Apple Snail Shell
I have been incredibly busy and have not posted is some time. So, now I will begin with the most recent image.
This one is the shell of an Apple Snail. It was collected in the Wellington Preserve last month, but I took a set of photos a few days ago to exhibit in my advanced fine art photography class.
The Apple Snail (Pomacea) is fairly common in Florida and in Central and South America). It is the favorite food of the Limpkin and the Snail Kite. They are often cultivated as “pets” and kept in an aquarium. According to some references, they were originally cultivated in Taiwan for human consumption.
Limpkin with Apple Snail
Limpkins are quite fastidious when capturing Apple Snails. They use their specially adapted beaks to remove the animal and leave the shells intact. Snail Kites, on the other hand are not so kind to the shells.
The Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) is found in Florida to the northern part of Argentina. It is hard to tell the male from the female since their plumage is identical. You know when Limpkins are around by their very loud screaming call. The Limpkin and the Apple Snail both have fresh water subtropical to tropical ecosystems. Hence, the large majority of the Limpkin diet is the Apple Snail. Yum!
The image of the Apple Snail was taken with the Canon 100mm Macro (tripod) using natural light supplemented with fill flash. Post–processing with LR3 and Color Effects Pro. Conversion to black and white in Silver Effects Pro. The Limpkin was captured with the Canon 300L f/4 handheld.