This guy is a black and white ruffed lemur photographed near Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in Madagascar. Of the fifty plus species of lemur, the black and white ruffed lemurs are among the most playful. This one was putting on a show, jumping from one branch to the next. It was getting pretty dark at the time, so I used flash to freeze the action.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 80mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash

On my first night in Madagascar I came across this white footed sportive lemur on a spotlighting outing. Of the 50 plus species of lemur in Madagascar, about half are nocturnal. This one was resting in a tree cavity in the spiny southern forest of the country.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash

Chameleons are among the most stealthy animals on the planet. They can completely change color to blend in with their surroundings, they have tongues that shoot out of their mouths to catch prey, and they can look in two different directions at the same time. This Parson’s chameleon was doing the latter when I took this photo — one eye staring directly into my camera, and the other checking out the situation off to the right hand side.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 lens

In Madagascar, you never know when you’ll see a lemur’s eyes peering out from inside a tree. This species is a red fronted brown lemur. I saw quite a few of them in the dry forests of southern Madagascar.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/3.5 at 1/640th of a second

I saw quite a few of these little green day geckos in Madagascar. As the name would suggest, they are active mainly during the day (most other geckos are nocturnal). I saw this one scurrying down a tree in the dry western forest of Ankarafantsika National Park.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second (-2/3 stop ev) Nikon SB-800 flash

Like just about half of all lemurs, the white footed sportive lemur is nocturnal. I photographed this one on my first of many night walks in Madagascar back in May of 2007. Contrary to the name, the white footed sportive lemur is quite inactive. This is an adaptation to its low-energy diet. In order to survive on the small amount of leaves that it eats, the lemur’s metabolic rate must be kept low.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 200, f/4.5 at 1/60th of a second (-1 stop ev) Nikon SB-800 flash

Prickly pear cactus is a non-native plant introduced to southern Madagascar by the French in the 18th century. These days, the ring-tailed lemurs have become dependent upon it as a source water and food. This guy was munching away before taking a quick break to pose for a few shots.
Nikon D40x with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 100, f/4 at 1/50th of a second (-1/3 stop ev)

I had a request for a spider today, so I’m not to blame if your preference is for something a bit more cuddly. This lovely lady is a Madagascar golden orb spider that I photographed while in Ranomafana National Park. Females like this one can be quite large — about five inches in length, while the males are much smaller. In fact, you can see a male above the female and a bit to the left.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/3.2 at 1/45th of a second (-2/3 stop ev)

Today’s owl comes from the southern spiny forests of Madagascar. As you can see, the owl blends in well with its thorny environment. It’s called the Malagasy scops owl, but also answers to the rainforest scops owl or the Madagascar scops owl.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 100, f/5.6 at 0.5 seconds

I figured an animated gif might be the best way to illustrate the changing colors of a short horned chameleon (also known as an elephant eared chameleon). The first shot, when the chameleon was a nice colorful blue and green, was how I first encountered the animal on a night hike in Madagascar’s Ranomafana National Park. The next two shots show how the color of the skin quickly turned to brown as the chameleon reacted to my presence and flash. This change happened almost immediately as the shots were all taken within thirty seconds.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 80mm) ISO 200, f/22 at 1/60th of a second (-0.33 ev)