Squirrel monkeys are the smallest of the four species of monkey found in Costa Rica. I was down on the Osa Peninsula near the Panama border when a troop of these little guys came for a visit — eager to feast on the red berries that were ripening on the local trees. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/180th of a second.

After doing my research, I realize there’s not a lot written about the black-shouldered antshrike. What I can tell you — it’s small, it’s black, it has little white spots and it was photographed in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.

La Selva is a protected rainforest about an hour from the capitol of Costa Rica that hosts all sorts of wildlife biologists and other scientists studying various aspects of the area’s flora and fauna. I’ve seen a great deal of wildlife there in my three visits, perhaps the most conspicuous being the peccaries that come out to the open areas to forage in the late afternoon. This is a collard peccary, taking a quick break before getting that head back down into the grass. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/100th of a second.

These guys are very small — only about an inch in length. They’re mostly spotted on the ground in leaf litter, but they also climb trees. In fact, mother’s will climb to the top of tall rainforest trees to deposit their tadpoles in the water of bromeliad plants growing from branches near the canopy. They are also called blue jeans frogs, as you can see from those legs. I photographed this one in central Costa Rica. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 190 with Canon 500D close up filter) ISO 100, f/5 at 1/6th of a second.

Kind of like a squirrel, but not really (I mean, look at those elegant legs — nothing like our eastern greys). These guys are known as Central America’s gardeners because of their habit of burying nuts and seeds and then forgetting where they put them, inadvertently growing trees and other plants. I photographed this one many years ago on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 250, f/3.2 at 1/10th of a second.

These coatis really seemed to be enjoying themselves. They look like they were laughing hysterically but they were actually resting, cleaning themselves and scratching their backs on the rocks. I was deep in the woods of Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica when I spotted a group of about 20 of them. I sat still for quite a while and they went about their business as if I wasn’t there. Always a bonus of hiking solo and being patient. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/3.2 at 1/160th of a second.

I’m sure there’s a good joke in here somewhere. These mating frogs are commonly known as pantless tree frogs. They are also sometimes called hourglass tree frogs but for the purposes of this post, I think the former makes more sense. Photographed in Pavones, Costa Rica. Like most tree frogs, the males are smaller than the females, sometimes giving the appearance of a juvenile riding the mother’s back. At least that’s what I thought at first, before educating myself on the amorous proclivities of amphibians. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.

This one is going back aways to my second trip to Costa Rica in 2007 — a northern ghost bat. It was watching over me, roosting daily just outside my bungalow. The species obviously gets its name from the almost pure white color of its fur. They are fairly rare, so a good find, although I think this one was a bit of a celebrity back in the day due to its preferred roosting spot. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 340mm with 1.7 teleconverter) ISO 200, f/4.8 at 1/8th of a second.

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.