Jannico Kelk, Trapped in the Dark (Wildlife and Animal 2019)

Australia is home to a number of charismatic and well-known mammals. From the lovable koala, to the unique and strange platypus. From adorable wombats to the muscle bound red kangaroos bounding across grass plains. However, our mammal diversity runs deeper than that. In the night, inside crevices and hollows hide some of our most interesting, beautiful and fascinating species. These animals are often extremely cryptic and nocturnal making them exceedingly difficult to photograph. Using motion activated cameras, careful placement and persistence I was able to “camera trap” some of Australia’s least known animals. The northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) and eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) are among our largest carnivores. They were once exceedingly common but now are only found in small pockets around Australia. The eastern horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus megaphyllus) and large footed myotis (Myotis macropus) can be found through much of the east coast. They often use caves, large rocky over-hangs and tree hollows as their roosts. As wild places become harder to find, some wild animals adapt. These bats can be found commonly in train tunnels, water drains, culverts and under bridges.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.