In the past two days, we’ve seen a Wildcat and a Badger — here’s Final Four team number three, the Florida Gator. This one is a bit closer to the mark, too, having been photographed in St. Augustine, just about an hour and a half drive east of the University of Florida campus in Gainesville. The U.S. species is appropriately called the American alligator, not to be confused with his cousin, the American crocodile — the latter having a longer, more slender snout, among other differences. American alligators are apex predators, preying upon fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals. The question is, will it be the predator or prey come Saturday?
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/50th of a second

Yesterday’s post paid homage to the Kentucky Wildcats. Today’s celebrates their opponent in Saturday’s Final Four matchup, the Wisconsin Badgers. Apparently this guy isn’t feeling too intimidated. There are a dozen or so different badger species in the world. The species that occurs in the U.S. — latin name Taxidea taxus — is simply called the American badger. As most of you know, I like to keep my wildlife photography wild, but this particular American badger was photographed in captivity, living in a drive through wildlife park in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/3.2 at 1/1000th of a second

If you’re a fan of college basketball like me, you know that we’re down to the final four teams that will compete this Saturday in the Final Four of the NCAA National Tournament. And it occurred to me that this year, there are no bad mascots amongst the four. No Providence Friars or Pennsylvania Quakers. Nope, this year, the Final Four are all solid animals — so why not dedicate the next four days of posts to the cause. Starting with the Kentucky Wildcats — or as a wildcat is also known, the bobcat. This one wasn’t photographed in Kentucky, but close enough — kind of — in Irvine, California.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 250mm), ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second

This will be the last post for a week, as I head to Costa Rica on Saturday in search of new photos of the day. In the meantime, here’s a black bear who stopped for a few pictures before moving on his way. See you all in a week.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 140mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second

A friend asked me about yesterday’s post of the tallgrass prairie, wanting to know if he should be looking for a rattler or a spotted hare somewhere in the photo. I didn’t see any rattlers or spotted hares that morning, but I did see this nice little cottontail that was hiding in the grass.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 340mm with Nikon 1.4 teleconverter) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second

I was looking through my files tonight and found this old one from South Dakota that I never posted to the blog. Spring and summer are a great time to be on the tallgrass prairie of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. On this particular morning, I was on my way to photograph prairie dogs when I was compelled to stop and take a few shots of the early morning landscape.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/18 at five shutter speeds

I figured it was about time for a new puffin post. I took this one on my first trip to Machias Seal Island in Maine (or New Brunswick, Canada depending upon who you’re talking to — both the US and Canada claiming ownership of the small island). During the summer months, puffins and razorbills nest on the rocky shoreline. This puffin had a mouth full of krill that she was bringing back to her nesting chicks.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second

I took this one a few winters ago in southern Indiana. I was at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge to photograph river otters, but it’s also a great place for birds. There were quite a few cardinals around, including this male (top) and female.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 460 with Nikon 1.4 teleconverter) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second

Valentines come in many forms — for some a box of chocolates, for others a salty fish. This male least tern is presenting a gift to the female. Acceptance of the gift means acceptance of the mate. In this case, she accepted, and, well… let’s just say that a lot happens on a least tern’s first date.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second

As I mentioned yesterday, I was after wolves this weekend so didn’t really concentrate on any other creatures. That being said, there were bison everywhere, especially on the road. It’s much easier for them to move from one place to another by traveling on the plowed road than through four feet of snow. The guy above walked right past my driver’s side window. I recorded a little iphone video after I took the shot. See below:

Photo: Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 280, f/4 at 1/640th of a second
Movie: iphone 5