THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF JOHN PUMPURS
RIGHT PLACE...RIGHT TIME (final 3 slideshow images)
The favourite food of the Rough-scale Snake (Tropidechis carinatus) is frogs. This sub-adult (only about 40cm long) was seen for several nights, lying in wait for an opportunity to feed. This was forthcoming when, in light rain, a male Graceful Tree Frog (Litoria gracilenta) appeared and began calling.
I was fortunate to be able to photograph the drama unfold as this tiny snake took its prey. From biting the leg to extracting the frog from the weeds, and consuming it whole, took about 15 minutes.
The frog is only about 25mm in total. To see this, and actually photograph it, was amazing!
I have been photographing frogs and other small fauna & flora species for about 20 years, using both biological and decorative themes.
Over the years, many of my photographs have been used by various councils, wildlife authorities,the Australian Museum and various publications. I have also produced a range of frog-themed greeting cards and educational posters.
My main aim is to promote public awareness of our native frog species and more recently in the importance of maintaining healthy waterways to preserve our remarkably diverse macro-invertebrates.