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  • A Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is shown at Bonorong Wildlife Park, Briggs Road, Brighton, Tasmania, Australia. Wombats are burrowing grass eaters, and can be thought of as the marsupial ecological equivalent of a bear. Wombats are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of southeast Australia including Tasmania, plus an isolated group in Epping Forest National Park in central Queensland. The three living species of wombats are marsupial mammals in the Vombatidae family. They dig extensive burrow systems with rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws. Their unusual backwards-facing pouch avoids gathering dirt onto its young. Although mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, wombats also venture out to feed on cool or overcast days. Wombats are herbivores, mostly eating grasses, sedges, herbs, bark and roots.
    04AUS-30203_Wombat_Bonorong-WP.jpg
  • A famous herd of 1500 bison freely roam Custer State Park, as seen along Wildlife Loop Road, in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA. South Dakota's largest and first state park was named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer.
    1709US1-3284_Custer-SP-SD.jpg
  • A Blue-tongued skink mother gives birth to live young at Bonorong Wildlife Park, Briggs Road, Brighton, Tasmania, Australia. Its large blue tongue can startle or warn potential enemies. Blue-tongued skinks (or blue-tongued lizards, Tiliqua genus, Scincidae family) are found in Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia. The only species of blue-tongue native to Tasmania is Tiliqua nigrolutea. Most blue-tongue skinks are diurnal ground-foraging omnivores, feeding on a wide variety of insects, gastropods, flowers, fruits, and berries.
    04AUS-30189_mother-newborn-Blue-tong...jpg
  • A captive koala rests in a tree at Bonorong Wildlife Park, Briggs Road, Brighton, Tasmania, Australia. The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only surviving member of the family Phascolarctidae. The koala is found in coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia, from Adelaide to the southern part of Cape York Peninsula, extending inland where enough moisture supports suitable woodlands. The koalas of South Australia were mostly exterminated during the early 1900s, but have been repopulated with Victorian stock. The koala is not found in Tasmania or Western Australia. The koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates) that has fingerprints. It is generally silent, but males have a very loud advertising call that can be heard from almost a kilometer away during the breeding season. The koala requires large areas of healthy, connected forest and will travel long distances along tree corridors in search of new territory and mates. Human encroachment cuts these corridors with agricultural and residential development, forestry, and road-building, marooning koala colonies in decreasing areas of bush.
    04AUS-30157_Koala-Bonorong-WP.jpg
  • Blue-tongued skink, Bonorong Wildlife Park, Briggs Road, Brighton, Tasmania, Australia. Its large blue tongue can startle or warn potential enemies. Blue-tongued skinks (or blue-tongued lizards, Tiliqua genus, Scincidae family) are found in Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia. The only species of blue-tongue native to Tasmania is Tiliqua nigrolutea. Most blue-tongue skinks are diurnal ground-foraging omnivores, feeding on a wide variety of insects, gastropods, flowers, fruits, and berries.
    04AUS-30181_Blue-tongued-Skink.jpg
  • A captive Tasmanian devil stands in a pen at Bonorong Wildlife Park, Briggs Road, Brighton, Tasmania, Australia. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the island state of Tasmania. The devil is an iconic symbol of Tasmania and attractor of tourists, many of whom know the Looney Tunes cartoon character, the "Tasmanian Devil." Ancient marsupials probably migrated from what is now South America to Australia tens of millions of years ago during the time of Gondwana. Tasmanian devils probably disappeared from the Australian mainland around 3000 years ago due to predation by dingoes (wild dogs probably introduced by aborigines much earlier), which are absent on Tasmania. Formerly hunted by humans, the devils became officially protected in 1941. Since the late 1990s, devil facial tumor disease has drastically reduced devil numbers, and in 2008 the species was declared endangered. Illegally introduced red foxes kill devils, and motor vehicles dispatch devils that are on the road eating other road kill. Due to export restrictions and the failure of overseas devils to breed, almost no devils live legally outside of Australia. The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It has a stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odor, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. It has an exceptionally strong bite, hunts prey, scavenges carrion, climbs trees, and swims across rivers.
    04AUS-30166_Tasmanian-Devil_Bonorong.jpg
  • A famous herd of 1500 bison freely roam Custer State Park, as seen along Wildlife Loop Road, in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA. South Dakota's largest and first state park was named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer.
    1709US1-3279_Custer-SP-SD.jpg
  • A Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is shown at Bonorong Wildlife Park, Briggs Road, Brighton, Tasmania, Australia. Wombats are burrowing grass eaters, and can be thought of as the marsupial ecological equivalent of a bear. Wombats are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of southeast Australia including Tasmania, plus an isolated group in Epping Forest National Park in central Queensland. The three living species of wombats are marsupial mammals in the Vombatidae family. They dig extensive burrow systems with rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws. Their unusual backwards-facing pouch avoids gathering dirt onto its young. Although mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, wombats also venture out to feed on cool or overcast days. Wombats are herbivores, mostly eating grasses, sedges, herbs, bark and roots. Published on Australian geocaching coin 2010, displayed in support of Wilder Foundation 2009, 2010, and exhibited at Oceanario de Lisboa, Portugal 2007. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    04AUS-30201_Wombat_Bonorong-WP.jpg
  • See a spout of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) from a day cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4739.jpg
  • A sea bird reflects in Tidal River at Wilson’s Promontory National Park in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Natural tannins leach from decomposing vegetation and turn the water brown. “The Prom” offers natural estuaries, cool fern gullies, magnificent and secluded beaches, striking rock formations, and abundant wildlife. Drive two hours from Melbourne to reach Wilson’s Promontory. Renting a camper van is a great way to see Australia with “no worries” about booking a bed. One night in the campground, our camper van rocked us awake in what we though was an earthquake. The rocking soon stopped and the dark shape of a wombat (a marsupial “bear”) wandered off into the night from underneath the van, where he had been licking our tasty sink drain! Around the campground, we were also delighted to see wallabies and the Common Brushtail Possum. Visitors also commonly see echidnas, koalas, bats and sugar-gliders. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    04AUS-20006_Tidal-River_Wilsons-Prom...jpg
  • A rarely seen and rarely photographed grey morph of the Chilean hawk, or Peuquito (Accipiter chilensis) perches on a limb of Nothofagus in forest near Hostaria Balmaceda, on Seno de Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope Sound), Patagonia, Chile, South America. Sharon Chester, author of "A Wildlife Guide to Chile" (2008, Princeton University Press), identified this hawk based upon this web site image.
    05CHI-10042.jpg
  • The kea (Nestor notabilis) is the world's only alpine parrot. In 1986, it received full protection under the Wildlife Act. The kea is one of ten endemic parrot species in New Zealand. Kea are known for their intelligence and curiosity, both vital to their survival in a harsh mountain environment. Kea can solve logical puzzles, such as pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food, and will work together to achieve a certain objective. They have been filmed preparing and using tools. Photographed at Homer Tunnel, Fiordland National Park, Southland region, South Island of New Zealand. In 1990, UNESCO honored Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand as a World Heritage Area.
    1901NZ1-1375.jpg
  • A curious kea bites a car tire. The kea (Nestor notabilis) is the world's only alpine parrot. In 1986, it received full protection under the Wildlife Act. The kea is one of ten endemic parrot species in New Zealand. Kea are known for their intelligence and curiosity, both vital to their survival in a harsh mountain environment. Kea can solve logical puzzles, such as pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food, and will work together to achieve a certain objective. They have been filmed preparing and using tools. Photographed at Homer Tunnel, Fiordland National Park, Southland region, South Island of New Zealand. In 1990, UNESCO honored Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand as a World Heritage Area.
    1901NZ1-1379.jpg
  • Fin of Humpback whale. Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4737.jpg
  • Blowhole and dorsal fin of humpback whale  (Megaptera novaeangliae). Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4747.jpg
  • Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perch on an iceberg calved from South Sawyer Glacier, seen via day cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord from Juneau, in the Alaska Panhandle, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4729.jpg
  • Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) live amid ice flows calved from South Sawyer Glacier. Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. As the most widely distributed species of pinniped, harbor seals are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Baltic and North Seas. Harbor seals are brown, silvery white, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4414.jpg
  • An American black bear (Ursus americanus) forages for seafood in tidal seaweed on Tracy Arm Fjord. Juneau, Alaska, USA. To visit Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, we highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4185.jpg
  • The kea (Nestor notabilis) is the world's only alpine parrot. In 1986, it received full protection under the Wildlife Act. The kea is one of ten endemic parrot species in New Zealand. Kea are known for their intelligence and curiosity, both vital to their survival in a harsh mountain environment. Kea can solve logical puzzles, such as pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food, and will work together to achieve a certain objective. They have been filmed preparing and using tools. Photographed at Homer Tunnel, Fiordland National Park, Southland region, South Island of New Zealand. In 1990, UNESCO honored Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand as a World Heritage Area.
    1901NZ1-1380.jpg
  • The kea (Nestor notabilis) is the world's only alpine parrot. In 1986, it received full protection under the Wildlife Act. The kea is one of ten endemic parrot species in New Zealand. Kea are known for their intelligence and curiosity, both vital to their survival in a harsh mountain environment. Kea can solve logical puzzles, such as pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food, and will work together to achieve a certain objective. They have been filmed preparing and using tools. Photographed at Homer Tunnel, Fiordland National Park, Southland region, South Island of New Zealand. In 1990, UNESCO honored Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand as a World Heritage Area.
    1901NZ1-1362.jpg
  • The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a carnivorous bird in the Kingfisher family (Halcyonidae). It is native to eastern mainland Australia and has also been introduced to Tasmania, Flinders Island, and Kangaroo Island. Kookaburra is a loanword "guuguubarra" (from the now extinct Aboriginal language Wiradjuri). Kookaburras (genus Dacelo) include four known species of large terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea, best known for their unmistakable call, like loud echoing, hysterical human laughter. They can be found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savanna, but also in suburban and residential areas near running water and food. Wilson's Promontory National Park (or "the Prom"), in Victoria, Australia, offers magnificent and secluded beaches, cool fern gullies, great views, spectacular rock formations and an abundance of wildlife. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    04AUS-11263_Kookaburra_Wilson's-Prom...jpg
  • Sea lions. Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4757.jpg
  • Sea lions. Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4752.jpg
  • A bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) takes wing from an iceberg which was calved from South Sawyer Glacier, seen via day cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord from Juneau, in the Alaska Panhandle, USA. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4733.jpg
  • An American black bear (Ursus americanus) forages seafood on Tracy Arm Fjord. Juneau, Alaska, USA. To visit Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, we highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4689.jpg
  • Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) live amid ice flows calved from South Sawyer Glacier. Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. As the most widely distributed species of pinniped, harbor seals are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Baltic and North Seas. Harbor seals are brown, silvery white, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4531.jpg
  • Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) live amid ice flows calved from South Sawyer Glacier. Cruise to Tracy Arm Fjord and South Sawyer Glacier from Juneau, Alaska, USA. As the most widely distributed species of pinniped, harbor seals are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Baltic and North Seas. Harbor seals are brown, silvery white, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. We highly recommend the smoothly stabilized day cruise aboard the 56-foot boat Adventure Bound. This journey to the heart of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness (Tongass National Forest) rivals Norwegian fjords and adds a punchbowl of icebergs from the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier, which calved ice into the tidewater with a rumble and a splash. Whales, bears, sea lions and other wildlife showed up along the way. The fjord twists narrowly 30 miles into the coastal mountains, with peaks jutting up to a mile high, draped with tumbling waterfalls.
    1906AKH-4438.jpg
  • The kea (Nestor notabilis) is the world's only alpine parrot. In 1986, it received full protection under the Wildlife Act. The kea is one of ten endemic parrot species in New Zealand. Kea are known for their intelligence and curiosity, both vital to their survival in a harsh mountain environment. Kea can solve logical puzzles, such as pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food, and will work together to achieve a certain objective. They have been filmed preparing and using tools. Photographed at Homer Tunnel, Fiordland National Park, Southland region, South Island of New Zealand. In 1990, UNESCO honored Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand as a World Heritage Area.
    1901NZ1-1364.jpg
  • A yellow highway sign warns drivers to watch out for kangaroos, koalas, cows, and birds "NEXT 12 KM" on Cape Otway in Great Otway National Park, Victoria, Australia.
    04AUS-20105_wildlife-sign_Cape-Otway...jpg
  • A capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a giant cavy rodent native to South America. It is the largest living rodent in the world. Location: Pasarela Rio Arrayanes, Lago Verde, Los Alerces National Park (honored on UNESCO's World Heritage List), in Chubut Province, Patagonian region, Argentina, South America. (Spanish: Parque Nacional Los Alerces)
    2002PAT-0300.jpg
  • Three ravens argue. Fort William H. Seward National Historic Landmark, 1902-1945. Port Chilkoot, Haines, Alaska, USA. Also known as Chilkoot Barracks and Haines Mission, it was the last of 11 military posts in Alaska during the gold rush era, and Alaska's only military facility between 1925 and 1940. It policed miners moving into the gold mining areas in the Alaskan interior, and provided military presence during negotiations over the nearby international border with Canada. William H. Seward was the United States Secretary of State who oversaw the Alaska purchase.
    1906AKH-3357.jpg
  • Dall sheep (Ovis dalli, or thinhorn sheep) on Tachal Dahl (Sheep Mountain) Ridge, St. Elias Mountains, in Kluane National Park and Reserve, Yukon, Canada. Hike Sheep Creek trail (10-15 km with 500-1200 m gain) for spectacular views of the Slims River Valley and surrounding mountains, plus Kluane Lake seen from Soldier's Summit on Tachal Dahl (Sheep Mountain) Ridge. In a startling case of global warming, over 4 days in spring 2016, the Slims River suddenly disappeared, leaving windswept mud flats creating clouds of dust in the formerly clear air. With its main water supply cut off, Kluane Lake will be isolated within a few years, shrinking below its outflow into the Kluane River (which flows into the Donjek River, White River, Yukon River, and eventually the Bering Sea). Kluane Lake chemistry and fish populations are rapidly changing. For the last 300 years, abundant meltwater from the Kaskawulsh Glacier has been channeled by ice dam to drain via the 150-meter wide Slims River, north into Kluane Lake. Between 1956 and 2007, the Kaskawulsh glacier retreated by 600-700m, which most scientists attribute to anthropogenic climate change. Meltwater flooding from accelerating retreat in 2016 carved a new channel through a large ice field, diverting all flows to the Kaskawulsh River, a tributary of the Alsek, which flows into the Gulf of Alaska.
    1906AKH-3058.jpg
  • A stuffed grizzly bear (Ursus arctos, or North American brown bear) menaces customers in a gift shop in Pioneer Park, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. Pioneer Park, run by the Fairbanks North Star Borough Department of Parks and Recreation, commemorates early Alaskan history with museums and historic displays. Pioneer Park was opened in 1967 as Alaska 67 Centennial Exposition to celebrate the centennial of the Alaska Purchase. After being given first to the state and then to the city, Mayor Red Boucher renamed the site Alaskaland, which was changed to its present name in 2001.
    1906AKH-1820.jpg
  • New Zealand fur seal pups (Arctocephalus forsteri) thrive in the colony at Long Reef Point on the Tasman Sea near Martins Bay Hut, on the Hollyford Track, in Fiordland National Park, Southland region, South Island of New Zealand. After the arrival of Europeans in New Zealand, hunting reduced the seal population near to extinction. This mammal is known as kekeno in Maori language. Some call it Australasian fur seal, South Australian fur seal, Antipodean fur seal, or long-nosed fur seal. In 1990, UNESCO honored Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand as a World Heritage Area.
    1901NZ1-2280.jpg
  • Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Badlands National Park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. Erosion has exposed layers of ancient colorful sediments in this corner of South Dakota, USA.
    1709US1-2341_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Alpine ibex gather at Rotsteinpass (2120 m) in the Alpstein limestone mountain range, Appenzell Alps, Switzerland, Europe. The Alpine ibex or steinbock (Capra ibex, in the Bovidae family) is a wild goat of the European Alps. Four distinct social groups tend to form: adult male groups, female-offspring groups, groups of young individuals, and mixed sex groups; but Adult males and females segregate for most of the year, coming together only to mate. After being eliminated from most of the European Alps by the 1800s, the ibex was successfully reintroduced. Appenzell Innerrhoden is Switzerland's most traditional and smallest-population canton (second smallest by area).
    16SWI-1995.jpg
  • Upland geese, or Caiquen (Chloephaga picta). The male is white headed, the female russet. Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, South America.
    05CHI-20058_Caiquen-geese_Patagonia.jpg
  • The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic region. It is most common in the southern hemisphere along the coast of Antarctica and on most sub-Antarctic islands, but can also be found on the coasts of southern Australia, Tasmania, South Africa, New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, Tierra del Fuego, the Cook Islands, and the Atlantic coast of South America. Along with all of the other earless seals, it belongs to the family Phocidae, and is the only species in the genus Hydrurga. The name hydrurga means "water worker" and leptonyx is the Greek for "small clawed". The leopard seal is large and muscular, with a dark grey back and light grey on its stomach. Its throat is whitish with the black spots that give the seal its common name.
    05ANT-20120.jpg
  • Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua), chick and adult, Aicho Island, Antarctica. An adult Gentoo Penguin has a bright orange-red bill and a wide white stripe extending across the top of its head. Chicks have grey backs with white fronts. Of all penguins, Gentoos have the most prominent tail, which sweeps from side to side as they waddle on land, hence the scientific name Pygoscelis, "rump-tailed." As the the third largest species of penguin, adult Gentoos reach 51 to 90 cm (20-36 in) high. They are the fastest underwater swimming penguin, reaching speeds of 36 km per hour.
    05ANT-10688_Aitcho-Island.jpg
  • A worker fillets and sprays a halibut, which is a flatfish, genus Hippoglossus, from the family of the right-eye flounders (Pleuronectidae). In Alaska, the town of Homer claims to be the "halibut fishing capital of the world." Village nicknames include "Homer - a quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem" [bumper sticker] and "the end of the road." Homer is the southernmost town on the contiguous Alaska highway system. Homer is at the end of Sterling Highway (part of Alaska Route 1) on Kenai Peninsula, on the shore of Kachemak Bay, Alaska, USA.
    06AK_1102_Halibut_Homer.jpg
  • Tom Dempsey photographed this Andean Emerald (Amazilia franciae) hummingbird at the lower elevations (about 1400 meters) of Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, near Quito, Ecuador, South America. The Andean Emerald is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
    09ECU-2172_Bellavista-Ecuador.jpg
  • Hummingbirds gather at a feeder at Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, near Quito, Ecuador, South America.
    09ECU-2023_Bellavista-Ecuador.jpg
  • A Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata; or Galapagos Albatross) roosts at Suaraz Point, a wet landing on Española (Hood) Island, the oldest of the Galapagos Islands, which are a province of Ecuador, South America.  The Waved Albatross is the only tropical member of the Albatross family (Diomedeidae). During the non-breeding season, Waved Albatross mostly reside in the coastal areas of Ecuador and Peru. The Waved Albatross breeds primarily on Española Island in the Galápagos archipelago (and maybe some on Genovesa Island and Isla de la Plata). Waved Albatross have blue feet and distinctively yellowish-cream neck and head, which contrasts with their mostly brownish bodies. The very long, bright yellow bill looks disproportionately large in comparison to the relatively small head and long, slender neck. They have chestnut brown upper parts and underparts, except for the breast, with fine barring, a little coarser on the rump. They have brown upper-wings, back, and tail, along with a whitish breast and underwings. Their axillaries (armpit feathers) are brown. Chicks have brown fluffy feathers. Juveniles are similar to adults except for more white on their head. Their lifespan may reach 40 to 45 years. Diomedeidae (the Albatross family) come from the Procellariiformes order (along with Shearwaters, Fulmars, Storm-petrels, and Diving-petrels).
    09ECU-5196_Galapagos.jpg
  • A Galapagos Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis, subspecies: urinator) spreads its wings to dry at Suaraz Point, a wet landing location on Española (Hood) Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, South America. The Brown Pelican species lives strictly on coasts from Washington and Virginia south to northern Chile and the mouth of the Amazon River. Some immature birds may stray to inland freshwater lakes. Although large for a bird, the Brown Pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican. Adults are 106-137 cm (42-54 inches) in length, weigh from 2.75 to 5.5 kg (6-12 pounds), and have a wingspan from 1.83 to 2.5 m (6 to 8.2 feet). After nesting, North American birds move in flocks further north along the coasts, returning to warmer waters for winter. Their young are hatched in broods of about 3, and eat around 150 pounds of fish in the 8-10 month period they are cared for. The Brown Pelican bird differs from the American White Pelican by its brown body and its habit of diving for fish from the air, as opposed to cooperative fishing from the surface. It eats mainly herring-like fish. The nest location varies from a simple scrape on the ground on an island to a bulky stick nest in a low tree. Pelicans can live more than 30 years. In 1959, Ecuador declared 97% of the land area of the Galápagos Islands to be Galápagos National Park, which UNESCO registered as a World Heritage Site in 1978. Ecuador created the Galápagos Marine Reserve in 1998, which UNESCO appended in 2001.
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  • A Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) pair does a sky pointing mating dance on North Seymour Island, part of the Galápagos archipelago, a province of Ecuador 972 km offshore west of the continent of South America. The Sulidae family comprises ten species of long-winged seabirds. The name “booby” comes from the Spanish term bobo, which means "stupid" or "fool/clown," which describes its clumsy nature on land. Like other seabirds, they can be very tame. Blue-footed Boobies breed in tropical and subtropical islands of the Pacific Ocean.
    09ECU-4535_Galapagos.jpg
  • The Galapagos Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) thrives at Tagus Cove, on Isabela (Albemarle) Island, Ecuador, South America.  Marine Iguanas, the world’s only sea-going lizard species, are found nowhere else on earth. Marine Iguanas feed almost exclusively on marine algae, expelling the excess salt from nasal glands while basking in the sun, coating their faces with white. Marine Iguanas live on the rocky shore or sometimes on mangrove beaches or marshes. Most adults are black, some grey, and the young have a lighter colored dorsal stripe. The somber tones allow the species to rapidly absorb the warm rays of the sun to minimize the period of lethargy after emerging from the frigid water, which is cooled by the Humboldt Current. Breeding-season adult males on the southern islands are the most colorful and will acquire reddish and teal-green colors, while Santa Cruz males are brick red and black, and Fernandina males are brick red and dull greenish. The iguanas living on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela (named for the famous rulers of Spain) are the largest found anywhere in the Galápagos. The smallest iguanas are found on Genovesa Island. Fernandina Island was named in honor of King Ferdinand II of Aragon, who sponsored the voyage of Columbus.
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  • Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) on Isla Genovesa (or Tower Island), Ecuador, South America.  Frigatebirds, which are in the family Fregatidae, are related to pelicans. The Great Frigatebird is a lightly built large seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage. The female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast and a red eye ring. The male's scapular (shoulder) feathers have a purple-green sheen. In breeding season, the male distends a striking red gular sac. The species feeds on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (mostly flyingfish), and pirates food from other birds less frequently than other frigatebirds. They feed in pelagic waters within 80 km (50 mi) of their breeding colony or roosting areas. Fregata minor is known as the Iwa in Hawaii. The Great Frigatebird measures  85–105 cm (33.5–41.5 in) with long pointed wings and long forked tails. Weighing between 1–1.8 kg (2.2–4 pounds), they have the highest ratio of wing area to body mass of any bird. Juveniles are black with a rust-tinged white face, head and throat. Major nesting populations of Great Frigatebirds are found in the Pacific (including Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a population in the South Atlantic. A single egg is laid each breeding season. The duration of parental care in frigatebirds is the longest of any bird.
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  • Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) on Isla Genovesa (or Tower Island), Ecuador, South America.  Frigatebirds, which are in the family Fregatidae, are related to pelicans. The Great Frigatebird is a lightly built large seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage. The female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast and a red eye ring. The male's scapular (shoulder) feathers have a purple-green sheen. In breeding season, the male distends a striking red gular sac. The species feeds on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (mostly flyingfish), and pirates food from other birds less frequently than other frigatebirds. They feed in pelagic waters within 80 km (50 mi) of their breeding colony or roosting areas. Fregata minor is known as the Iwa in Hawaii. The Great Frigatebird measures  85–105 cm (33.5–41.5 in) with long pointed wings and long forked tails. Weighing between 1–1.8 kg (2.2–4 pounds), they have the highest ratio of wing area to body mass of any bird. Juveniles are black with a rust-tinged white face, head and throat. Major nesting populations of Great Frigatebirds are found in the Pacific (including Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a population in the South Atlantic. A single egg is laid each breeding season. The duration of parental care in frigatebirds is the longest of any bird.
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  • A mother duck leads four cute ducklings in a row on the rippled turquoise waters of Lake Bled, Slovenia, Europe. The town of Bled and glacially formed Lake Bled (Slovene: Blejsko jezero) are popular tourist sites in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. Lake Bled hosted the World Rowing Championships in 1966, 1979, 1989, and 2011.
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  • A mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) shares the Garden Wall Trail near Logan Pass in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. The mountain goat is an even-toed ungulate of the order Artiodactyla and the family Bovidae that includes antelopes, gazelles, and cattle. It belongs to the subfamily Caprinae (goat-antelopes), along with thirty-two other species including true goats, sheep, the chamois, and the musk ox. The mountain goat is the only species in the genus Oreamnos. The name Oreamnos is derived from the Greek term oros (stem ore-) "mountain" (or, alternatively, oreas "mountain nymph") and the word amnos "lamb".
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  • A young mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) grows antlers in a field of Glacier Lilies, along the Garden Wall trail near Logan Pass, in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
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  • upland goose chick / Magellan goose / Chloephaga picta. Hosteria Pehoe, Lago Pehoe, Ultima Esperanza Province, Chile, Patagonia, South America. Torres del Paine National Park is listed as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
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  • The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Its name comes from the Quechua word huanaco (modern spelling wanaku). Young guanacos are called chulengos. Location: Torres del Paine National Park, near Puerto Natales, Ultima Esperanza Province, Chile, Patagonia, South America. The Park is honored by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve.
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  • Rhea pennata is also called Darwin's rhea, lesser rhea, choique, and ñandu. Location: along RN40 south of the city of Perito Moreno, in Argentina, Patagonia, South America. The rheas are large ratites (flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bone) in the order Rheiformes, native to South America.
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  • A marmot at National Shrine of St. Therese, 22 miles north of downtown Juneau, in Tongass National Forest, Alaska, USA. A stone causeway from shore reaches this natural-stone chapel nestled amid a tranquil wooded island. This ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau is dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patron saint of Alaska, missionaries, and the Diocese of Juneau. She wrote that what really mattered in life was not our great deeds, but our great love.
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  • Bluebirds. Barkerville Historic Town & Park, British Columbia, Canada. Historically the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush, Barkerville is now the largest living-history museum in Western North America. The town was named after Billy Barker from Cambridgeshire, England, who struck gold here in 1861, and his claim became the richest and the most famous. This National Historic Site nestles in the Cariboo Mountains at elevation 1200m (4000ft), at the end of BC Highway 26, 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Quesnel. Gold here was first discovered at Hills Bar in 1858, followed by other strikes in 1859 and 1860. Wide publication of these discoveries in 1861 began the Cariboo Gold Rush, which reached full swing by 1865 following strikes along Williams Creek.
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  • Invasive wild goat in Ben Lomond Scenic Reserve, above Queenstown, reached via Skyline Queenstown gondola or a hiking trail, in the Otago region, South Island of New Zealand. Almost without exception, introduced species have been detrimental to the native flora and fauna of New Zealand.
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  • A black slug (terrestrial gastropod mollusc) crawls on moss leaving a slime trail. Wallace Falls State Park offers good hiking and camping beneath mossy trees on the rushing Wallace River near the town of Gold Bar, Washington, USA.
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  • Alpine ibex males carry big horns above Lake Louvie, near Verbier, in the Pennine/Valais Alps, Switzerland, Europe. The Alpine ibex or steinbock (Capra ibex, in the Bovidae family) is a wild goat native to the European Alps. After being eliminated from most of the European Alps by the 1800s, the ibex was successfully reintroduced. Four distinct social groups tend to form: adult male groups (shown here), female-offspring groups, groups of young individuals, and mixed sex groups; but Adult males and females segregate for most of the year, coming together only to mate.
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  • Jungfraujoch "Top of Europe" is the highest railway station in Europe (3454 meters elevation). Here, visitors can admire a high-Alpine wonderland from platforms atop the Aletsch Glacier or carved inside, in the Ice Palace. Jungfraujoch is a col at 3466 m between the peaks of Jungfrau and Mönch in the Bernese Alps, on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch, in Switzerland, Europe. Engineering this dramatic cog-wheel railway required 16 years (1898-1912) to carve through the Eiger and Mönch for 7 kilometers (4.3 mi), with gradients of up to 25%. Kleine Scheidegg entry station can be reached by trains from Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. The ride from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch takes 50 minutes including stops at Eigerwand and Eismeer viewing portals. Downhill return takes just 35 minutes. Jungfraujoch hosts an important station of Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW), plus the Sphinx Observatory for astronomy at 3571 meters or 11,716 feet. The Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch region is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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  • We loved hiking to the quiet retreat of Berghotel Obersteinberg, which offers tremendous views of waterfalls and peaks in Upper Lauterbrunnen Valley, in the canton of Bern, Switzerland, Europe. Lit by candle light at night, this romantic escape built in the 1880s recalls an earlier era without power. The main luxuries here are flush toilets down the hall, and traditional Swiss hot meals. The private double rooms lack electricity, and bowls of water serve as bath and sink. Obersteinberg is a 2-hour walk from Stechelberg, or 4 hours from Mürren, in one of the world's most spectacular glaciated valleys. From Obersteinberg, don't miss the 2-3 hours round trip to the deep-blue tarn of Oberhornsee in the upper glacial basin, beneath snowcapped Grosshorn, Breithorn and Tschingelhorn. The Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch region is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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  • Alpine ibex gather at Rotsteinpass (2120 m) in the Alpstein limestone mountain range, Appenzell Alps, Switzerland, Europe. The Alpine ibex or steinbock (Capra ibex, in the Bovidae family) is a wild goat of the European Alps. Four distinct social groups tend to form: adult male groups, female-offspring groups, groups of young individuals, and mixed sex groups; but Adult males and females segregate for most of the year, coming together only to mate. After being eliminated from most of the European Alps by the 1800s, the ibex was successfully reintroduced. Appenzell Innerrhoden is Switzerland's most traditional and smallest-population canton (second smallest by area).
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  • Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua) raise chicks in the snow on an Antarctic island. In 2005, the M/S Explorer cruise ship visited this remote wilderness. An adult Gentoo Penguin has a bright orange-red bill and a wide white stripe extending across the top of its head. Chicks have grey backs with white fronts. Of all penguins, Gentoos have the most prominent tail, which sweeps from side to side as they waddle on land, hence the scientific name Pygoscelis, "rump-tailed." As the the third largest species of penguin, adult Gentoos reach 51 to 90 cm (20-36 in) high. They are the fastest underwater swimming penguin, reaching speeds of 36 km per hour.
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  • A raft of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) floats in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. Prince William Sound is surrounded by Chugach National Forest (the second largest national forest in the USA). Tour spectacular Prince William Sound by commercial boat from Whittier, which sits strategically on Kenai Peninsula at the head of Passage Canal. Whittier is a port for the Alaska Marine Highway System, a ferry service which operates along the south-central coast, eastern Aleutian Islands, and the Inside Passage of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. Cruise ships stop at the port of Whittier for passenger connections to Anchorage (by road 60 miles) and to the interior of Alaska via highway and rail (the Denali Express). Known by locals as the Whittier tunnel or the Portage tunnel, the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel links Whittier via Portage Glacier Highway to the Seward Highway and Anchorage. At 13,300 feet long (4050 m), it is the longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America. Whittier was severely damaged by tsunamis triggered by the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, when thirteen people died from waves reaching 43 feet high (13 meters).
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  • Three Australian Pelicans walk in line on Coalmine Beach, Walpole-Nornalup National Park, in southern Western Australia. The Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), also known as the Goolayyalibee, is widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea. Compared to other pelican species, they are medium-sized: 1.6 to 1.8 m (5.25 to 6 ft) long with a wingspan of 2.3 to 2.5 m (7.6 to 8.25 ft) and weighing between 4 and almost 7 kg (9 to 15 lbs). They are predominantly white, with black and white wings and a pale, pinkish bill which, like that of all pelicans, is enormous, particularly in the male.
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  • The Culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus), sometimes known as the Andean Wolf (Spanish: Lobo), or (Common) Andean Fox, or Patagonian Fox, is a South American species of wild dog, seen here at the mountain refuge "José Ribas" on the north face of the Cotopaxi Volcano at 4800 meters (15,750 feet) of altitude in Ecuador. The Culpeo is the second largest native canid in South America after the Maned Wolf. In its appearance it bears many similarities to the widely recognized red fox. It has grey and reddish fur, a white chin, reddish legs, and a stripe on its back that may be barely visible.  Its distribution extends from Ecuador and Peru to the southern regions of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. It is most common on the western slopes of the Andes, where it inhabits open country and deciduous forests. The Culpeo's diet consists largely of rodents, rabbits, birds and lizards, and to a lesser extent, plant material and carrion. The Culpeo does attack sheep on occasion, and is therefore often hunted or poisoned. In some regions it has become rare, but overall the species is not threatened with extinction. Cotopaxi National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Cotopaxi) is a protected area in Ecuador in the Cotopaxi Province, Napo Province and Pichincha Province. Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located about 75 kilometers (50 miles) south of Quito, Ecuador, South America. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching a height of 5,897 m (19,347 ft).
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  • The jagged, sharp spine of a Galapagos Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) displays red and greenish breeding colors on the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, South America. Marine Iguanas, the world’s only sea-going lizard species, are found nowhere else on earth. Marine Iguanas feed almost exclusively on marine algae, expelling the excess salt from nasal glands while basking in the sun, coating their faces with white. Marine Iguanas live on the rocky shore or sometimes on mangrove beaches or marshes. Most adults are black, some grey, and the young have a lighter colored dorsal stripe. The somber tones allow the species to rapidly absorb the warm rays of the sun to minimize the period of lethargy after emerging from the frigid water, which is cooled by the Humboldt Current. Breeding-season adult males on the southern islands are the most colorful and will acquire reddish and teal-green colors, while Santa Cruz males are brick red and black, and Fernandina males are brick red and dull greenish. The iguanas living on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela (named for the famous rulers of Spain) are the largest found anywhere in the Galápagos. The smallest iguanas are found on Genovesa Island. Fernandina Island was named in honor of King Ferdinand II of Aragon, who sponsored the voyage of Columbus.
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  • A Nazca Booby (Sula granti) fledges on Española (Hood) Island, the oldest of the Galapagos Islands, which are a province of Ecuador, South America. The Nazca Booby is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, namely on the Galápagos Islands and Clipperton Island. The Revillagigedo Islands off Baja California possibly constitute its northeasternmost limit of breeding range. It was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the Masked Booby but the Nazca Booby is now recognized as a separate species differing in ecology, morphology, and DNA. The Nazca Booby co-occurs with the Masked Booby on Clipperton Island, where they may rarely hybridize.  Two eggs are laid so that one remains insurance in case the other gets destroyed or eaten, or the chick dies soon after hatching, which often occurs as one chick out-competes the other.
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  • A Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) pair does a sky pointing mating dance on North Seymour Island, part of the Galápagos archipelago, a province of Ecuador 972 km offshore west of the continent of South America. The Sulidae family comprises ten species of long-winged seabirds. The name “booby” comes from the Spanish term bobo, which means "stupid" or "fool/clown," which describes its clumsy nature on land. Like other seabirds, they can be very tame. Blue-footed Boobies breed in tropical and subtropical islands of the Pacific Ocean.
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  • The Galápagos Dove (Zenaida galapagoensis, in the Columbidae family) is seen on Puerto Egas, on Santiago (or San Salvador, or James) Island, in the Galápagos archipelago, a province of Ecuador, South America. The Galápagos Dove is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Santiago Island has a maximum altitude of 907 metres (2976 feet). Santiago is equivalent to Saint James in English; and its alternative name San Salvador refers to the island discovered by Columbus in the Caribbean Sea.
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  • Chick. The Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. Sula sula breeds in colonies and is found widely on tropical islands. The Red-footed Booby is the smallest of all boobies at 71 cm in length and with a 137 cm wingspan, and has red legs with pink and blue bill and throat pouch. They are powerful and agile fliers but clumsy in takeoffs and landings. The brown morph of this species is brown with a white belly, rump, and tail. The white morph is mostly white with black on the flight feathers. Young birds are greyish with browner wings and pink legs. The sexes appear similar. Photographed on Isla Genovesa (or Tower Island, or Bird Island), a shield volcano in the Galápagos Islands, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. National Park visitors follow licensed guides up the steep path of Prince Philip’s Steps (up a cliff 25 meters vertically) to seabird colonies full of life amidst a thin palo santo forest growing in a rocky desert plain.
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  • The Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel feeds in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976). Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks.
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  • The Short-Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) is often wrongly called a "Horned Toad" or "Horny Toad." Photo in Nankoweap Canyon, Arizona, USA.
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  • Wild turkey at Mammoth Cave National Park in Edmonson County, Kentucky, USA.
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  • The austral parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus; also called the austral conure or emerald parakeet), is the world's southernmost parrot species. Photographed at Refugio Torre Central in Torres del Paine National Park (listed as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO), in Ultima Esperanza Province, Chile, Patagonia, South America. The austral parakeet is found from the southern tip of South America up to as far north as Temuco in Chile. This fairly-large conure is primarily green, lightly barred, with some dull red on the forehead and lores, belly, and upper tail, with the northern part of the range displaying less red. It occurs mostly in wooded country, but also shrubland and farmland. It stays near sea level in the extreme south, but ranges up to 2000 m at the northern end of its range. Flock size is usually only 10–15 individuals, though flocks over 100 are known. It eats grass and bamboo seeds, nuts, and small fruit, and nests in tree cavities.
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  • Wood Bison, a threatened species in Canada, graze along the Alaska Highway near Liard Hot Springs, in British Columbia.
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  • Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), West Dawson, Yukon, Canada. The red fox is one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, found across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, North America and Eurasia. It comes in many colorings and sub-species. This versatile animal has colonized many suburban and urban areas.
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  • The rifleman, New Zealand's smallest bird, is one of only two surviving species within the ancient endemic New Zealand wren family. Blue Pools Track, Mount Aspiring National Park, Southern Alps, near Makarora, Otago region, South Island of New Zealand. UNESCO lists Mount Aspiring as part of Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.
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  • New Zealand fantail / Rhipidura fuliginosa, on the Hollyford Track, Fiordland National Park, Southland region, South Island of New Zealand. The fantail is one of the few native forest bird species that has coped reasonably well with the extensive conversion of lowland native forest to farmland. However, nesting adults, eggs and chicks are not immune from being preyed upon by introduced mammalian pests, particularly by ship rats. In 1990, UNESCO honored Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand as a World Heritage Area.
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  • Clark's nutcracker (or Clark's crow; Nucifraga columbiana, in the family Corvidae) was named after explorer William Clark. The bird is ashy-grey all over except for the black-and-white wings and central tail feathers (the outer ones are white). The bill, legs and feet are also black. Photographed at Glacier Pass in Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa–Whitman National Forest, Wallowa Mountains, Columbia Plateau, northeastern Oregon, USA.
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  • Hike the dramatic Sentier des Chamois from Verbier, in Switzerland, the Alps, Europe. The Chamois Path starts at La Chaux ski lift and ends at Fionnay PostBus. Cross Col Termin (2648m/8688 ft) in Haut Val de Bagnes nature reserve and descend to Lake Louvie via 1800s stone barns to the north, then to Fionnay (640 m up, 1415 m down in 8.5 hours). Along the way, we admired a group fighting of Hérens cows, ibex with huge horns, and the glaciers of Grand Combins. Optionally stay overnight in dorms Cabane de Louvie.
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  • Hike the dramatic Sentier des Chamois from Verbier, in Switzerland, the Alps, Europe. The Chamois Path starts at La Chaux ski lift and ends at Fionnay PostBus. Cross Col Termin (2648m/8688 ft) in Haut Val de Bagnes nature reserve and descend to Lake Louvie via 1800s stone barns to the north, then to Fionnay (640 m up, 1415 m down in 8.5 hours). Along the way, we admired a group fighting of Hérens cows, ibex with huge horns, and the glaciers of Grand Combins. Optionally stay overnight in dorms Cabane de Louvie.
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  • Displayed at Quarry Exhibit Hall in Dinosaur National Monument, this Allosaurus fragilis skeleton is cast from bones of the Jurassic Period (149 million years ago) dug from the Cleveland-Lloyed Quarry in east-central Utah, USA. Allosaurus was the most common predatory animal in the Morrison Formation's ancient ecosystem. The theropod (meaning "beast-footed") dinosaurs are a diverse group of bipedal saurischian ("lizard-hipped") dinosaurs. Therapods include the largest carnivores ever to have walked the earth. Not all dinosaurs are extinct, since birds are actually the descendants of small nonflying theropods.
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  • The golden cownose ray (or mustard ray, hawkray, pacific cownose ray; latin name Rhinoptera steindachneri, a species of fish in the Rhinopteridae family) swims at Gardner Bay, Española (Hood) Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, South America. The golden cownose ray lives in the open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, estuarine waters, intertidal marshes, and coastal saline lagoons of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. In 1959, Ecuador declared 97% of the land area of the Galápagos Islands to be Galápagos National Park, which UNESCO registered as a World Heritage Site in 1978. Ecuador created the Galápagos Marine Reserve in 1998, which UNESCO appended in 2001.
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  • A Swallow-tailed Gull (Creagrus furcatus) lands at Suaraz Point, a wet landing location on Española (Hood) Island, the oldest of the Galapagos Islands (formed 3 million years ago), a province of Ecuador, South America. Española is becoming a rocky, barren land with little or no vegetation, with large bays, sand and soft shingle which attracts a healthy number of Galapagos Sea Lions. The English named it Hood Island after Viscount Samuel Hood. Tourists come to see the Waved Albatross and the mating dances of blue-footed boobies. Two spots are especially popular with visitors: Bahía Gardner, which has a lovely beach; and Punta Suárez, of interest because of its varied bird-life. This island has its own species of animals, such as the Española Mockingbird, which has a longer and more curved beak than the one on the central islands; the Española lava lizard; the Marine Iguana, which has red markings on its back; and others. Boobies, Swallow-tailed Gulls and other tropical birds live here.
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  • A Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) does a sky pointing mating dance on North Seymour Island, part of the Galápagos archipelago, a province of Ecuador 972 km offshore west of the continent of South America. The Sulidae family comprises ten species of long-winged seabirds. The name “booby” comes from the Spanish term bobo, which means "stupid" or "fool/clown," which describes its clumsy nature on land. Like other seabirds, they can be very tame. Blue-footed Boobies breed in tropical and subtropical islands of the Pacific Ocean.
    09ECU-4466_Galapagos.jpg
  • A female lava lizard sheds skin on Santiago (or San Salvador, or James) Island, in the Galápagos archipelago, a province of Ecuador. Collectively known as lava lizards, seven ground lizard species of the reptile genus Tropidurus are endemic to the Galápagos Islands (and commonly placed in the genus Microlophus). All seven most likely evolved from a single ancestral species, demonstrating the principal of adaptive radiation that is typical of the inhabitants of the Galapagos archipelago. One lava lizard species occurs on all the central and western islands, which were perhaps connected during periods of lower sea levels, while one species each occurs on six other more peripheral islands. Males and females of all Tropidurus species are marked differently. The male is usually much larger than the female, and its body is more brightly colored and distinctly patterned. Markings vary considerably, even within an individual species. Animals living mainly on dark lava are darker than ones which live in lighter, sandy environments. Like many lizards, they show changes of color with mood and temperature. Santiago is equivalent to Saint James in English; and its alternative name San Salvador refers to the island discovered by Columbus in the Caribbean Sea. Santiago Island has a maximum altitude of 907 metres (2976 feet). Human-introduced pigs and goats caused great harm to the endemic species, but have been subsequently eradicated (pigs in 2002; goats almost all eliminated).
    09ECU-4158_Galapagos.jpg
  • Sally Lightfoot or red lava crab (Grapsus grapsus) at Punta (Point) Espinoza, on Fernandina (Narborough) Island, Galápagos Islands, a province of Ecuador, South America. Grapsus grapsus is one of the most common crabs along the western coast of South America, and can also be seen along the entire coast of Central America and Mexico and nearby islands. This crab has five pairs of legs, the front two bearing small, blocky, symmetrical chelae. The other legs are broad and flat, with only the tips touching down. The crab's round, flat carapace is just over 8 cm (3 inches) in length. Young crabs are black or dark brown in color and camouflage well on the black lava coasts of volcanic islands. Adults are quite variable in color. Some are muted brownish-red, some mottled or spotted brown, pink, or yellow. The ones seen on photographs of tropical island fauna are often bright orange or red with stripes or spots dorsally, blue and green ventrally, and sporting red claws and pink or blue eyes. This crab lives amongst the rocks at the often turbulent, windy shore, just above the limit of the seaspray. It feeds on algae primarily, sometimes sampling plant matter and dead animals. It is a quick-moving and agile crab, and hard to catch, but not considered very edible by humans. It is used as bait by fishermen.
    09ECU-3674_Galapagos.jpg
  • The Galapagos Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) thrives on Punta (Point) Espinoza, on Fernandina (Narborough) Island, Galápagos Islands, a province of Ecuador, South America. Marine Iguanas, the world’s only sea-going lizard species, are found nowhere else on earth. Marine Iguanas feed almost exclusively on marine algae, expelling the excess salt from nasal glands while basking in the sun, coating their faces with white. Marine Iguanas live on the rocky shore or sometimes on mangrove beaches or marshes. Most adults are black, some grey, and the young have a lighter colored dorsal stripe. The somber tones allow the species to rapidly absorb the warm rays of the sun to minimize the period of lethargy after emerging from the frigid water, which is cooled by the Humboldt Current. Breeding-season adult males on the southern islands are the most colorful and will acquire reddish and teal-green colors, while Santa Cruz males are brick red and black, and Fernandina males are brick red and dull greenish. The iguanas living on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela (named for the famous rulers of Spain) are the largest found anywhere in the Galápagos. The smallest iguanas are found on Genovesa Island. Fernandina Island was named in honor of King Ferdinand II of Aragon, who sponsored the voyage of Columbus.
    09ECU-3551_Galapagos.jpg
  • Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) on Isla Genovesa (or Tower Island), Ecuador, South America.  Frigatebirds, which are in the family Fregatidae, are related to pelicans. The Great Frigatebird is a lightly built large seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage. The female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast and a red eye ring. The male's scapular (shoulder) feathers have a purple-green sheen. In breeding season, the male distends a striking red gular sac. The species feeds on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (mostly flyingfish), and pirates food from other birds less frequently than other frigatebirds. They feed in pelagic waters within 80 km (50 mi) of their breeding colony or roosting areas. Fregata minor is known as the Iwa in Hawaii. The Great Frigatebird measures  85–105 cm (33.5–41.5 in) with long pointed wings and long forked tails. Weighing between 1–1.8 kg (2.2–4 pounds), they have the highest ratio of wing area to body mass of any bird. Juveniles are black with a rust-tinged white face, head and throat. Major nesting populations of Great Frigatebirds are found in the Pacific (including Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a population in the South Atlantic. A single egg is laid each breeding season. The duration of parental care in frigatebirds is the longest of any bird.
    09ECU-3428_Galapagos.jpg
  • Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) on Isla Genovesa (or Tower Island), Ecuador, South America.  Frigatebirds, which are in the family Fregatidae, are related to pelicans. The Great Frigatebird is a lightly built large seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage. The female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast and a red eye ring. The male's scapular (shoulder) feathers have a purple-green sheen. In breeding season, the male distends a striking red gular sac. The species feeds on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (mostly flyingfish), and pirates food from other birds less frequently than other frigatebirds. They feed in pelagic waters within 80 km (50 mi) of their breeding colony or roosting areas. Fregata minor is known as the Iwa in Hawaii. The Great Frigatebird measures  85–105 cm (33.5–41.5 in) with long pointed wings and long forked tails. Weighing between 1–1.8 kg (2.2–4 pounds), they have the highest ratio of wing area to body mass of any bird. Juveniles are black with a rust-tinged white face, head and throat. Major nesting populations of Great Frigatebirds are found in the Pacific (including Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a population in the South Atlantic. A single egg is laid each breeding season. The duration of parental care in frigatebirds is the longest of any bird.
    09ECU-3291_Galapagos.jpg
  • The white morph of the Red-footed Booby (Sula sula), a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. Photographed on Isla Genovesa (or Tower Island, or Bird Island), a shield volcano in the Galápagos Islands, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Sula sula breeds in colonies and is found widely on tropical islands. The Red-footed Booby is the smallest of all boobies at 71 cm in length and with a 137 cm wingspan, and has red legs with pink and blue bill and throat pouch. They are powerful and agile fliers but clumsy in takeoffs and landings. The brown morph of this species is brown with a white belly, rump, and tail. The white morph is mostly white with black on the flight feathers. Young birds are greyish with browner wings and pink legs. The sexes appear similar. National Park visitors follow licensed guides up the steep path of Prince Philip’s Steps (up a cliff 25 meters vertically) to seabird colonies full of life amidst a thin palo santo forest growing in a rocky desert plain.
    09ECU-3271_Galapagos.jpg
  • A healthy male desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) seen on Day 12 of 16 days rafting 226 miles down the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. 31 years after I last rafted the Grand Canyon in 1990, I noticed lots more (dozens of) native bighorn sheep in 2021, a healthy sign for this fascinating ecosystem, which is gradually recovering since nonnative wild burros were removed in the 1960s. Since Glen Canyon Dam was completed in 1966, floods no longer scour the vegetation or deposit as much sand on the diminishing beaches (which affects rafters). Aggressive nonnative species such as tamarisk trees continue to threaten native riparian biodiversity.
    2103SW-B1109.jpg
  • Desert tortoise. 49 Palms Oasis Trail. Joshua Tree National Park, near the City of Twentynine Palms, California, USA. The park straddles the cactus-dotted Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert, which is higher and cooler.
    20210328_104610.jpg
  • Bison. Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. The intricately carved cliff of the Badlands Wall constantly retreats as it erodes and washes into the White River Valley below.
    20.10US1-0768.jpg
  • Bison. Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA. The intricately carved cliff of the Badlands Wall constantly retreats as it erodes and washes into the White River Valley below.
    20.10US1-0764.jpg
  • A guanaco nurses its young, known as a chulengo. The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Its name comes from the Quechua word huanaco (modern spelling wanaku). Location: Chacabuco Valley, near Cochrane, in Chile, South America. Patagonia National Park consists of the Tompkins Conservation donation in addition to the former national reserves of Jeinimeni and Tamango, plus fiscal land. Parque Patagonia was created by Conservacion Patagonica, a nonprofit incorporated in California and founded in 2000 by Kris Tompkins. On January 29, 2018, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Kris Tompkins signed a decree creating 5 national parks, including Patagonia National Park.
    2002PAT-0952.jpg
  • Young guanacos are called chulengos. The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Its name comes from the Quechua word huanaco (modern spelling wanaku). Location: Lagunas Altas Trail, Chacabuco Valley, near Cochrane, in Chile, South America. Patagonia National Park consists of the Tompkins Conservation donation in addition to the former national reserves of Jeinimeni and Tamango, plus fiscal land. Parque Patagonia was created by Conservacion Patagonica, a nonprofit incorporated in California and founded in 2000 by Kris Tompkins. On January 29, 2018, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Kris Tompkins signed a decree creating 5 national parks, including Patagonia National Park.
    2002PAT-0828.jpg
  • A black caterpillar with white and orange stripes and yellow hairs. Pampa Linda, Nahuel Huapi NP, Lake District, Argentina, South America. Cerro Tronador is an extinct stratovolcano in the southern Andes, near Bariloche, in the Lake District of Argentina. The sound of falling seracs gave it the name Tronador, Spanish for "Thunderer." With an altitude of 3470 m, Tronador stands more than 1000 meters above nearby mountains in the Andean massif, making it a popular climb in Patagonia, South America. Located inside two National Parks, Nahuel Huapi in Argentina and Vicente Pérez Rosales in Chile, Tronador hosts eight glaciers, which are retreating due to warming of the upper troposphere.
    2002PAT-0165.jpg
  • Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Denali National Park, Alaska, USA. The red fox is one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, found across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, North America and Eurasia. It comes in many colorings and sub-species. This versatile animal has colonized many suburban and urban areas.
    1906AKH-2318.jpg
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