Tag Archives: Wildlife

Wildlife Photo: Southern Tamandua

 

Wildlife Photo: Lesser Anteater
A Lesser Anteater, also called a Southern Tamandua, Brazil

 

Southern what?

Well, some people call it an Antbear. Still confused?

How about an Anteater! Ah ha, this here is most commonly known as the Lesser Anteater, being much smaller than it’s giant relative.

The Southern Tamandua ranges from the northern tip of South America all the way down through most of Brazil and into the northern parts of Argentina.

At home in dry or wet areas, this particular Collared Anteater (just another name…more confusion!) was spotted in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil.

While it isn’t a remarkably great photo, it was the only anteater I saw in Brazil as they can be elusive. This photo shows the long, pointy head of the anteater, which gives it it’s name. The anteater uses a long tongue to slurp up ants and termites after it breaks open a nest or mound with it’s big front claws.

Wildlife Photo: Weddell Seal

 

Weddell Seal in Antarctica
A Weddell Seal on an iceberg in Crystal Sound, Antarctica

 

Antarctica is among the most vivid travel memories I have. The immensity of everything there and the total isolation make it a scary, yet alluring place to visit.

One place I visited in Antarctica was Crystal Sound. This sound had some of the most interesting looking ice formations and icebergs on the entire trip, it also had some friendly-looking Weddell Seals hanging about.

These seals live further south than any other seal in the world, being totally at home in the cold, icy waters of Antarctica.

Wildlife Photo: American Oystercatcher

 

American Oystercatcher
A sleepy American Oystercatcher seen at Punta Suarez on Espanola Island in the Galapagos

 

These shorebirds call Central and North America home, but can also been seen in parts of South America, and the Galapagos Islands.

They’re famous for their ability to pry open mollusks with their long, heavy and powerful beaks.

This American Oystercatcher was spotted taking a nap at Punta Suarez on Espanola Island in the Galapagos Islands.

Wildlife Photos: Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel

 

Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel
A Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel photographed in Bryce Canyon National Park

 

At first glance you might wonder if this is a squirrel or chipmunk, but despite it’s odd squirrel behaviour, the Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel is, as the name implies, not a chipmunk.

These little ground squirrels do act very much like a chipmunk however. They’re known to store a stash of food in their burrows to eat when they wake up after hibernating for winter, something more common to chipmunks. They also have a striped back, which confuses many people into thinking they must be a chipmunk.

Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel - Stripes
The striped back of the Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel

 

The best way to tell this is a Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel is to notice that the stripes on the back do not appear on the cheeks and face of the animal. Chipmunks, on the other hand, will commonly have their stripes extend up to their eyes, nose and cheeks.

This Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel was photographed in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.