A photo of a bizarre-looking antelope captured by photographer Mogen Trolle has caught the fancy of netizens. The 50-year-old photographed the animal at Stepnoi Nature Sanctuary in Southern Russia earlier this month. He reportedly hid inside the sanctuary to capture pictures of animals. Mogen who is also a wildlife biologist spent almost a week hiding in the Russian steppe to capture a good shot of the endangered species of antelope that lives in Central Asia. The animal has an unusual, drooping nose which covers its mouth to stop dust from entering the lungs during migration.

Mogen shared a picture of the antelope on Instagram with the caption, "Saiga adult male in the soft morning light. The top speed of this nimble antelope of the Central Asian steppe is an impressive 70-80 km/h, no doubt an adaptation to escape its main natural predator, the grey wolf. Astrakhan Oblast, Russia."

See the Unusual Looking Antelope Here:

 

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He shared another shot of the animal saying, "Looking like a creature straight out of a science fiction story, the mature male saiga antelope is recognized from juvenile males by its long, stethoscope-shaped horns and an extra-long, white nose. Photographed from a hide on the Russian steppe."

Drooping Nose Covers Their Mouths!

 

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Talking to Daily Mail about his shots, Mogen said, "The unique and critically endangered saiga with its giant nose is an antelope living on the arid plains of Central Asia. It is generally quite difficult to get to see in the wild, let alone get close to — because of hunting it is extremely shy and will normally run off as soon as it detects a human.'

 

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Mogen further said, "It had long been a dream of mine to photograph the antelope and in May this year, I got the opportunity and privilege to spend one week in a hide by a small lake on the Russian steppe frequented by the saigas, more precisely in the Stepnoi Nature Sanctuary. Being in the hide allowed us to see the saigas up close in a way not otherwise possible. On the third morning in the hide, we got to witness one of the most incredible wildlife spectacles I've ever seen - the saiga migration arrived." Mogen who is from Denmark has been a photographer for more than 25 years. He is known for clicking close-up animal portraits.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 02, 2019 01:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).