Red-eyed Reef Crab (Eriphia smithii)

Red-eyed Reef Crab (Eriphia smithii)

The marine life around Socotra is rich and diverse, but I am focusing on the flora and fauna on land. However, I had a short window of opportunity during low…


Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Erissel is the easternmost point of Socotra. It is a windswept low-lying area governed by the elements. During cyclones the wind and sea wreak havoc on the…


Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Erissel is the easternmost point of Socotra. It is a windswept low-lying area governed by the elements. During cyclones the wind and sea wreak havoc on the…


Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

Red Sea Ghost Crab (Ocypode saratan)

The north-facing beach of the tip of Erissel is wide and deep, with a large part only tasting the waves during monsoons. This is perfect conditions for the…


Inversed Fiddler Crab (Cranuca inversa)

Inversed Fiddler Crab (Cranuca inversa)

I found plenty of this species at this location and no signs of competing species. They thrive here next to a large date grove, where I rested in their…


Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata)

Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata)

As the name implies this species is endemic to Japan and exists nowhere else on earth. Just like most oft he other macaque species, the Japanese macaque is…


Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata)

Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata)

As the name implies this species is endemic to Japan and exists nowhere else on earth. Just like most oft he other macaque species, the Japanese macaque is…


Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)

Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)

Encountering this koklass pheasant peacefully feeding off the juicy spring shoots and buttercup flowers was a wonderful experience. Not a sound of human…


Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)

Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)

The many species of pheasant found in the Himalayas is incredible, and seeing them up close on the road like this is exiting as it is surprising. Yet it is a…


Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus)

Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus)

The state bird of Uttarakhand, and and incredibly beautiful bird. In Chopta and by most temples this is a commonly seen bird that will come up close, and…