I photographed this paca on my second visit to Costa Rica back in 2007. I’ve now been three times to Costa Rica and twice to Panama but this is the only paca that I’ve been able to photograph. Apparently they are good eating to the Central American locals so I can see why they’d be a bit weary of my presence. They are also sometimes called gibnuts (great name) or royal rats (not so good). They are large members of the rodent family and have characteristic stripes and dots on the sides of their bodies. Pacas also happen to be pretty stealth — they are great swimmers and can dive underwater for fifteen minutes at a time when threatened. They can also jump more than three feet off the ground and, if need be, they can remain perfectly still for 45 minutes. This one wasn’t far from the lodge I was staying at in Pavones, Costa Rica. I was on a solo night hike so not exactly easy to get the shot, but perhaps the paca was a bit more relaxed because I was alone.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second

These two white-crowned parrots were preening each other atop a dead palm tree, occasionally popping in and out of the hollow in the tree. They are relatively small parrots and their range is fully within Mexico and Centra America. These two were photographed in La Selva, Costa Rica.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/90th of a second

I’ve only seen kinkajou a couple of times and only once was I able to get decent photos. I think this guy gave me a little extra time to grab the shot because he didn’t want to leave that giant white fruit. I was spotlighting on my own around my lodge in Pavones, Costa Rica. It can be difficult to shine a headlamp on your subject so that you can gain focus and then fire off you remote flash units, but I had just enough time to get it done. I got a series of shots, maybe four or five before the kinkajou moved on to other nightly delicacies. On a side note, kinkajou might be me favorite animal name.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 150mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second

This tadpole was fresh from the water. It’s an hourglass tree frog, also known as the pantless tree frog (I think I like the latter name better). I spotted the little guy on a night hike while in Pavones, Costa Rica.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) and Canon 500D close up lens attached, ISO 400, f/18 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units

I’ve been in a frog kind of mood lately. And of all the tree frogs out there, none are quite as iconic as the red-eyed tree frog. I was lucky enough to see quite a few of these guys just outside of the lodge I was staying at in Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. As far as tree frogs go, the red-eyed is pretty large. And obviously, spectacularly adorned with all that color. This guy was calling for a mate just after nightfall.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 116mm) with Canon 500D close up filter, ISO 400, f/20 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units

Here’s another northern tamandua from Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. These guys are a medium-sized anteater with a prehensile tail. Unlike giant anteaters, tamanduas climb trees, where they spend about 40% of their time. They have a tongue that is well developed to lap up their favorite cuisine — which of course is ants — and they have an unusually long claw on both forefeet, enabling them to rip through wood to find those ants.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

Agoutis are fairly common in the rainforests of Central America. I guess you could say they are the squirrel’s of the rainforest. But although they might resemble their northern cousins, they are uniquely their own rodent. Just look at those shapely, slender legs. Squirrels can’t compete. I met this friendly agouti one morning in southern Costa Rica. He/she allowed me a few clicks of the shutter before retreating back into the forest.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/3.2 at 1/30th of a second

The tapir is the largest land mammal in Central and South America. They can weight up to 670 pounds. This one — a Baird’s tapir — was photographed in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. They are usually shy of humans, but I remained very quiet on the forest floor and eventually he forgot I was even there.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 78mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/80th of a second

The common opossum isn’t necessarily going to win any beauty contests, but she does have a certain charm. I spotted this one on a solo, nocturnal hike in Pavones, Costa Rica. It’s always tough to get the shot when you need to position a light on your head just to aid in focusing, while also triggering two flashes. Luckily, the opossum stayed in one place long enough for me to do my thing. These guys are also known as the southern opossum, black-eared opossum or locally as the gamba or manicou.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 320, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units

I was on a solo hike in Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park when something told me there were coatis behind the roots of a fig tree…
I quietly got into position. And I think the coatis ended up being more surprised to see me.
Top photo: Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 150mm) ISO 1600, f/3.2 at 1/1000th of a second
Bottom photo: Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 26mm) ISO 1600, f/4.5 at 1/200th of a second