The yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris), also known as the rock chuck, is a large, stout-bodied ground squirrel in the marmot genus. It is one of fourteen species of marmots, and is native to mountainous regions of southwestern Canada and western United States, The fur is mainly brown, with a dark bushy tail, yellow chest and white patch between the eyes,. They live in burrows in colonies of up to twenty individuals with a single dominant male. They are diurnal and feed on plant material, insects, and bird eggs. They hibernate for approximately eight months starting in September and lasting through the winter.
This cute wild desert rabbit was playing hide and seek when I was scouting the Hall Of Horrors area at Joshua Tree NP. The desert cottontail is quite similar in appearance to the European rabbit, though its ears are larger and are more often carried erect. It is social among its peers, often gathering in small groups to feed. Like all cottontail rabbits, the desert cottontail has a greyish-brown, rounded tail with a broad white edge and white underside, which is visible as it runs away.It also has white fur on the belly.
Animal portraits, the rare instances when wild animals don't mind posing for you despite your long telephoto lens, pretty much are taken using the same photographic techniques as we do when shooting human head shots. However, not much time is spent here chatting with your subject to make them feel comfortable.... The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia.
