I mentioned in a recent post that nothing beats the keel-billed toucan for its brilliant color amidst all the green of the Central American rainforest. The scarlet macaw, however, sure does come close. These large parrots are adorned with a generous amount of all three primary colors — red, yellow and blue. Some individuals even have a bit of green mixed in. This guy was feeding on figs, high in a tree along the coastline of Drake Bay in Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second

I like this side view of a red-eyed tree frog because it displays all the nice blue areas that can be found on the legs, sides, upper arms, and around the eyeballs. The frog was just beginning his night of croaking with a quick rest stop inside a heliconia flower, Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 75mm with Canon 500D close up filter/lens attached) ISO 200, f/20 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash units

The Baird’s tapir is the largest land mammal in Central America. They can grow to over eight feet in length and weigh almost 900 pounds. This one was a big male that I photographed crossing a river in Corcovado National Park in south western Costa Rica.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/60th of a second

There are ten species of cat-eyed snake. I believe this one to be the northern cat-eyed snake. You can see where they get their name with that vertical pupil. Cat-eyed snakes are venomous, but the toxicity level is very low and only dangerous to very small prey. I came across this guy in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica but they range as far north as southern Texas.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units

These guys seem to come in many varieties so not quite sure of the exact species, but clearly a very large katydid. I love the different colored eyes that they have. I’ve seen them with yellow, white and pink eyes, like this chap. This one was near the campground in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/5 at 1/500th of a second

I photographed this paca on my second visit to Costa Rica back in 2007. I’ve now been three times to Costa Rica and twice to Panama but this is the only paca that I’ve been able to photograph. Apparently they are good eating to the Central American locals so I can see why they’d be a bit weary of my presence. They are also sometimes called gibnuts (great name) or royal rats (not so good). They are large members of the rodent family and have characteristic stripes and dots on the sides of their bodies. Pacas also happen to be pretty stealth — they are great swimmers and can dive underwater for fifteen minutes at a time when threatened. They can also jump more than three feet off the ground and, if need be, they can remain perfectly still for 45 minutes. This one wasn’t far from the lodge I was staying at in Pavones, Costa Rica. I was on a solo night hike so not exactly easy to get the shot, but perhaps the paca was a bit more relaxed because I was alone.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second

These two white-crowned parrots were preening each other atop a dead palm tree, occasionally popping in and out of the hollow in the tree. They are relatively small parrots and their range is fully within Mexico and Centra America. These two were photographed in La Selva, Costa Rica.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/90th of a second

I’ve only seen kinkajou a couple of times and only once was I able to get decent photos. I think this guy gave me a little extra time to grab the shot because he didn’t want to leave that giant white fruit. I was spotlighting on my own around my lodge in Pavones, Costa Rica. It can be difficult to shine a headlamp on your subject so that you can gain focus and then fire off you remote flash units, but I had just enough time to get it done. I got a series of shots, maybe four or five before the kinkajou moved on to other nightly delicacies. On a side note, kinkajou might be me favorite animal name.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 150mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second

This tadpole was fresh from the water. It’s an hourglass tree frog, also known as the pantless tree frog (I think I like the latter name better). I spotted the little guy on a night hike while in Pavones, Costa Rica.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) and Canon 500D close up lens attached, ISO 400, f/18 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units

I’ve been in a frog kind of mood lately. And of all the tree frogs out there, none are quite as iconic as the red-eyed tree frog. I was lucky enough to see quite a few of these guys just outside of the lodge I was staying at in Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. As far as tree frogs go, the red-eyed is pretty large. And obviously, spectacularly adorned with all that color. This guy was calling for a mate just after nightfall.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 116mm) with Canon 500D close up filter, ISO 400, f/20 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units