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2005: Behaviour: Mammals - Highly Commended Print

Mary Ann McDonald Enlarge image The dust bath

Mary Ann McDonald (United States of America)

The dust bath

Trunk and tusks - you don't need to see any more of the elephant to experience her power and size. She's in her element, throwing and blowing the dust and dirt over her back. She was one of a herd being followed by Mary Ann in Kenya's Samburu Game Reserve. 'After crossing the river, the elephants stopped close by and started to dust-bathe, completely relaxed,' she says. The cloud of red Samburu dust is enriched by the late-evening sun, with an azure-blue sky adding the finishing touch to the composition.

Canon EOS3 with 500mm f4 lens; 1/500 sec at f8; Kodak EB2 100.

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