Acrobatic Squirrels Captured in a Series of Amazing Photos
A photographer has captured a series of amazing squirrel pictures that shows off their gymnastic ability.
Belgian photographer Niki Colemont wanted to show the squirrels’ “extreme flexibility” which makes for fantastic photos.
“I have gained the trust of the squirrels by photographing them for six years,” Colemont tells PetaPixel
“I have learned how to approach them. I can anticipate exactly their next move making it easier for me to frame my shot.”
For his nutty photo shoot, Colemont used a Nikon Z9 and a Nikon Z6 II along with a Manfrotto tripod.
“It is still a challenge to capture a good jumping shot so I have made a special wood jumping platform for the squirrel to land on,” he explains.
“It keeps them busy and they love to do it. I made 7,500 shots and came home with 25 good pictures.”
Colemont says that despite the high volume of work, it’s well worth persevering. “It’s a rewarding experience when you can see that your efforts have paid off,” he says.
To make things easier, Colemont has learned to study their behavior to anticipate what they will do next.
“Sometimes when they try to jump back with the nut in their mouth the nut falls on the ground in mid-air so they have to do it all over again making it easier for me to take the shot again.”
Colemont explains in a Bored Panda article that the red squirrels in his photos are extremely agile thanks to their long tails which aid balance and long paws that help them jump across gaps between trees.
“Squirrels can turn their back feet and body 180 degrees, which means they can rotate completely forward to completely backward in the same position. This makes it very easy for them to move in very difficult situations,” he says.
“Another set of skills is their super-flexible ankles. The secret weapon allowing red squirrels to hang upside down on trees is their ankles. Unlike most rodents, whose ankles lock in place and point in one direction, squirrels have swiveling ankle joints, allowing them to climb and hang in various positions.”
PetaPixel previously featured Colemont’s work of squirrels with dinosaurs here.
More of Colemont’s work can be found on his Instagram and Facebook.
Image credits: All photos by Niki Colemont.
