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James Hunt Photography, Hòn Sơn, Lai Son (2026)

26/03/2026

Three southern yellow-cheeked gibbons (Namascus gabriellae) just hanging around this town on the corner.

Of my favorite animals to watch in the wild, gibbons are at the top. With their acrobatics, agility, and cheeky obnoxiousness, there is always something to see.

As I've written in several posts below, these are listed as an endangered species, mainly due to the impact of human encroachment and development.

25/03/2026

The venomous lizard king: Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)

This largest lizard in the world, the Komodo dragon, can grow to massive lengths, over 3 meters (10 feet) in length.

While the island of Komodo is the most popular location of these reptiles, they can also be found on the islands of Flores, and Rinca, where they are actually larger on average than their namesake island. Females are larger than males, and can lay up to 30 eggs at a time. The young monitors spend most of their lives arboreal, electing to stay in trees to avoid cannibalism from the larger lizards below.

Komodo dragons, like other monitors and lizards in the clade Toxicofera contain a complex venom compounded by a saliva rich in bacteria, making it the perfect combo for subduing prey. According to literature, the venom prevents blood clotting and causes a drop in blood pressure whole also inducing muscular paralysis.

Conservation note: the Komodo dragon is listed as endangered, due mostly to habitat loss from human encroachment, but is also now widely protected by the locals in their habitat.

Photography note: Komodo dragons are purely diurnal, and huge, making them easy subject for photography as they warm in the sun, or track their prey, which typically consists of introduced goats and wild boar, deer, and buffalo.

Sony a7r4 • Sony 200-600mm G OSS

21/03/2026

One thing I've been getting more into over the years are Odonata, or damselflies and dragonflies. Unfortunately, identifying their species is not my specialty. I believe this one to be a Swampwatcher, or Potamarcha congener. Correct me if I am wrong.

These predatory insects have been patrolling Earth's wetlands for over 325 million years, and they're still at it.

As larvae, they hunt underwater for months to years. As adults, they take to the air, snatching mosquitoes and midges mid-flight with near-perfect accuracy. Among the best, if not the best predator known.

They sit at the heart of the food web, predators and prey both, connecting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in a single life cycle.

Here's what makes them special: they're living water quality tests. Different species tolerate different levels of pollution, temperature, and habitat disturbance. Scientists can read the health of an entire watershed just by seeing which species show up (and which don't). Lose the odonates, lose the signal.

About 16% of the world's 6,000+/- species are now threatened, mostly from wetland loss and water pollution. Protecting them isn't just about the insects. It's about keeping the ecosystems they measure intact.

Sony a7r4

20/03/2026

White-lipped island pit viper (Trimeresurus insularis) — yellow morph

The same species as the familiar green pit viper of the Lesser Sundas, but rendered in warm amber and gold, the yellow morph of T. insularis is among the most visually striking color variants in any Asian pit viper. While green individuals occur throughout the Lesser Sunda Islands, the yellow morph is primarily associated with Flores and Padar, making it a geographically distinctive form within an already polymorphic species. The biology is otherwise identical to its congeners: an arboreal, crepuscular ambush predator using heat-sensing loreal pits to locate warm-bodied prey from a coiled, stationary position in low vegetation.

The species occurs from near sea level up to 1,200m across its range, occupying dry monsoon forest, tropical moist forest, and forest edge. Its hemotoxic venom causes significant local tissue damage and should not be underestimated despite the animal's modest size.

The yellow morph presents a rare case where cryptic coloration shifts entirely with habitat — this individual, coiled among dry leaf litter, was considerably harder to spot than a green morph would have been in the same setting.

Photography note: the warm tonal uniformity of a yellow morph against dry leaf litter demands careful lighting to prevent the subject from merging with the background. Slight separation light from behind combined with diffused frontal fill helps define scale edges and the characteristic broad head shape.

Sony a7R IV · Sony 90mm macro

2x Godox V1 · Godox Xpro-S flash trigger

20/03/2026

Black-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nigripes)

The southern counterpart to the red-shanked docs of the central highlands of Vietnam, the black-shanked douc is among the most visually arresting primates in Southeast Asia. Pygathrix nigripes is a large colobine whose striking color palette, jet black limbs, pale grey back, bluish face, and vivid yellow eye-rings, makes every encounter feel improbable. A strict herbivore, it relies heavily on young leaves, supplemented seasonally by fruit, seeds, and flowers, processing its fibrous diet through a specialized sacculated stomach that gives the animal its characteristic rounded belly.

The species occupies the southern end of the douc range, restricted to Cambodia and southern Vietnam, with its core distribution centered on the Annamite Range and associated lowland to montane evergreen forest. The largest known population, estimated at around 42,000 individuals, is concentrated in Cambodia's Mondulkiri province. Groups are predominantly arboreal and diurnal, moving through the mid to upper canopy in single file along established routes. This one was found on one of the trails of Cat Tien National Park.

Conservation note: the species has lost over 80% of its population in the past 30 years, driven by poaching and rapid habitat loss.

Photography note: the contrast between the black limbs and pale torso creates exposure challenges in dappled canopy light. Spot metering on the face and waiting for open gaps in the canopy cover are essential for resolving the full tonal range of the animal. Notoriously shy, these beautiful animals are super hard to photograph.

Sony a7R IV · Sony 200–600mm

19/03/2026

Ok, I've been flooding my feed with these amazing creatures, I know...

So, as not to go too stale, here are some facts about this amazing species (nomascus gabriellae):

The species was discovered and named after British naturalist Gabrielle Maud Vassal

Their thumbs are all but decorative. The hands are so long that they appear hook-shaped. The thumbs on the hands are not elongated and are not used for swinging from branch to branch; instead these thumbs are used more for grooming behavior.

Researchers have identified basic syntax and grammar in gibbon songs, making them a unique model for studying the development and evolution of language. Their calls even change from species to species.

Yellow-cheeked gibbons have extended fields of skin glands in the axillary, sternal, and inguinal areas. The glands produce a reddish secretion and are particularly active under hot temperatures and when the animals are excited.

Sony a7r4 Sony 200-600mm G OSS

18/03/2026

Mother and child. This will never get old. Seeing yellow-cheeked gibbons (Nomascus gabriellae) in the wild is always a treat. Their acrobatics, their mischievous antics, and their singing. Their songs can be heard at great distances.

When I worked at the more years ago than I'd like to count, one of my favorite parts was walking in early in the morning hearing the white-cheeked gibbons (Nomascus leucogenys) singing their morning songs. I dreamed of hearing them in the wild, and now I get to do it regularly.

Sony a7r4 • Sony 200-600mm

17/03/2026

Southern yellow-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus gabriellae)

The species is immediately recognizable by its striking sexual dimorphism: males are jet black with vivid golden cheek patches, while females are pale buffy-yellow with a dark cap. Both sexes are born blond, with coat color shifting through several phases before reaching adult coloration.

This is an adult male, showing his dark black coloration and yellow cheeks, as opposed to the buffy-yellow adult female coloration in the prior shot.

We located this group behind the wildlife rehabilitation center in Cat Tien National Park, in southern Vietnam..

Sony a7R IV · Sony 200–600mm

17/03/2026

Southern yellow-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus gabriellae)

Few sights in the forests of Indochina rival a family group of Nomascus gabriellae moving through the upper canopy at speed, long arms reaching between gaps with a fluid efficiency that makes brachiation look effortless. The species is immediately recognizable by its striking sexual dimorphism: males are jet black with vivid golden cheek patches, while females are pale buffy-yellow with a dark cap. Both sexes are born blond, with coat color shifting through several phases before reaching adult coloration.

An endangered species native to Vietnam and Cambodia, N. gabriellae lives exclusively in undisturbed tropical forest and depends primarily on ripe fruit. Strictly arboreal and diurnal, individuals spend their lives in the forest crown, rarely descending to lower stories. Family groups are monogamous and highly territorial, with pairs performing coordinated vocal duets at dawn that carry far through the forest, typically the first and only indication of presence before the animals are seen.

We located this group behind the wildlife rehabilitation center in Cat Tien National Park, in southern Vietnam.

Conservation note: the species is classified as Endangered and its numbers are decreasing, with hunting for the pet trade and habitat loss among its primary threats.

Photography note: canopy subjects in dappled early morning light demand fast shutter speeds and significant exposure compensation. A long telephoto with image stabilization is essential, wait for a gap in the foliage and the animal to pause between swings. They are notoriously difficult to photograph.

Sony a7R IV · Sony 200–600mm

16/03/2026

Siamese red-necked keelback (Rhabdophis siamensis)

Poisonous beauty

A slender, fast-moving natricine of mainland Southeast Asia, Rhabdophis siamensis is best known for the vivid red-orange flush on its neck, a striking contrast to the olive-green dorsum that makes it one of the more immediately recognizable keelbacks of the region. The species is known from Thailand, Vietnam, and southern China, where it favors wetlands, forest streams, ponds, and moist evergreen forest, typically in areas with ample ground cover.

What makes this snake genuinely remarkable is its dual chemical defense. Like several of its congeners, R. siamensis is both venomous and poisonous, a rare combination. Toxins sequestered from toad prey are stored in specialized nuchal glands along the neck, which can be presented defensively when the animal is threatened. The rear-fanged venom system adds a second layer of risk that is easy to underestimate in a snake of this size and apparent docility.

A diurnal and largely terrestrial species, it moves quickly through waterside vegetation and is most often encountered along the margins of forest streams and ponds in the early morning hours. This one, like many before it, was found asleep on a small shrub late at night.

Photography note: the red neck coloration is the defining visual element, expose for it carefully, as it will blow out quickly against bright backgrounds. The reds of this snake are particular easy to capture, as they are usually brilliant against the olive and yellow coloration.

Sony a7R IV · Sony 90mm macro

2x Godox V1 · Godox Xpro-S

16/03/2026

Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)

One of the least-known and most critically endangered crocodilians on Earth, Crocodylus siamensis is a medium-sized freshwater specialist whose olive-green scales, broad smooth snout, and distinctive bony crest behind each eye give it an ancient, prehistoric appearance entirely suited to the slow rivers and floodplain lakes it inhabits. Adults feed mainly on fish and snakes, but also take amphibians and small mammals. I’ve even seen one in pursuit of a very large king cobra.

The species occupies slow-moving rivers and streams, lakes, seasonal oxbow lakes, marshes, and swamplands. During the wet season, individuals disperse across flooded landscapes as water levels rise, retreating to core river and lake habitats as conditions dry down. Individuals also excavate burrows along riverbanks, with multiple animals sometimes sharing a single refuge.

Once widespread across Southeast Asia and Borneo, populations have collapsed over the past 50 years to fewer than 1,000 wild individuals, now scattered in highly fragmented remnants across Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. This one was found in Cat Tien National Park amongst the introduced and protected population.

Photography note: low water-level angles are essential for conveying the mass and presence of the animal. Late golden light grazing the dorsal scutes reveals the sculptural texture of the scales without the harsh reflections that midday shooting on wet skin produces.

Sony a7R IV · Sony 200-600 G OSS

James Hunt Photography

26/03/2026

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