As the name suggests, these guys eat a lot of bamboo. They are a smallish and highly athletic lemur. I photographed this one in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in Madagascar. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 120mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/125th of a second.

Sifakas are a type of lemur named for their alarm call which sounds something like shi-fak. They spend the majority of their time in trees and are quite acrobatic as they leap through the forest. As with all lemurs, they are only found on Madagascar and a few surrounding islands. This one was photographed in southern Madagascar at Berenty Reserve. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 135mm) ISO 100, f/3.5 at 1/125th of a second.

The indri, also known as the babakoto, is the largest of all the lemurs in Madagascar — it can reach nearly four feet with legs fully extended. By contrast, the smallest lemur, the pygmy dwarf lemur, isn’t much bigger than a mouse. The indri is also known for its mournful call which you can hear echoing through the rainforest. I photographed this Indri years ago in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in Madagascar. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash.

The female is the big one. She also is obviously the gender that gives this frog its name. I came across this pair of lovers while walking around the lodge that I was staying at in the town of Maroantsetra in Madagascar. When threatened, the female puffs up her body to really resemble a tomato. If picked up by a predator, she then secretes a toxin that numbs the predator’s eyes and mouth and usually results in a quick release and getaway. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 25mm) ISO 100, f/22 at .8 seconds.

Here’s another from Madagascar. The Heterixalus Betsileo frog. I saw these guys in various shades of yellows and whites, often with those gold flecks. This one was photographed in the town of Perinet at the beginning of a night hike. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 165mm with Canon 500D close up filter attached) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.

Two crowned lemurs take a nap near Parc Ivoloina in Madagascar. These guys were part of a free-ranging troop that frequented Ivoloina, an educational and recreational zoo. You can see the way the males and females have somewhat opposite colors. In this case, the male is on the bottom and is more reddish with a black crown, while the female is more grey with an orange crown. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/60th of a second.

This young red-bellied lemur was part of a free-ranging troop that took residence in Parc Ivoloina on the east coast of Madagascar. These guys are equally active both day and night. Even outside of park-like settings, these lemurs can be very accepting of human approach and will often come forward to get a better look at the fellow primate staring back at them. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 155mm) ISO 250, f/4.5 at 1/60th of a second.

A panther chameleon crawls out on a reed while we were heading upriver on the east coast of Madagascar. I used my little entry level camera for this one, which I was using as a backup back in the day. Nikon D40x with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 18mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second.

Here’s another one from Lemur Island in Perinet, Madagascar — the red-fronted brown lemur. These guys were quite friendly at this location (essentially an island for rescued lemurs) and at one point, one even crawled up onto my shoulder. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 22mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/80th of a second.

The Betsileo is just one of the great tree frogs that I was able to photograph while in Madagascar. I usually like to get down a little lower, but I liked this image showing the detail on the frog’s back and all those interesting flecks. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm with Canon 500D close up filter) ISO 200, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.