The red-footed tortoise is listed as a vulnerable species due to continued loss of habitat. They are also hunted for food and captured for the pet trade. They range throughout the northern half of South America and can also be found on many of the Caribbean islands. I met this guy one morning on St Barts. He was making a not-so-quick left turn so as not to collide with the front of my wide angle lens. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/100th of a second.
Kangaroo Island isn’t just for kangaroos. In fact, it’s one of the best places in all of Australia for easily seen mammals of all types — koalas, echidnas, fur seals, sea lions, possums, even the always elusive platypus. This young koala was hanging out at Hanson Bay on the southern coast of the island, doing what koalas do — sleeping and occasionally waking up to eat a bit of eucalyptus. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 80mm) ISO 200, f/4.5 at 1/20th of a second.
Coyotes are a fairly regular sighting in Yellowstone. Especially in winter when they seem to be all over the place. This guy had a face full of snow after hunting for whatever it was lurking beneath all that powder. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 155mm) ISO 800, f/3.5 at 1/320th of a second.
Leopards seem to be most safari aficionados’ favorite big cat. And for good reason. They really are fine looking specimens. This one stopped for just a moment to look toward camera. They can be notoriously aloof toward safari vehicles (which is a good thing) but will occasionally acknowledge your presence, if just for a quick, disinterested glance. This lovely lady was photographed in a private concession just outside the Masai Mara in Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.
I was directly above this American Alligator at the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key in Florida. The refuge protects a small population of the smallest deer in the United States, the key deer. But, there are also plenty of other creatures to be seen. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/9 at 1/100th of a second.
For three nights at Grande Riviere Beach in Trinidad I waited for a leatherback turtle nest to hatch. On the third night one finally did. And then another. And another. It’s quite an incredible sight to see. A deserted beach (save for the ever patient vultures), and then suddenly a hundred or more little turtles emerge from the same spot under the sand, desperate to find their way to the ocean. An interesting fact about these hatchlings — each nest, whether 50 hatchlings or 100 will all be the same sex, depending on the temperature of the sand when they were incubating. So in other words, there can be two nests fifty feet apart and one will be all female while the other will be all male. Nature at its peculiar finest. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 28mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/320th of a second.
The martial eagle is the apex predator at the top of the avian food chain throughout its range in southern and central Africa. They are very large eagles (with a wingspan of nearly 7 feet) and can be ferociously efficient hunters. Those two traits combined with their spotted chests have earned them the nickname of “leopard of the sky.” When it comes to diet, martial eagles are opportunists, preying on everything from reptiles, amphibians and small mammals to even mid-sized ungulates. Because they will attack livestock and other game, they also happen to be one of the most persecuted bird species in the world. They hunt at much higher altitudes than most raptors, mainly due to their incredible eyesight — courtesy of eyes nearly the size of a human. It is estimated that they can spot prey up to 3.7 miles away. I photographed this one in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
These two warthogs appeared to be trying to out ugly each other. Actually, I think warthogs are quite elegant in all their hairy-faced glory and these two were most likely just having a bit of a territorial dispute. They were photographed in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. Nikon D300 with Nikkor (200-400mm lens) at 270mm, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.
I took this photograph years ago in Australia. There’s an island just south of Adelaide called Kangaroo Island and if you’re a wildlife lover, it’s a must see on any itinerary. It’s also great for landscape shots, especially at the tip of the island at a place appropriately called the Remarkable Rocks. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35 mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/22 at 1/13th of a second/
Another one for the bear fans. This mom was wading through the shallow water at low tide in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska, trying to get a better angle on breakfast. Her two cubs can be seen out of focus in the background waiting for their share of fresh caught salmon. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/2000th of second.
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