There are four crocodilian species in the Americas. This is the American crocodile and it was photographed in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica (they range from southern Florida to northern Peru). Crocodiles have a much longer snout than alligators. You can see the tip of this guy’s snout, peaking above the water a foot and a half or so in front of the eyes.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second

 In honor of Costa Rica’s dramatic victory yesterday in the World Cup, here’s a Costa Rican white-faced capuchin monkey who looks like he could have been watching the game…
 … and celebrating after the final score.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

I’m not sure of the species of this caterpillar, but I do know that it is some sort of moth. It was crawling across a path in the rainforest of La Selva in Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/5 at 1/200th of a second

Locals in Costa Rica refer to the great curassow as the jungle turkey (at least that’s what my guide kept calling them). They are very large birds that forage on the ground. Like many birds, they are monogamous, and are usually encountered in pairs. The male and female are quite different looking. This one is a male. The females have distinct ornamentation on their heads and are reddish brown of body.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/25th of a second

You might remember a couple of weeks ago when I posted a moose and his rather impressive dewlap. That dewlap looked like an extended goatee. Here’s what one looks like on an anole lizard. This is a male and he is displaying for any possible mates. If a female living in the area finds his colorfully extended throat sexy enough she just might stop by for a date. While displaying, the male also bobs up and down doing a sort of dance. Ironically, or perhaps not, he will do the same thing to ward off males who might want to challenge for territory. The territory in question for this guy was in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/20th of a second

I spent about forty minutes or so with a group — or band as they are called — of coatis consisting of about twenty to thirty members. They were all around me in the Costa Rican rain forest eating, resting, playing, and in this guy’s case, scratching his stomach.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/3.2 at 1/200th of a second

Baird’s tapirs are an endangered species, mainly due to habitat loss and pressure from hunting. Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica — where there has never been any hunting or human habitation — is one of the best places to photograph them in the wild. In four days in the park, I saw five different tapirs, including this large male crossing a river. I had my 200-400mm lens but decdied to go a bit wider, at 80mm, to frame the tapir with all the rain forest vegetation.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 80mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/125th of a second

This was the first red-eyed tree frog that I saw in the wild, and the very first exposure. It was about six years ago in Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. Very exciting at the time, as these colorful frogs were at the top of my wish list. I ended up seeing quite a few more of them on that trip but this initial shot is still one of my favorites. I remember hesitating for a second, making sure that all my settings were correct because I didn’t know if the frog would jump away never to be seen again. As it turned out, like most frogs, red-eyed tree frogs are very patient subjects. Still, I don’t like to take too many shots because the flash is obviously not a pleasant experience for any creature of the night.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/11 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units attached to an off camera bracket

At least it appears that this white-faced capuchin monkey is having a bit of a rough day. He/she was actually in the process of being groomed by a friend and was, in all likelihood, quite pleased with the afternoon. These two were part of a much larger troop of monkeys that were winding down the day in an enormous oceanfront tree in Drake Bay, Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/250th of a second

As I mentioned in a previous post, I saw four different eyelash vipers on the recent trip to Costa Rica — two yellow and two green. You can clearly see the “eyelashes” on this guy. They are actually raised scales above the eyes that are thought to aid in camouflage by breaking up the snake’s outline as it hides among the foliage. I’m not quite sure I get that explanation, but that’s what the experts say. I prefer the myth that the snake will mockingly flash its lashes by winking at victims after a strike. Apparently, this isn’t physically possible, but I still like the sound of it. Either way, eyelash vipers are not aggressive by nature, but if agitated can be deadly.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/3.2 at 1/250th of a second