American wildlife photographer Dennis Stogsdill has captured an extraordinary and rarely documented moment in nature: a caracal successfully hunting lesser flamingos at Ndutu Lake in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. The remarkable photograph, titled "Cat Amongst the Flamingos," won the Adult Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in the Behavior: Mammals category, showcasing what experts believe to be one of the first recorded instances of this hunting behavior.
Stogsdill had been searching for wild cats, particularly servals, for several days when he received a radio call reporting a sighting at Ndutu Lake. However, what he discovered wasn't a serval at all, but rather a caracal engaged in the unusual behavior of hunting wading lesser flamingos. The photographer managed to capture this unprecedented scene using a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera with a 600mm f4 lens, shooting at 1/1600 second, f5.6 aperture, and ISO 2500.
Caracals (Caracal caracal), also known as African caracals, are known for their incredibly diverse diet that ranges from insects to antelope. These wild cats from the Carnivoran family are particularly renowned for their spectacular acrobatic leaps, which they use to snatch birds directly from the air mid-flight. Despite their varied hunting repertoire and athletic abilities, there are few, if any, documented records of caracals specifically targeting flamingos as prey.
The winning photograph features the caracal among a group of lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) in their natural Sub-Saharan African habitat. This species of flamingo is commonly found throughout Eastern Africa, making Ndutu Lake in the Serengeti an ideal location for such wildlife encounters. The image perfectly captures the dramatic moment of this unusual predator-prey interaction in one of Africa's most celebrated national parks.
Dennis Stogsdill, a dedicated wildlife photography hobbyist from the United States, describes himself as someone who loves traveling the world in search of interesting and unique scenes. His winning photograph is currently featured in an exhibition that encourages visitors to "pause, reflect and reconnect with the natural world through images that celebrate nature's awe-inspiring beauty and urge us to protect it." The exhibition aims to harness the power of photography to advance scientific knowledge, spread awareness of important conservation issues, and nurture a global appreciation for nature.
