Bullfrog in Duckweed
Here’s one for the frog fans. This handsome fellow emerged from a pond of duckweed soup and crawled up onto that log for a little rest. The location is Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in southern Indiana.
Red Kangaroo
The red kangaroo is the largest kangaroo species in Australia, topping out at about 200 pounds. It’s also one of the more common. I encountered this guy in a rugged area of South Australia in Flinders Ranges National Park.
Prairie Dog Portrait
This prairie dog was living in a small town near the base of Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming (that’s what they call an area of active burrows — a prairie dog “town”). I got down low in order to frame the animal with all that out of focus green grass.
Tiger Stripes
At first a tiger’s stripes might seem a bit showy, but they actually provide nice camouflage…
During the long dry season, the sun casts shadows that are very similar to the striped patterns on the tiger’s fur…
And bamboo leaves and other foliage also mimic the stripes and coloring and enable tigers to sneak up on their prey.
Ferocious Lion Cub
Another of the many lion cubs we saw in Kenya. This little guy kept on walking up to our vehicle and attempting to roar (in actuality, it was more of a weak meow). After delivering the message, he would retreat back to his mom, who was resting in the bushes.
River Otter on Ice
I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about river otters lately so I thought I’d post one today. This guy had just crawled up onto the ice to eat a fish. When he was done, he gave a nice head shake, sending all those water droplets into the air.
Late Night Orangutan
When it gets late at night and I’m tired and I haven’t posted the photo of the day yet, I can always count on an orangutan. I remember being impressed by this young lady’s well combed hair — and that’s about all I have to say. Enjoy.
Montaña de Oro State Park
Yes, it’s true, sometimes I take photos with no animals in sight. This one was from Moñtana de Oro State Park in Los Osos, California. In Spanish it means mountains of gold, and the park was given its name because of all the yellow wildflowers that dot the landscape. Closer to the water, the layers of rock make for interesting seascapes — with or without the resident seals, sea otters, or sea lions.
California Sea Lions
There are two species of sea lions that frequent the Pacific coast of the United States — the Steller sea lions and the California sea lions. This is a colony of California sea lions, photographed at Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing (which is just north of Monterey). Stacked on top of each other like this all day is sure to cause some tempers to flare and fights break out often. These sea lions took over a dock that was built for tourists back in 2007 and they haven’t given it up since. Sea lions are a protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and they were therefore granted the right of way on the dock, which is now closed off to people for safety reasons
Black Rhinoceros
While in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, we were lucky to see both species of African rhinoceros, the white and the black. The names are somewhat misleading, as the two species aren’t really distinguishable by color but by other physical traits. The white rhino is larger and has a wide, square upper lip as opposed to the more pointed or hooked lip of the black rhino. Because of this, they are sometimes commonly known as the square-lipped rhino and the hook-lipped rhino. Black rhinos are also more rare and are listed as critically endangered. One subspecies, the western black rhinoceros was declared extinct just last year.