It seems the selfies fad has spread to the animal kingdom. You could say the animals took the photos themselves, as they were captured by cameras activated by the presence of wildlife.
Camera traps triggered by a motion sensor or an infrared sensor allow researchers to study animal behaviour and numbers in the wild without human intervention.
Dr K Ullas Karanth, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society-India (WCS-India) pioneered the use of camera traps in conservation in the early 1990s. Since then, they have taken more than a million photos. WCS-India has been able to build up a photo database of over 750 uniquely identifiable wild tigers.
IBTimesUK shares some of the best 'animal selfies' captured by WCS-India camera traps. Read more about the project at National Geographic.
A bonnet macaque seems to smile for the camera. This Old World monkey species is native to southern IndiaUllas Karanth / WCSA leopard comes in for a close-up. India is home to five big cats: the Indian leopard, Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopardUllas Karanth / WCSA startled-looking grey langur has its portrait taken by a camera trap. Langurs are considered sacred in the Hindu religionUllas Karanth / WCSA hoopoe comes in to land near the camera trap. Nesting hoopoes spray their eggs with a liquid that smells like rotting meat to deter predatorsUllas Karanth / WCSMuntjacs are the world's oldest known deer. They are of great interest to evolutionary scientists because of a huge variation in the number of chromosomes they have. Indian muntjacs have the fewest chromosomes on Earth; males have seven, females only six. However, Reeves's muntjac, found mostly in China, has 46Ullas Karanth / WCSAn inquisitive tiger cub approaches the camera. The use of camera traps has revealed that tigers can be identified through their unique stripesUllas Karanth / WCSThis camera trap photo of a sambar shows the red spot on their throats which sometimes oozes a white liquid and is thought to be glandularUllas Karanth / WCSThe four-horned antelope is the only mammal on Earth that has four hornsUllas Karanth / WCSA green bee eater is photographed as it investigates the camera trap for any tasty insectsUllas Karanth / WCSIndian elephants are smaller than their African cousins, but they still weigh in at between 2,000 and 5,000 kg (4,400 and 11,000 lb)Ullas Karanth / WCSA sloth bear is captured by the camera trap. Sloth bears have long claws and a specially adapted lower lip and palate used for sucking insects out of their nests in huge numbersUllas Karanth / WCSThe Asian palm civet, or toddy cat, is found throughout south and southeast Asia. Indonesia produces a coffee called Kopi Luwak, made from beans that have passed through the digestive system of the civetUllas Karanth / WCSPorcupines are nocturnal and the largest rodents in IndiaUllas Karanth / WCS
