Anton Sorokin

Excited to share this article I wrote for Smithsonian on the effects of the LA wildfires on wildlife: smithsonianmag.com/science-nature… Covering everything from snails to mountain lions and long and short-term effects of the fires. Read all about it!

#NewSpeciesAlert - 𝐺𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑚, a new species of cyprinid fish (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the Brahmaputra River drainage, Northeastern India. #Biodiversity #Labeoninae 🔓 recordsofzsi.com/index.php/zsoi…

The California endemic Scott Bar Salamander (Plethodon asupak) that lives in a narrow zone along the namesake river and tributaries in forested talus.

I was surprised & thrilled to find Coho Salmon in the Santa Cruz mountains at the southern edge of this species range. Few streams here still support them & of the ones that do - most see returns of <100 fish. Froze my face, fingers,& toes nearly off but worth it!

Such effervescent writing makes a almost-horror-movie-difficult topic go down easy. And Sonya, being Sonya, insisted on putting her face in the lake—she took the spooky photos. @BayNature @sbennettbrandt baynature.org/article/what-l…

@nvolpewild I've always thought about it in terms of striking and those who cross the picket lines. Except in this case, its not really a strike - just photographers asking to be paid for their work at all and others undercutting them by working for free.

@nvolpewild I've lost count of the number of times someone has told me how its not about the $$ for them & they're happy to give photos away for free. Its often in response to me telling them that part of the way I support myself is selling images. 🙄

Wildlife Photographers!🚨 Stop giving photos away for free! If you are lucky enough to be in a situation where money isn't an issue, don't deny others that right! We just lost a decent sum of money off a project we were involved in for months because at the last second - (1/2)

Spectacular, but troubling. On the road's far side, the snow is piled up nearly to the fencline, which makes it possible for 'em to jump; otherwise fence would likely be a barrier. As it is, I'm betting some were trapped or injured. Wildlife-friendly fencing a desperate need.

My 1st amphibian species of 2025 is the same species as the last amphibian of 2024. But different subspecies! Vastly different animals. Painted Ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii picta) & Sierra Nevada Ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis).

The last amphibian of 2024 is one of the prettiest salamanders I've ever seen. An incredible Sierra Nevada Ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis) - this one may have some E.e.xanthoptica influence too as you can see slight light speckling in one eye. 🦎🌍

Coho salmon massing in a deep pool in NorCal, waiting for a big rain before the big push further upriver. This past week they got that rain and all these fish probably moved upstream to spawn.

@nebelcanal Thanks! A smaller stream in the Redwood creek watershed up in Humboldt County, CA.

@Anuranton Lovely! In which river was this taken?

I'm not sure I've ever been so uncomfortable in pursuit of an image. Which wasn't a low bar to beat - but freezing in a river for hours is in its own league. Here it is! California coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) with our other primary CA salmon- the Chinook (O. tshawytscha)!

Hay tanta diversidad y belleza en nuestros Andes! Reportaje en Smithsonian Magazine: smithsonianmag.com/science-nature…

@petcal55 Not sure. Looks like von Eschscholtz passed through CA in the early 1800s making all sorts of collections. This species was described by Gray in 1850 - I wouldn't be surprised if it was from Eschscholtz's collections or just named after him given his work in the region

Beautiful! Since the species name is the same as the California poppy(Eschscholtzia California), was this salamander discovered by the Russian Explorer? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Fr…

I don't know who needs to hear this but Monterey ensatina salamanders (Ensatina eschscholtzii eschscholtzii) are like really really good looking.

@chadwhitney3 Yeah there is no A. mavortium influence on this population as far as I'm aware.

@Anuranton These are pure?

After years, I finally got the location & timing right to photograph California tiger salamanders underwater as they return to seasonal ponds to breed. I believe mine are the 1st images of adult wild CTS taken underwater.

Their activity happens during the 1st heavy rain which means the water is usually too full of sediment to see anything. At this particular pond, sedimentation isn't so extreme. Then the window of time when they're active is incredibly short - possibly just a few nights per year