Peru. I was told that I was probably the first non-Peruvian to visit the area, ever.”
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#27
“From a series of photos where a Snowy Egret takes off and flies past a Great Egret.
Rio Tahuamanu, Peru.”
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#28
“WOW! This is the first time I saw the legendary bushmaster. Normally, they hide inside the rainforest, but this one was out in the open on a riverbank.
The tongue catches molecules in the air, and inside the mouth, the tongue is inserted into something called the vomeronasal organ, where the chemicals are analysed. The fact that the tongue is forked enables the snake to sense the direction of the smell, like stereo-smelling.
The bushmaster belongs to the pit vipers. These have an additional organ. If you look closely, you can see a pit between the nostril and the eye. This is a heat-sensing organ, much like the night-vision equipment the military uses.
Bushmasters are highly venomous; there is a high fatality rate among humans who have been bitten.
It was long believed that these snakes could produce a songlike whistle, as suggested by natives. It turns out that it was instead a couple of tree frogs that produced the sound.
Rio Las Piedras, Peru.”
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#29
“The Weddell’s Saddle-back Tamarin is a tiny monkey found in the Amazon rainforest. They are only up to about 19.5 cm (7.7 in) with a long, 30 cm (12 in), tail. They weigh around 358 g (12.6 oz), about the same as a human heart.
They eat everything from fruits, gums, and nectar, to insects and other small animals.
Photographed in Tambopata National Reserve, Peru.”
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#30
“A close-up photo of a spectacular caterpillar. This is one of the largest (and reddest) caterpillars I have ever seen. I believe it is the Saturniid moth Eacles penelope.
Photographed along the Rio Tahuamanu in Peru. I was told I was the first non-Peruvian to explore this area.”
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#31
“A black spider monkey trying to recreate the iconic pose by Michael Jordan.
Jokes aside, this image has been rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise (see next image for the correct orientation). This monkey made an impressive leap between two trees.
In the last image, the same individual shows why it is practical to have a prehensile tail.
Photographed in the Peruvian Amazon.”
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#32
“A tiny katydid with unusual colours. Katydids can normally be told apart from grasshoppers by their long antennae, usually longer than the rest of their body.
Tambopata National Reserve, Peru.”
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#33
“This beetle is called a Pinocchio Weevil. Why isn’t difficult to understand. Even for a weevil it has a very long snout.
Photographed in Tambopata National Reserve, Peru.”
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#34
“Great crested grebes.”
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#35
“Here are some photos of this odd-looking and very colourful vulture. In the last image, it meets a greater yellow-headed vulture mid-air.
These vultures live in tropical South and Central America.
Photographed in Peru.”
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#36
“Red-throated twinspots form long-term monogamic relationships with their partner. They are known for allopreening (individuals preening each other), something that is not very common among birds.
Photographed in Marromeu, Mozambique.”
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#37
“A woolly-necked stork in Marromeu National Reserve, Mozambique.”
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#38
“When the ‘rock’ you are peacefully sitting on suddenly explodes.
This cattle egret knew that it was sitting on a hippo, but the bird probably didn’t expect the hippo to suddenly pick a fight with its neighbour.
Katavi NP, Tanzania.”
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#39
“This caterpillar is a species of Automeris moth in the family Saturniidae. Very well done @davidbygott for being very close. If anyone knows the species, please let me know. This caterpillar is huge and covered in poisonous spines that give a painful sting.
Yaguas NP, Peru.”
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#40
“Spider silk is a fantastic material. All spiders produce silk, but not all make webs. The silk can also be used as an anchor line, for wrapping prey or eggs, for constructing a nest, as alarm lines, as trap lines, as hearing aid, as pheromone trails and even for flying, called ballooning. To achieve this, spiders produce up to eight different types of silk with different qualities for different purposes.
Spider silk is about five times as strong as steel compared to its weight. If you had a spider silk dragline that would reach around the earth, it would only weigh about 2 kg (4.4 lbs).
To fly, small spiders create thin strands of silk, and static electricity then lifts the spider into the air. Together with wind, they can travel very far this way, and it is not uncommon to encounter them far out on the open oceans.
Spiders produced nets to trap prey millions of years before humans even existed.
Humans are trying to replicate spider silk because of its amazing properties that could be used for many purposes.”
Image source: naturebydanielrosengren
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