A family of howler monkeys visited the Apoyo Lodge property near the height of the dry season in March. They came to feast on new buds and blooms that our trees were producing and they were attracted to our fresh water and gardens.
TheTiger Shark is a species of requiem shark and the only extant member of the genus Galeocerdo. It is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over 5 m (16 ft 5 in). Populations are found in many tropical and temperate waters, especially around central Pacific islands. Its name derives from the dark stripes down its body, which resemble a tiger’s pattern, but fade as the shark matures.
Top Shot features the photo with the most votes from the previous day’s Daily Dozen, 12 photos selected by the Your Shot editors. The photo our community has voted as their favorite is showcased on the @natgeoyourshot Instagram account. Click here to vote for tomorrow’s Top Shot.
An Eastern Screech owl peeks out a tree trunk with one of his three owlets. Your Shot Producer David Y. Lee writes, “I love it — both of the owls’ eyes say so much. There is something so amusing in this frame, and I love it. Great seeing Lesley. This tree trunk must be huge to accommodate both owls and their owlets.” Photograph by Lesley Mattuchio
I love when the Horn Shark sits on top of the tunnel. #hornshark #shark #aquarium
The Horn Shark
The horn shark inhabits the continental shelf of the eastern Pacific Ocean, occurring off the coasts of California and Baja California from Monterey Bay southward, and in the Gulf of California.
During the day, horn sharks rest motionless, hidden inside caves or crevices, or within thick mats of algae, though they remain relatively alert and will swim away quickly if disturbed. After dusk, they roam actively above the reef in search of food. Horn sharks maintain small home ranges of around 1,000 m2 (11,000 sq ft), which they may remain faithful to for over a decade, returning to the same shelter every day. The shelter is usually located at the edge of the resident shark’s foraging area. The longest documented movement for an individual horn shark is 16 km (9.9 mi).
There are 19–26 tooth rows in the upper jaw and 18–29 tooth rows in the lower jaw. The teeth at the front of the jaws are small and pointed, with a central cusp flanked by a pair of lateral cusplets; those at the sides of the jaws are much larger, elongated lengthwise, and molar-like.
Weight: about 175 pounds (80 kg) Length: about 5 feet (1.5 m) Appearance: dark body and light bands, or “ribbons,” encircling the neck, each front flipper, and hips; pups are born with a wooly white lanugo coat Lifespan: 20-30 years Diet: pelagic fish and invertebrates, such as shrimp, crabs, squid, octopus, cod, sculpin, pollack, and capelin Behavior: alternate their foreflippers and swing their hindquarters to run across ice, rather than using the caterpillar-like movement typically used by most seals
The ribbon seal is one of nine species of ice seals inhabiting the Arctic and is the only species in the genusHistriophoca. They are strongly associated with sea ice for mating, whelping pups and molting from mid-March through June…
This critically endangered amphibian only grows to be about 10mm in snout to vent length—that’s 0.39 of an inch! Eleutherodactylus iberia is the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s found in eastern Cuba, including in Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt, which is where Museum researcher Chris Raxworthy snapped this photo in 2015 while on the Explore21 Expedition to Cuba. Much remains unknown about this tiny species, as it was first discovered in 1996.
Spotted hyenas don’t really have much of a sense of humor, despite the manic laughing sound they make (usually linked to fear or excitement). This species can crack and crush bone with their powerful carnassial teeth—the last upper premolar and the first lower molar on each side of the jaw. They can also quickly consume an entire carcass, including skin and bones. A group of hyenas was observed finishing off an adult zebra in just 15 minutes! Photo: A_Peach
