Barred Hamlet – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern Barred hamlets have a continuous dorsal fin that has ten spines This beautiful tropical fish is called a barred hamlet. There are several other species of hamlet in the waters of the tropical western Atlantic, including the indigo hamlet, butter hamlet, shy hamlet, golden hamlet, yellowbelly hamlet, yellowtail […]
Striated Frogfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The striated frogfish then closes its esophagus trapping the prey This strange looking creature is called a striated frogfish. These fish are masters of camouflage. They only grow to about seven inches long. Striated frogfish do not swim around much. Rather, they rest on the seafloor and remain motionless. All of these […]
Elk – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern They use mechanical equipment to feed the elk roughly 35 tons of alfalfa pellets each day In the summer, there can be as many as 20,000 elk from seven different herds in Yellowstone National Park. They are considered the most abundant large mammal in Yellowstone. However, they do migrate and […]
Bison – IUCN Conservation Status: Near Threatened Visitors to Yellowstone are almost certainly going to see a bison Hours before I took this photograph it was snowing. It was one of those spring days with dramatic temperature swings. By afternoon, it was sunny and in the 50’s Fahrenheit. The bison were enjoying the warmth. Pronghorn Yellowstone This photograph […]
Moose – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The males are called bulls and they can weigh more than 1,000 pounds This is a young moose that I came across in Grand Teton National Park. If you are lucky enough to see a moose, it is generally somewhere around water, such as a marsh, lake shore, or […]
Yellowstone National Park There are some people who believe the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was created through glaciation This is the Yellowstone River, the longest undammed river in the continental United States. This majestic river is responsible for the geologic formation we call the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Roughly 14,000-18,000 years ago, as the large glaciers in […]
Shenandoah National Park There are countless trails that you can explore from Skyline Drive It’s hard to beat the Blue Ridge Mountains in the fall. This photo is from the iconic Skyline Drive, which is the main artery that runs through Shenandoah National Park. I should specify that Skyline Drive is the main artery if you are […]
Zion National Park The tunnel took roughly three years to build This photograph was taken off the scenic Mount Carmel Highway in Zion National Park. Zion National Park is located in southwest Utah. The geology here is beautiful. From the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, you climb 800 feet in about five miles on Mount Carmel Highway. This is one […]
Gray Triggerfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable If you depress the second spine, this will release the first spine This unique looking fish is called a gray triggerfish. It is a medium sized fish which will grow to be around nine inches long. Their coloration and pattern are hard to appreciate in the water, especially if it […]
Black Coral Shrimp – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data This shrimp can be found all over the world I encountered this semi-transparent shrimp while diving in Little Cayman. Confusingly this black coral shrimp is not on black coral in this photo. Instead it is on a sea rod which is attached to a vertical wall. In diving, we […]