I met this masked palm civet one night while he/she was sniffing around my campsite in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand. I was busy trying to photograph a porcupine when I suddenly saw this white head staring at me from the edge of the forest. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/18 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.
The green honeycreeper can be quite common in its range. That range extends from Mexico down into Brazil. Despite the ubiquity, however, they are a fine specimen to behold. This is the male of the species. The female is more uniformly yellow/green, as opposed to this bluish green, and lacks the black face and bright red eye. I captured this one at close range in central Costa Rica. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/40th of a second.
There are four different species of basilisk lizard that range from southern Mexico into South America. I believe this is the brown basilisk. All of them go by the common name of the Jesus lizard because of their ability to run across water. Photographed on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second.
I photographed this coyote a few years back while in Yellowstone National Park. Winter is my favorite time to visit Yellowstone. Access to a majority of the park is restricted, but predators are very active due to the slowed metabolism of their prey. And they also happen to be wearing their finest coats in the winter months. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
This polar bear ended up passing very close to where we were all standing. This particular frame was captured when he was still at a manageable distance (for my lens and myself). You can see that massive left front paw. Photographed in upper Manitoba, Canada at Seal River on the Hudson Bay. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.
A black-tailed deer walks into a shaft of light along the California coast at Point Lobos State Reserve. The black-tailed deer is a subspecies of the mule deer. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 135mm) ISO 500, f/5 at 1/640th of a second.
This is a male Australian king parrot. Individuals can vary in color, but they’re all pretty brilliant with the bright red feathers on the breast and head, and the green and blue on the wings. Photographed at Lamington National Park in Queensland, Australia. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/80th of a second.
A reticulated giraffe marches across the grassy plains in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. This subspecies of giraffe — also known as the Somali giraffe — is endangered and there are currently only about 8,500 individuals left in the wild. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/1000th of a second.
This could very well be misidentified, but I think it’s a carpet chameleon, also known as a white-lined chameleon. Carpet chameleons are a type of panther chameleon found in Madagascar. I photographed this captive individual en route to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. I thought it looked a bit like a beaded belt. If I’m wrong on the ID, please let me know. Thanks. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 105mm with Canon 500D close up filter) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.
There are four species of echidna. This is the short-beaked, which can be found throughout Australia and portions of New Guinea. It’s the most widespread native mammal in Australia. Unlike many other Australian mammals which are marsupials, the short-beaked echidna is a monotreme. Monotremes are one of the three main groups of mammals on earth, along with placentals and marsupials. But there are only five living species of monotreme — the four echidnas and the platypus. Their distinguishing characteristic is that they lay eggs. I photographed this echidna somewhere in central Tasmania. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.