Land of the Giants
July 16, 2015
Photographer: César Cantú
Summary Author: César Cantú
This adult black bear (Ursus americanus) gives a sense of the immense size of the giant sequoia trees Sequoiadendron giganteumn) in California's Sequoia National Park and adjacent Kings Canyon National Park. Many of the big sequoias in these parks surpass 1,000 years in age, and one ancient specimen is thought to be over 2,200 years old. Heights of the tallest trees exceed 300 ft (94 m). The trunk of the General Sherman (in Kings Canyon) is likely the largest of any tree in the world -- a circumference at the ground of nearly 103 ft (31 m) and a diameter at its base of 36.5 ft (11 m). Photo taken on June 4, 2015.
Photo Details: Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark III; Lens: EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM; Focal Length: 70mm; Aperture: ƒ/5.0; Exposure Time: 0.0050 s (1/200); ISO equiv: 100; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows).