There are estimated to be about 425 species of lizard in the genus anolis — all distributed throughout the Americas, mostly in Central and South America. Although — as is often the case when it comes to species classification — there is some debate that many of them should be split into different genera, thus leaving about 45 true anolis species. Sometimes they get more than one name too. This one is the many scaled anole, but also goes by the Golfo-Dulce anole, native to the Golf of Dulce in southwestern Costa Rica. All very confusing. I just liked the way it popped its head into the spot of light. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone (a day early as I’ll be taking a quick break until Monday). This is a great curassow, or as they are locally known in Costa Rica — a jungle turkey. Photographed not far from Costa Rica’s capital of San José, at La Selva Biological Reserve. This is the male of the species. The females are more reddish in color and lack the yellow knob on the beak. They make up for it, however, with a much more ornamental crest.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/40th of a second

There are four monkey species that live in Costa Rica — the squirrel (which I posted the other day), the white-faced capuchin, the spider and this guy, the howler. I didn’t see as many howlers as the other species on my first visit to the Osa Peninsula in the southern part of Costa Rica, but two rather bold howlers made a brief appearance before moving on deeper in the forest.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/15th of a second

These little squirrel monkeys paid a visit to our lodge one afternoon while at Tiskita in Pavones, Costa Rica. Unfortunately, their engaging nature and attractive appearance have made them the target of the illegal pet trade. The good news is that recent efforts at conservation have been responsible for elevating their status from Endangered to the less critical, Vulnerable. Here’s hoping the trend continues.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 180mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

A couple of months ago I posted a young collared peccary. Here’s an adult of the species. These guys are somewhat related to pigs but are no longer classified in the same family. Photographed in La Selva, Costa Rica.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/80th of a second

Here’s a species that I don’t post often but have photographed on numerous occasions. The collared peccary, one of three peccary species, ranges from the southern United States, down into South America. I photographed this one late one afternoon in La Selva, Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/100th of a second

The coati, or coatimundi, is a member of the raccoon family that lives in South and Central America and a few areas of southwestern North America. I photographed this one, along with thirty or so of his friends, deep in the rain forest of Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. Corcovado is an amazing park for wildlife, located down near the Panama border on the Pacific coast.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/3.5 at 1/500th of a second

This is what butterfly lust looks like. I spotted these two lovers (genus heliconius) doing their thing near my tent in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/5 at 1/80th of a second

My sister Mo requested a frog today. My mother wanted anything red and blue — in honor of her beloved Patriots (and as a counter point to the Eagle I posted on Monday). I think this should satisfy both asks. A strawberry poison dart frog. Also known as a blue jeans frog, for obvious reasons. I’ve photographed these tiny frogs in several places in Costa Rica. This one was clinging to a dried leaf in La Selva Biological Reserve, not far from the capital city of San Jose.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) with Canon 500D close up filter attached, ISO 100, f/3.5 at 1/10th of a second

I had a good time with this band of coatis, deep inside Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. There were about 20 to 30 total individuals. After a while, they forgot I was even there and at one point, I was surrounded on all sides as they went about their business of foraging, grooming, playing and resting. I was able to use my wide angle lens to capture a series of environmental images, including this one when one of the coatis took a moment to look my way while eating fruits from the forest floor.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 30mm) ISO 1600, f/4.5 at 1/320th of a second