I was fortunate to get this close to a Baird’s tapir. They are usually pretty skittish but I remained very silent on the ground and, luckily, happened to have my wide angle lens handy when South America’s largest animal slowly made its way over to me (they can top out at almost 900 pounds and this one was a large male). The tapir was foraging through the fallen leaves in search of a few fresh ones to eat. I was able to snap off quite a few shots (on quiet mode) before the big guy moved off deeper into Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. The distortion caused by the 17mm lens makes the tapir look much smaller than it actually was.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second

I’ve posted a photo of the much more colorful male black throated trogon before, but the females are pretty cool looking too, if not quite as spectacular. This young lady was hunting for crickets late one afternoon in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/60th of a second

I’m a big fan of tamanduas. They are such interesting characters. There are two species, the northern and the southern tamandua. The word tamandua itself means anteater in the South American Tupi language. This guy was going about his upside-down business of slurping ants off the bark of a tree in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 135mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second

As far as monkeys go, the white capuchin is not one of the prettiest. But then again, it is a monkey, and by virtue of that alone, I think the white faced capuchin is a fine beast. I got a nice close look at the baldish, yet hairy-ish face on this one late one afternoon in Drake Bay, Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/320th of a second

Here’s one for the entomology fans — a giant red-winged grasshopper. I don’t know much about these guys other than they are big. Up to seven inches in length. This one was hiding in the leaf litter on a trail through Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. For close-ups of larger small things like this guy, I like to use my 200-400mm lens because of its ability to focus at close range.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/125th of a second

This is a granular poison frog, but I prefer the more common name of green jeans poison frog — closely related to the blue jeans frog, also found nearby in Costa Rica. This was the only frog wearing the green jeans that I found, but he was cooperative enough to pose for quite a few photos, including this one using a close up filter on the front of my 70-200mm lens and a three second exposure time.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 100, f/6.3 at 3 seconds

This is a northern tamandua, also known as a lesser anteater. I saw quite a few of these guys on my first visit to Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica back in November of 2007. They have a terrible sense of sight, but a good sense of hearing. For this shot, I sat motionless under a tree and patiently waited until the tamandua forgot I was there. Satisfied it was alone, it started to descend. From experience, I knew that once I clicked the shutter, the animal would either freeze, head back up the tree, or scamper away on the forest floor. I took only one shot at close range before the tamandua froze for what must have been ten minutes. Once satisfied that it was alone yet again, it proceeded on its way.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 45mm) ISO 500, f/5.3 at 1/80th of a second

Coatis are fairly common in Costa Rica. They are comfortable both on the ground and in trees. This guy was resting during the heat of the day in Corcovado National Park. You can see why they have the nickname of “hog-nosed raccoon.”
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second

Some animals I like just because of their names. Thus is the case with the Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine. I was lucky enough to come across this one early in the morning in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. Porcupines are primarily nocturnal so it was great to photograph this bristly beast in daylight. Even so, the light was very dim, but due to the fact that he/she was resting, I was able to use a slow shutter of 1/30th of a second with no worry of motion blur.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/30th of a second