This here is a California newt, also known as an orange bellied newt. These guys are pretty big for newts, growing to 8 inches in length. It was somewhat rare to come across one on land because it’s breeding season and although they are land dwelling for most of the year, they stay in the water from December to early May when they are taking care of business. They also happen to be highly toxic and if ingested can kill you. I made sure not to eat him.
On my trip to Uganda, chimpanzees in the wild proved more difficult to photograph than I had hoped . Most of the time when we spotted them, they were high in the trees with difficult lighting conditions and tough angles due to all the foliage and vines. At this location, however, in Queen Elizabeth National Park, we finally happened upon a troop that provided a few easier looks, including this guy who apparently just received some surprised news.
One of the few highlights of my week in Sumatra, Indonesia was the day I got to ride a “domestic” elephant. Not a great way to take photographs, but something different to do. The elephants seem to be happy enough and the handlers apparently treat them well and have a good relationship with them. I didn’t see anything to indicate otherwise. Every day after trekking, they get washed in the river and seem to really enjoy it as they roll over for the rub down.
No animals in this one, just a simple country road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. This was early in the morning in a part of the park called Cade’s Cove, an area of open fields that provide one of the best places in the country to view black bears in the wild.
It’s somewhat unusual to catch hippos out of the water. I was in a boat when I saw this mother and baby behind a flock of cormorants in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.
Another beetle that I have no idea how to identify. This one was taken at a place called Tangkahan in Sumatra, Indonesia early one morning before the sun was up. If you look close, you can see a baby riding on the mother’s back (at least I assume that’s a baby).
I photographed this coati at my favorite spot in Costa Rica — Tiskita Lodge in the town of Pavones, which is located on the Pacific coast by the Panama border. This guy was sneaking into the fruit orchards of Tiskita looking for some lunch. Coatis are members of the raccoon family and are sometimes even referred to as hog-nosed raccoons. They are quite widespread, ranging from the southwestern US all the way to northern Argentina, and have adapted to many different habitat types.
This is a black and white ruffed lemur. This species was probably the most mischievous of all the lemurs I saw in Madagascar. On several occasions, I witnessed one of these guys moving in for a sneak attack on another species. This photo was taken on an island for rescued lemurs (appropriatey named Lemur Island) near the town of Perinet.
Yet another from Tangkoko National Park in Sulawesi, Indonesia. I went with a wide angle for this one to capture the forest environment where these monkeys live — and in this case, rest.