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20. Chameleon Shed
7 months ago
12. Giants of the Usambaras
1 year ago
1. Wild Amazon
2 years ago
Giant three-horn chameleons (Chamaeleo [T.] deremensis) are one of Africa's largest and most spectacular species of chameleons. Inhabiting East Africa's Usambara mountains, where the high altitude provides cool temperatures, lush vegetation, and an almost constant humidity, the giant three-horn chameleon, as many other species in similarly delicate environments, is threatened by habitat destruction, pollution and climate change, and over-collection for the trade.

As one of the most evolutionarily-advanced chameleons in the world, the giant three-horn is a master of survival. The reproductive behavior of these magnificent creatures is not completely known, but females of this species may deposit their eggs in earth cavities previously dug by other animals, making the replication of such conditions difficult in captivity.

The hatching sequence in this video shows, in two minutes, the birth of 24 neonates-- a process that lasted, from the first animal to slit the egg to the last one's emergence, more than 24 hours. Unlike other species of chameleons, whose incubation may last from 6-23 months, depending on the species, this particular group of eggs underwent artificial incubation for a total of 116 days.

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  • UKAT 1 year ago
    good on you .... I liked what I saw. Jpeg2Movie? and the filter ... how does that work?
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  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    Actually, it's H.264 compression, and the motion was achieved through keyframes, all recorded at 24F.

    Thanks for the note-- glad you like it! Cheers!
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  • Blake Whitman staff 1 year ago
    love it.

    although I would like to hear different music. at least something that isn't from Planet Earth :)
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    Yes... the choir in my personal 40-member orchestra was unavailable this week, so I had to make a few compromises ;)

    But no worries, I'll make it up to ya!
  • Matthew Joseff plus 1 year ago
    How about the E.T. theme?
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    Quite fitting, indeed!
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  • Scott Duchardt 1 year ago
    Wow! Once again I loved it. thanks for sharing another great video.
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    Thanks, Scott. It was a fun shoot.
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  • Byron 1 year ago
    what an incredible video and very moving.. I love these chameleons.. it's amazing
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    They are a spectacular species, indeed. Thanks for the note, Byron.
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  • JD5000 1 year ago
    that one lizard is saying"hey dude, get off my egg, i'm trying to hatch here!" lol
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  • Emmanuel Tenenbaum plus 1 year ago
    You make a fabulous work!!!!!!!

    I am amazed, it's fabulous.
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    Wow, thanks Emmanuel-- I've been enjoying your work for a while. In fact, one of the very first videos I watched on Vimeo was "Ilusiones," which hit a very soft spot for me as I'm very interested in Cirque-related content.

    Glad you liked the Giants!
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  • Alkım Ün 1 year ago
    Fabian,

    which camera and lens do you use ? also I like your ligting set up,

    alkim.
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    Alkim,

    I use a Canon XHA1. The lighting for this piece was actually quite minimal as I had to rely solely on a single incandescent spot over the eggs-- anything brighter would stress them out. They generally sit virtually motionless for up to several hours after slitting the egg as they absorb any remaining yolk, and they are quite receptive to any changes in lux during that time, even if they have their eyes closed. This was manifested by their changing to darker shades as soon as I added more light sources. You can actually see one which remained dark throughout the whole hatching sequence (at 1:15 on the left side).

    Cheers
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  • The Fibro Twins 1 year ago
    stunning work Fabián
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    Thank you... would this be Mike?

    You're very kind.
  • The Fibro Twins 1 year ago
    at your service sir
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  • David H. Cho 1 year ago
    This is really terrific. One of the best I've seen on Vimeo. Did you use any color correction in post or did you use any special presets? You used an incandescent spot bulb? It was diffused right?
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    Ah, great profile photo, David-- what a great film that is.

    Thank you for the note. These guys were in incubation for over three months, and they took me by surprise when they began to hatch, so I didn't have much of a chance to put together a sophisticated setup. As soon as I noticed they were slitting the eggs, I grabbed a couple of small desk lamps and placed them right above them-- although I immediately noticed that they were stressed by the intensity of the light. So, in the end, it was just a single incandescent bulb and some grading in post, which created lots of nasty artifacts, but these guys are relatively rare as captive-born, so I'm just glad I was able to document it.

    So great that you enjoyed it... Cheers!
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  • Irina Shatalova plus 1 year ago
    Great, Fabian! It is a miracle.
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    It's very good to hear from you, Irina! Thank you for the note... master of the documentary!
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  • Gregor Wolf 1 year ago
    I noticed this, when you replied to a video from me... This is simply breathtaking. BBC league.
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 1 year ago
    You are too kind, Gregor. Love your work!!
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  • pairsis 1 year ago
    man fabian you really inspire me, all your work is unique and your able to score the music perfectly with your videos. Keep on filming!
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  • Russ Thompson plus 9 months ago
    Excellent video!
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 5 months ago
    Thank you! I have been admiring your work for quite some time. Cheers!
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  • David Kellermann plus 6 months ago
    Absolutely beautiful!
  • Fabián Aguirre plus 5 months ago
    Thank you, David! Your work is inspiring.
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