I photographed these tent making bats on my second trip to Costa Rica, back in 2007. They get their name from the practice of constructing tents out of large leaves. Many bats will roost under one tent, sheltered from the tropical weather. These particular bats were roosting in the tree right next to my tent and were just getting ready to head out for the night. Contrary to the reputation of most bats, I find these guys quite charming looking with their furry little faces.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1.1 seconds

Baird’s Tapirs are the largest land mammals in Latin America. They aren’t particularly aggressive, however, and act more like a docile cow as they forage in the rain forest. This one had no idea that I was lying on the ground just in front of him and he kept coming toward me, nose sniffing the ground, searching for fresh leaves to eat.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/100th of a second

This is one of the many tree frogs that I met on several night walks in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. I’m not sure of the exact species (if you do, please let me know). He was a little guy, but seemed to have a big personality as he boldly peered into the front of my macro lens.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 200, f/16 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units

These two scarlet macaws seemed to be having a pleasant conversation high in the canopy of Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. Scarlet Macaws mate for life, so maybe they were discussing plans for the future.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second

It ended up being a good day for the snake and a very bad day for the lizard, but for a moment it looked quite the opposite. The green rat snake was obviously trying to eat the whiptail lizard, but the lizard put up a good fight and at one point actually had a bit of a strangle hold on the snake. Eventually, however, the snake was too much to handle and nature did what nature does. This was taken in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica — not on my recent trip but on a previous trip back in 2007.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/125th of a second

My guide in Costa Rica told me that this was a lineated woodpecker, but further research leads me to believe that it is actually a pale billed woodpecker. The pale bill and almost uniformly red head being the giveaways. Both birds are very large, although the pale billed is even larger, averaging about 15 inches in length. These birds can be found from northern Mexico, south to Panama.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second

There are four crocodilian species in the Americas. This is the American crocodile and it was photographed in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica (they range from southern Florida to northern Peru). Crocodiles have a much longer snout than alligators. You can see the tip of this guy’s snout, peaking above the water a foot and a half or so in front of the eyes.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second

 In honor of Costa Rica’s dramatic victory yesterday in the World Cup, here’s a Costa Rican white-faced capuchin monkey who looks like he could have been watching the game…
 … and celebrating after the final score.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

I’m not sure of the species of this caterpillar, but I do know that it is some sort of moth. It was crawling across a path in the rainforest of La Selva in Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/5 at 1/200th of a second

Locals in Costa Rica refer to the great curassow as the jungle turkey (at least that’s what my guide kept calling them). They are very large birds that forage on the ground. Like many birds, they are monogamous, and are usually encountered in pairs. The male and female are quite different looking. This one is a male. The females have distinct ornamentation on their heads and are reddish brown of body.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/25th of a second