Few things in the wild are as cute as a koala joey. This guy was old enough to be out of the pouch on his own (although not too far from mom). Photographed at Hanson Bay on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/2.8 at 1/125th of a second.
I met this young red fox years ago in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. There were was a sibling as well and they were both waiting for mom to return with breakfast — which she eventually did — free-range grackle. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/320th of a second.
Not the prettiest agouti I’ve ever seen but who am I to comment on the relative attractiveness of Central America rodents. I photographed this one enjoying breakfast in Soberania National Park in Panama. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.
Francolin, or spurfowl, are a common sight while on safari in Africa. There are several different species and they are often referred to as African chickens or safari chickens for their tendency to scurry out of the way of vehicles. This red-necked francolin was photographed in Uganda, sitting atop a termite mound. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
There are many species of anole lizard that live in the southern US on down through South America. This is the many-scaled anole. I can’t be certain, but perhaps there a not-too-many-scaled anole out there somewhere too. Photographed in Drake Bay on the southwest coast of Costa Rica. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/20th of a second.
Cheetahs, or any big cats for that matter, can suddenly get very intense when they spot potential prey. In this case, the cheetah spotted a group (or dazzle) of zebras and started concentrating with a laser focus. Photographed in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.
In honor of the two black bears that all but rang our doorbell last night (they were after our pumpkins — video here), thought I’d post a black bear cub I photographed a few years back in Minnesota. Apparently, this is a comfortable spot for a nap. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.
I photographed this bull moose a few winters back in Yellowstone. Well, just outside of Yellowstone in the town of Silver Gate, Montana. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/400th of a second.
Here’s another from Madagascar. The Heterixalus Betsileo frog. I saw these guys in various shades of yellows and whites, often with those gold flecks. This one was photographed in the town of Perinet at the beginning of a night hike. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 165mm with Canon 500D close up filter attached) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.
Two crowned lemurs take a nap near Parc Ivoloina in Madagascar. These guys were part of a free-ranging troop that frequented Ivoloina, an educational and recreational zoo. You can see the way the males and females have somewhat opposite colors. In this case, the male is on the bottom and is more reddish with a black crown, while the female is more grey with an orange crown. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/60th of a second.