This Yellow-Bellied Marmot was hiding in a large rock outcropping. We watched it for a few seconds and then it took cover under the large rock just to the right of it. Unable to get a good picture of it under the rock, I was about to turn and leave when it came back out and stared into the camera long enough for me to get this photo.
An American bison bull stops to observe his surroundings as he makes his way across a hill in Yellowstone National Park.
The American bison is the only species of bison living in the United States and are abundant in Yellowstone. They tend to take their time moving across the countryside but they can run up to 30 miles per hour, making them much faster than they look. If they feel threatened bison will attack with their horns and each year ignorant tourists try to get too close and end up getting hurt.
These three elk bulls relax at the edge of a meadow. With velvet still on their antlers they seem like three friends, just hang out together. Once mating season begins their will definitely be more rivalry between them.
A black bear forages for food among the wildflowers and fallen logs in a woodland meadow of Grand Teton National Park.
We were traveling north from the Old Faithful area in Yellowstone National Park when we encountered three bison traffic jams in the space of about 1 mile. The kids thought it was hilarious to watch them walking down the road, holding up traffic. The bison took their time and would occasionally stop to look at a vehicle as if the cars were out of place.
This gray squirrel came by to get in on the action as birds were dropping seeds from my backyard feeder.
This meerkat and its friends were digging in their sandy enclosure at the Metro Richmond Zoo when we visited in early April.
This alpaca was standing with the sun on its back when I approached. In order to properly expose its face I had to massively over expose the background. In this case that was probably for the best. There was nothing particularly scenic behind the alpaca and the white background really focuses attention on the animal.
I was hiking near the James River when I heard a small grunting sound. The trail I was on crossed over a stream and when I looked to my left a group of 4 or 5 river otters were watching me. They clearly wanted to cross the trail I was on and seemed annoyed I was in their way. They stuck around long enough for me to take this photo before swimming back the way they came.
Doug Couvillion's Photo Blog 