Anton Sorokin
@antonsrkn.bsky.social
Biologist, freelance photographer & sometimes journalist. Endlessly fascinated with frog behavior and everything else too (he/him) On IG: Antonsrkn
Associate fellow - iLCP
Associate fellow - iLCP
When it comes to animals, I prefer to photograph them in natural settings. But recently, I was giving a talk & realized I didn't have a photo of a ringneck that illustrated my point. I ran into the backyard, found one, & photographed it in a 'studio' set up on the patio. I think it turned out nicely
September 26, 2025 at 9:26 PM
When it comes to animals, I prefer to photograph them in natural settings. But recently, I was giving a talk & realized I didn't have a photo of a ringneck that illustrated my point. I ran into the backyard, found one, & photographed it in a 'studio' set up on the patio. I think it turned out nicely
I think galls are pretty cool. In recent years, I've photographed a few, but the project has been on pause.. Until the other day, I looked at a cut-down willow (Salix sp) whose leaves were covered in galls, maybe from the Willow Apple Gall Sawfly (Euura californica). Couldn't resist snagging a few.
September 23, 2025 at 2:52 AM
I think galls are pretty cool. In recent years, I've photographed a few, but the project has been on pause.. Until the other day, I looked at a cut-down willow (Salix sp) whose leaves were covered in galls, maybe from the Willow Apple Gall Sawfly (Euura californica). Couldn't resist snagging a few.
Two striped gartersnake (Thamnophis hammondii) - not what I had in mind initially but maybe the 1st underwater images of this species. ,🐍🌎
August 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Two striped gartersnake (Thamnophis hammondii) - not what I had in mind initially but maybe the 1st underwater images of this species. ,🐍🌎
A very young white-lipped mud turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum). One of the most common turtle species in Belize. But also one of the cutest. 🐢🌎
August 16, 2025 at 5:53 PM
A very young white-lipped mud turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum). One of the most common turtle species in Belize. But also one of the cutest. 🐢🌎
Schooling Sacramento pikeminnow, despite being minnows they reach impressive size (4+ft) and are top predators in the ecosystems they inhabit. Really bold fish too which is always welcome for photography.
July 25, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Schooling Sacramento pikeminnow, despite being minnows they reach impressive size (4+ft) and are top predators in the ecosystems they inhabit. Really bold fish too which is always welcome for photography.
An amazing weekend with amazing company, both human and fish. @emmasteigerwald.bsky.social & Green sturgeon in Northern California. We loaded our inflatable raft up with scuba gear, paddled out to a secret sturgeon hole, & dropped in to say hi.
June 25, 2025 at 1:49 AM
An amazing weekend with amazing company, both human and fish. @emmasteigerwald.bsky.social & Green sturgeon in Northern California. We loaded our inflatable raft up with scuba gear, paddled out to a secret sturgeon hole, & dropped in to say hi.
Bucket list item checked off, I swam with sturgeon! Green sturgeon in California. Hoping to go back in the coming weeks and make another attempt with scuba gear, freediving worked but just barely.
June 16, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Bucket list item checked off, I swam with sturgeon! Green sturgeon in California. Hoping to go back in the coming weeks and make another attempt with scuba gear, freediving worked but just barely.
The critically endangered Hickatee (Dermatemys mawii), a freshwater turtle found in Belize, Mexico, & Guatemala. 1 of the world's most aquatic turtles & absurdly fast underwater - photoing them was a real challenge. Sadly, this species is hunted for its meat, adult turtles are rare in most sites. 🐢🌎
May 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
The critically endangered Hickatee (Dermatemys mawii), a freshwater turtle found in Belize, Mexico, & Guatemala. 1 of the world's most aquatic turtles & absurdly fast underwater - photoing them was a real challenge. Sadly, this species is hunted for its meat, adult turtles are rare in most sites. 🐢🌎
The single animal I was most excited to see in Belize - the giant musk turtle - here he is, equally excited to see me. Just kidding, he was furious. But I was happy enough for the both of us. This is an uncommonly seen sp, I think everyone who has photoed this sp wild & UW was in the canoe with me 🐢
May 22, 2025 at 2:10 AM
The single animal I was most excited to see in Belize - the giant musk turtle - here he is, equally excited to see me. Just kidding, he was furious. But I was happy enough for the both of us. This is an uncommonly seen sp, I think everyone who has photoed this sp wild & UW was in the canoe with me 🐢
Not groundbreaking photography wise - but the 1st time I've photographed sharks underwater. It was tremendously fun and a privilege to share the water with them. 🌎🦈
May 13, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Not groundbreaking photography wise - but the 1st time I've photographed sharks underwater. It was tremendously fun and a privilege to share the water with them. 🌎🦈
I might have a new favorite freshwater fish in California. Pacific lamprey, you've probably seen pics of their scary mouths - but have you realized how adorable they are? They scrunch their noses up moving rocks, have permanent googly eyes, and look like sock puppets. 🌎🐟
April 20, 2025 at 7:04 PM
I might have a new favorite freshwater fish in California. Pacific lamprey, you've probably seen pics of their scary mouths - but have you realized how adorable they are? They scrunch their noses up moving rocks, have permanent googly eyes, and look like sock puppets. 🌎🐟
This past weekend, @emmasteigerwald.bsky.social said yes, and officially agreed to spend the rest of our lives together. Surrounded by bear tracks, bird + frog song, and snowy mountains, it was the perfect location to take the next step. I couldn't be happier or feel any luckier!
April 15, 2025 at 8:21 PM
This past weekend, @emmasteigerwald.bsky.social said yes, and officially agreed to spend the rest of our lives together. Surrounded by bear tracks, bird + frog song, and snowy mountains, it was the perfect location to take the next step. I couldn't be happier or feel any luckier!
Sometimes as a photographer, I worry the bugs, frogs, snakes, & fish I photograph are just TOO charismatic and broadly appealing & have to dial it back a notch. This one is a real crowd-pleaser. Invasive signal crayfish eating a drowned rat from the butt end.
April 7, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Sometimes as a photographer, I worry the bugs, frogs, snakes, & fish I photograph are just TOO charismatic and broadly appealing & have to dial it back a notch. This one is a real crowd-pleaser. Invasive signal crayfish eating a drowned rat from the butt end.
Not my single best photo, but I'm excited to share! A new-to-me freshwater fish: Hitch (Lavinia exilicauda), a monotypic minnow endemic to California. They might be minnows but they're big fish, over a foot long & sometimes weighing a pound+. Very rarely photographed in the wild underwater. 🌎💧🐟
April 2, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Not my single best photo, but I'm excited to share! A new-to-me freshwater fish: Hitch (Lavinia exilicauda), a monotypic minnow endemic to California. They might be minnows but they're big fish, over a foot long & sometimes weighing a pound+. Very rarely photographed in the wild underwater. 🌎💧🐟
Cave survey day at Empire Cave in Santa Cruz county - after years of heavy disturbance the cave has been closed to public access. Have the troglobitic species within persisted, how will they fare with less disturbance? We hope to find out! 🌎🦇
March 30, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Cave survey day at Empire Cave in Santa Cruz county - after years of heavy disturbance the cave has been closed to public access. Have the troglobitic species within persisted, how will they fare with less disturbance? We hope to find out! 🌎🦇
Fondly recalling the Chinook salmon spawn this past fall. By now these adult salmon are long dead & their nutrients have liquefied into the river, but their progeny is currently growing up in the same river preparing to head to the ocean. RIP salmon class of 2024. Live well & prosper new generation.
March 28, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Fondly recalling the Chinook salmon spawn this past fall. By now these adult salmon are long dead & their nutrients have liquefied into the river, but their progeny is currently growing up in the same river preparing to head to the ocean. RIP salmon class of 2024. Live well & prosper new generation.
Mysterious cave salamander, we meet again! These cave giant salamanders (Dicamptodon) can be seen when water is high enough. There's been speculation they're distinct enough from others outside the cave to warrant subspecies status. I don't think so, but how they get down there is very interesting
March 27, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Mysterious cave salamander, we meet again! These cave giant salamanders (Dicamptodon) can be seen when water is high enough. There's been speculation they're distinct enough from others outside the cave to warrant subspecies status. I don't think so, but how they get down there is very interesting
Really happy to say that healing seems to have progressed significantly & it looks so much better. I think its going to make it! I'd share new photos, but I ran out of room on my harddrive and have to order a new one before I can get them off the card. -$200... pay photographers.
March 22, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Really happy to say that healing seems to have progressed significantly & it looks so much better. I think its going to make it! I'd share new photos, but I ran out of room on my harddrive and have to order a new one before I can get them off the card. -$200... pay photographers.
About 2 weeks ago, I was heartbroken to find an adult giant salamander with a serious injury - some internal organs and intestines were protruding (much more than visible here). But some salamanders have amazing regeneration abilities. So I was hopeful. Last night, I found it again. And...
March 22, 2025 at 6:30 PM
About 2 weeks ago, I was heartbroken to find an adult giant salamander with a serious injury - some internal organs and intestines were protruding (much more than visible here). But some salamanders have amazing regeneration abilities. So I was hopeful. Last night, I found it again. And...
Our own local specialty salamander - the Santa Cruz black salamander (Aneides niger), endemic to 3 counties in the San Francisco Bay area. This is a juvenile, as it grows it'll darken up and live up to its name. Found on a nighthike along with a few dozen other salamanders of 5 species.
March 17, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Our own local specialty salamander - the Santa Cruz black salamander (Aneides niger), endemic to 3 counties in the San Francisco Bay area. This is a juvenile, as it grows it'll darken up and live up to its name. Found on a nighthike along with a few dozen other salamanders of 5 species.
Amphibians may be my favorites and the reason I got into underwater photography, but I've become a serious fish appreciator as well. Look at the colors on these gorgeous coastal rainbow trout! 🌎🐟💧
March 13, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Amphibians may be my favorites and the reason I got into underwater photography, but I've become a serious fish appreciator as well. Look at the colors on these gorgeous coastal rainbow trout! 🌎🐟💧
Red-bellied newts doing their thing and vying for an overwhelmed female. These are possibly my favorite photo subjects on the West Coast - I'm still chasing that perfect shot and still falling short - but I'll know it when I see it. 🦎
March 12, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Red-bellied newts doing their thing and vying for an overwhelmed female. These are possibly my favorite photo subjects on the West Coast - I'm still chasing that perfect shot and still falling short - but I'll know it when I see it. 🦎
More aquatic neotenic California giant salamanders from night snorkeling. These seem to be the most abundant vertebrates in these small streams - there are also rainbow trout, but anecdotally, the small trout seem to avoid pools with salamanders. I'd see one or the other but never both in 1 spot. 🌎🦎
March 11, 2025 at 11:58 PM
More aquatic neotenic California giant salamanders from night snorkeling. These seem to be the most abundant vertebrates in these small streams - there are also rainbow trout, but anecdotally, the small trout seem to avoid pools with salamanders. I'd see one or the other but never both in 1 spot. 🌎🦎
The good news is I can revisit this amazing salamander almost anytime I want - the bad news is that every time I go I have to pay a hefty camping fee. Worth it, but adds up quickly - on that note, pay photographers.
March 11, 2025 at 12:38 AM
The good news is I can revisit this amazing salamander almost anytime I want - the bad news is that every time I go I have to pay a hefty camping fee. Worth it, but adds up quickly - on that note, pay photographers.
Night snorkeling in the redwoods to find an old friend. I posted that I was going to go look for this individual last week & I found the same one (I thiiink)! In the same deep pool I saw it in a year ago. A neotenic california giant salamander that never metamorphosed & never left the water. 🦎🌎
March 11, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Night snorkeling in the redwoods to find an old friend. I posted that I was going to go look for this individual last week & I found the same one (I thiiink)! In the same deep pool I saw it in a year ago. A neotenic california giant salamander that never metamorphosed & never left the water. 🦎🌎