Kirindy is a private reserve on the western side of Madagascar. It is well known for Fosa sightings and the productive nocturnal walks. Our walks in the forest usually ended at around 10pm after which we would have dinner. Most of the other tourists would already be asleep by then, opting for shorter walks in the opressive insect infested heat, but even after dinner I would still be stalking the giant jumping rats around camp. I was unaware at first that beady eyes were watching my every move though. These belong to one of the smallest primates on earth: the Gray Mouse Lemurs. Incredibly, weighing in at a maximum of 70g they are still the heavyweights amongst mouse lemurs, and even tinier bundles of fluff exist right in this very forest! A few of these grey mouse lemurs made themselves at home in the wooden pillars of the camp’s rustic restaurant. They remained hidden during busier times, but once it was quiet and dark they would pop their heads out and curiously watch us. They also squabbled loudly and intensely over the best human watching perches.

Techs: Canon 7D | Canon 300 2.8 IS II | f2.8 | 1/60s | ISO 400 | Speedlight 600EX-RT (off camera, lowest setting, diffused & at an angle from the animal’s eyes, never straight into the eyes)