There are two types of tamandua in the world, the northern and the southern. The one that occurs in Central America is the northern. They aren’t exactly common, but I have had the pleasure of meeting about five or six of them over the years. This guy was my first encounter. Corcovado National Park in southern Costa Rica. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/60th of a second. Nikon SB-800 flash.
Ground squirrels can sometimes be hard to distinguish from prairie dogs. One way to tell them apart is their stance. Prairie dogs tend to lean forward (and are more rounded of body) while ground squirrels stand more upright. There are many different kinds of ground squirrel. This is the Wyoming ground squirrel, photographed in Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in north central Colorado. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/800th of a second.
Crowned cranes are one of the avian highlights of any safari to East Africa. This particular crane allowed a close enough approach for some nice head shots. I kind of liked this three quarters from behind angle highlighting the namesake crown. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.
I caught this female pronghorn at the salad bar. She seemed to really enjoy the variety of options at her disposal in this particular little corner of Yellowstone National Park. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
These two male zebras were going at each other during rutting season, trying to prove dominance for mating rights. Photographed at Ol Pajeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second.
Wombats eat grass. It’s what they do. This wombat was so focused on the task that he/she hardly noticed that I was there. Perfect situation for my wide angle zoom. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second.
On safari, not many people bother with the francolins that always seem to be scurrying out of the way as we drive toward a lion, leopard or some other big ticket item. I like to capture everything, and made sure I got out of the vehicle and down on the ground for a better perspective of this red-billed francolin. Photographed in the Linyanti Concession of northern Botswana. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.
This little lion cub was alone with his mother and very curious as to the strange looking beings in the safari vehicle. But not too curious. After a few playful approaches, the cub grew tired and returned to his mother who was resting in the bushes. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
When an eastern newt is in its juvenile phase, it turns a bright orangish red, puts on a nice spotted coat, and spends its time on land. As it grows into the newt it will eventually become, it moves to a more permanent water source in the form of a river, pond or lake. It’s when it’s in this red phase that it is commonly called a red eft. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 120mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/20th of a second.
Just a juvenile koala to get the week going. Photographed at Hansen Bay on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 155mm) ISO 200, f/2.8 at 1/80th of a second.