Manakins are colorful little birds. There are about 55 different species of all colors that range throughout the tropics of Central and South America. The name manakin is Dutch for “little man.” This is the wire-tailed manakin and he was doing a dance in an attempt to attract a mate. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 3200, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second, Godox V860iii flash.

I kind of liked the graphic nature of this Doris longwing butterfly that I captured in the Peruvian Amazon a few years ago. These guys were all over the place and I had fun capturing images behind the jungle lodge that I was staying at. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Godox 860iii flash.

A three-toed sloth eats the fruiting buds of a cecropia tree in the northern Amazon basin of Peru. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second, Godox V860iii flash.

This is a Nancy Ma’s night monkey, named after a Harvard professor. We were out on the river at night in Loreto, Peru, in the northern Amazon basin when we saw those eyes staring back at us. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/200th of a second, Godox V860iii flash.

What is a Ranitomeya flavovittata? This guy, of course. One of the more spectacular little poison dart frogs to be found in the Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon. I had to get deep within the bromeliad plant with my macro lens to get this shot of the fingernail-sized frog. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 500, f/20 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash.

Here’s another look at the very friendly woolly monkey I met in the rainforest of Peru’s upper Amazon basin. In this image, you can sort of see the leather padding on the underside of tail tip — essentially a third arm as the monkey moves effortlessly through the forest. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.

Monk sakis are really interesting looking primates. Although, they seem a bit over dressed for the hot and humid Amazonian rainforest weather — but to each his own. These two were keeping watch from high in the canopy of the northern Amazon basin in Peru. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second.

A tiny little Uakari poison frog, sits in the leaf litter on the rainforest floor in the Peruvian Amazon. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 400, f/3.3 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash with softbox.

Here’s another pygmy marmoset from the first of two trips to Loreto, Peru in the upper Amazon basin. These guys are tiny little monkeys with their length (excluding tail) averaging between 4.5 to 6 inches. That said, they can jump about 16 feet from tree to tree. It was fun watching them do just that, right outside the jungle lodge I was staying at. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second.

This is the ubiquitous smoky jungle frog. One of the reasons they are so often spotted in tropical rainforests is their size. They are huge frogs, about 7 inches in length and quite girth-y. I photographed this one in the northern Peruvian Amazon basin. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 500, f/8 at 1/200th of a second, Godox flash.