This will be my last post for at least a week, as I head to Guyana on Friday. I’m hoping for a variety of subjects, but my main focus will be giant anteaters, which I’ve seen once before but never photographed. This is the lesser anteater, known more specifically as the southern tamandua. I’ve seen lots of these guys, most recently in Peru. Unlike the giant anteater, which travels on the ground, tamanduas are mostly arboreal. In fact, the two species are very different, despite their shared penchant for ants. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/1250th of a second, Godox V860iii fill flash.

Boat-billed herons are characterized by their thick, and apparently boat-shaped beaks. But that’s not the only thing that makes them unusual. They are also strictly nocturnal, unlike most other herons and wading birds. I photographed this one on a night boating excursion in the northern Amazon basin of Peru. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/200th of a second, Godox V860iii flash.

The Nancy Ma’s night Monkey is found in the rainforests of Brazil and Peru. I spotted this one (and a friend) on the first night of my trip to Peru in April. Check out those long fingers, and the permanent smile on the face. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/200th of a second, Godox V860III flash.

This woolly monkey was putting on quite a show for us and very nearly jumped into our canoe. We were paddling through the flooded rainforest of the upper Amazon basin in Peru when he came to investigate and say hello. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 78mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/125th of a second.

I’ve posted a few photos of this guy before — a rare dark morph of the southern tamandua. Also known as the lesser anteater. It was nice to have come upon him while he was actively moving from tree to tree looking for termites and ants. In this image, he stopped for a few quick scratches with those giant claws (check out the one oversized claw on that left hand). Photographed in the northern Amazon basin of Peru. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/320th of a second, Godox V860iii fill flash.

Sharp-nosed toads are tiny little amphibians. They live in the leaf litter scattered across the Amazon. I tried to get down into their world for this environmental portrait. Photographed last year in the northern Amazon basin of Peru. Nikon D850 with Laowa Venus 15mm wide-angle macro lens, ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second, Godox V860iii flash with Westcott soft box.

This southern tamandua was getting a good scratch in with the back leg, while continuing to lap up termites and ants. Photographed earlier this year in the northern Amazon basin of Peru. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/320th of a second, Godox 860iii fill flash.

The monk saki is definitely one of the more unusual looking primates I’ve had the privilege of photographing. They’re actually relatively small to medium sized monkeys but all that hair makes them seem much larger. This guy was moving through the flooded Amazon of Peru in the high-water season while we quietly floated below in a canoe. But even when there is land to walk on, these monkeys spend all their time in trees, never descending to the ground. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second.

I only saw two of these Uakari poison frogs while in Peru earlier in the year. I had hoped to capture some wide angle macro shots, but the conditions weren’t right and the two frogs were a bit more camera shy than most tree frogs and poison dart frogs that I’ve photographed in the past. I resorted to my 105mm macro and flash to capture this one. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Godox V860iii flash with Westcott soft box.