This butterfly is known for its see-through wings, but in this photo I liked that I was able to capture the tips of its antenea, while the rest of the butterfly remained out of focus. There are many clearwing butterflies in Central and South American, this one was photographed in Ecuador. Its scientific name is methona confusa.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400 (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second

There are eight giant tortoises visible in this photo. They were enjoying a drink and a swim at a water hole in the Santa Cruz Highlands of the Galapagos Islands. There were several others milling about too, outside of the range of my wide angle lens. It was a lot of fun hiking through Santa Cruz’s open pastures alongside these enormous animals — the largest of their kind in the world and one of the longest living vertebrates in the world. They have an average lifespan of more than a hundred years. Biologists aren’t quite sure of the exact lifespan because data wasn’t collected that long ago, but a captive individual is known to have lived at least 170 years.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/1600th of a second

Continuing with the Halloween theme for this week, here is an insect wearing a stick costume. I photographed this lanky fellow in the cloud forest of Ecuador, about two hours drive from Quito.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/14 at 1/125th of a second

Another in my series of bird-heads-comically-staring-straight-at-the-camera. This little ball of feathery greyness is a juvenile red footed booby, photographed on Genovese Island in the Galápagos Islands. As the bird ages, it will become more white in appearance.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/100th of a second

Sally lightfoot crabs can be quite spectacular when all that bright color is set against the black lava rock that makes up much of the Gálapagos Islands. This guy was trying to hide but not doing a very good job of it.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second

Giant tortoises are the oldest living land animals on earth — which I figured was appropriate as I turn 50 today — not yet halfway there if I was the average tortoise. This Galapagos giant tortoise was photographed in the Santa Cruz Highlands in the Galapagos Islands. Happy birthday to me.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second

This one seemed particularly prehistoric to me. Marine iguanas are everywhere in the Galapagos Islands. So much so that you have to be careful while hiking so that you don’t step on one of them. They can be colorful — in shades of orange and green — but most are black and blend in with the lava rock that blankets much of the islands.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second

Of the three different booby species that I photographed in the Galapagos Islands, the Nazca booby was by far the most common. This guy, in fact, was the first individual bird of any species that I encountered on day one in the islands. He seemed as curious about me as I was about him. Nazca boobies practice what is called obligate siblicide. What is obligate siblicide? I’ll let Wikipedia explain — “Mothers lay two eggs, several days apart. If both eggs hatch, the elder chick pushes its sibling out of the nest area, leaving it to die of thirst or cold. The parent booby cannot intervene and the younger chick inevitably dies. Two eggs are laid so that if one gets destroyed or eaten, or the first chick dies soon after hatching, the second egg will produce an offspring.” Life clearly ain’t easy for a young booby.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/8000th of a second

Galápagos giant tortoises are impressive creatures. First characteristic of note is their immense size. They can reach nearly 900 pounds and grow to six feet long. Also impressive is their life span. They live well into their hundreds, and one captive individual even made it to his 170th birthday. I photographed this guy at a pond in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, the second largest island in the archipelago. There were about ten tortoises cooling off during the heat of mid day.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 800, f/14 at 1/320th of a second