©Byron Towles
June 12, 2023
Hidden in Plain Sight
- as seen by -
Byron Towles
While scanning a pond in the New York Botanical Garden with my telephoto lens, I spotted an American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) sitting motionless among the floating duckweed. The shiny reflections on its exposed eyes and skin were the only things that alerted me to its concealed location.
I wondered if its prey or predators would use these same clues to find it?
This cold-blooded amphibian is a carnivore. Its next meal could be a dragonfly, a fish, or another small pond dweller. Even though a bullfrog cannot move its head from side to side, it will keep an eye out for animals that could devour it including raccoons, herons, and snapping turtles according to the National Park Service.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This photo was chosen as the top submission for Wild View’s In Disguise assignment. Congratulations!
Canon EOS 5D MK IV with Canon EF 100-400mm f/3.5-5.6L IS II zoom lens
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