Never Before Photographed Behavior???

[Arthur Morris]

This bull Galapagos Sea-lion herded some small pelagic fish into a volcanic grotto on the coast of James Bay, Peurto Egas, Santiago Island, Galapagos. With the fish confused, he would hunt and capture them, and then take them out into the ocean to devour them. (There were White-tipped Reef Sharks in the grotto trying to steal his prey.) Our guide alerted us to his behavior--he had seen it only three times before in his entire career. I was behind the action for the intitial capture and heeding our guide's words sprinted to my right to the small point that jutted into the sea. The animal came to the surface briefly and dove again, but I was able to see him in the clear water. When he surfaced again, I was able to create this image with the handheld 70-200 f/4 L IS lens (at 165mm) and the EOS 40D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -2/3 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f.4.

Thanks Juan!

[Johannes Glännman]

Very interesting what you say. The story makes the good picture even better.... It sounds like they are very intelligent.

cheers // Johannes

[Jim Poor]

Pretty cool behavior and the splash of crab color makes it all that much better.

[Harold Davis]

the crab is the icing on the cake!!! congrats on the capture!! incredible action!! and the look back is priceless!!

[Gayle Clement]

The crab steals the show, you know. I love seeing this behavior, Artie. Great timing.

[Steve Canuel]

Hi Artie,
I like the flowing waves above his back and the water cascading off the fish. Both give a sense of motion. Wish for more eye contact from the fish :) but the splash of color from the crab makes up for that.
Steve

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Hi Artie,
How come you are using a 40D instead of your Mark III?

I like the action and the composition. The water droplets and the crab dramatises the story. Intelligent behaviour indeed.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Julie Kenward]

Great capture! Between the headless fish and that crab, it's a real stunner!

[Lana Hays]

Artie
I like action images......especially when there's a story with it. Excellent job getting the position for the Sea lion and fish.......and how cool is it to have the crab floating. This is probably one of the most, if not the most interesting images that I've seen from the Galapagos Islands.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie, How come you are using a 40D instead of your Mark III? Sabyasachi

Hi Sabya, My right shoulder has been bothering me as has my right elbow (tendinitis there) so I have been going light all the way: 400 DO instead of the 500 and the 70-200 f/4 L IS rather than the f/2.8.

I am glad that you all like this one; I will be entering it in next year's BBC contest for sure. As for the crab, it is a carcass not a living Sally Lighfoot and its appearance and placement in the frame was strictly serendipitous.

[Sharna Lee]

Very cool image Artie. I'm sorry to hear of your pain. I hope that you can do something about it when you return home.
I love the colors here and how sharp you were able to get it. You are da MAN! Excellent post for sure.

Sharna

[Mike Landwehr]

Great shot, Artie! You had to be there and see the events leading up to this photo opportunity transpire in order to know just how great this shot is, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to see it happen. It was a great trip!

Mike

[Lori A. Cash]

Awesome capture, Artie. This really is some cool behavior. The action is incredible and I like the touch of the crab too.