Stunning never-before-seen images show an ultra-rare black leopard as it pads out in the cover of darkness with its sooty coat camouflaged against the night sky.
The photographs, included in a new book titled The Black Leopard: My Quest to Photograph One of Africa's Most Elusive Cats, were shot by British wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas after he spent a year tracking the mysterious mammal in Laikipia, Kenya.
Burrard-Lucas, 37, released the initial batch of images he took of a black leopard in 2019 and they quickly went viral as it was the first time one had been caught on camera as part of a scientific study in Africa for 100 years.
The leopard's black colour is the result of melanism. This genetic variation, the opposite of albinism, results in an excess of dark pigmentation.
Burrard-Lucas' favourite shots of the black leopard, show it in the foreground with starry skies beyond.
In his blog, he details how it took him 'six months of perseverance' to get his 'dream photograph' as the conditions had to be just right and the leopard had to be moving in the right direction.
He explains: 'I wanted head-on shots so that meant when the animal passed by my camera I had a 50-50 chance of either seeing his face or backside.'
Eventually, after dozens of misses, Burrard-Lucas got the shot he was after with 'the black leopard prowling under a carpet or stars'.
Source
The photographs, included in a new book titled The Black Leopard: My Quest to Photograph One of Africa's Most Elusive Cats, were shot by British wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas after he spent a year tracking the mysterious mammal in Laikipia, Kenya.
Burrard-Lucas, 37, released the initial batch of images he took of a black leopard in 2019 and they quickly went viral as it was the first time one had been caught on camera as part of a scientific study in Africa for 100 years.
The leopard's black colour is the result of melanism. This genetic variation, the opposite of albinism, results in an excess of dark pigmentation.
Burrard-Lucas' favourite shots of the black leopard, show it in the foreground with starry skies beyond.
In his blog, he details how it took him 'six months of perseverance' to get his 'dream photograph' as the conditions had to be just right and the leopard had to be moving in the right direction.
Eventually, after dozens of misses, Burrard-Lucas got the shot he was after with 'the black leopard prowling under a carpet or stars'.
Source
I bought his autographed hard-cover book from the UK,. I messaged him asking why there was No certificate with it,. NO response from him,.. I at one time collected autographed & old books,. Now I am mostly bedridden therefore I only buy the one that captivates me,. This book did ,.but I was disappointed not to receive a response from author nor a Certificate of authenticity,... Kind Regards,. Jewell