Chien C. Lee

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  • Ecuador Poison Frog (Ameerega bilinguis). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Cloud forest. Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Lowland rainforest in Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Spanning nearly 7 million square kilometers, it is difficult to conceptualize just how vast the Amazon rainforest is. Here, the Tiputini River winds its way through a tiny corner of the Amazon Basin in eastern Ecuador, eventually emptying its waters into Peru, Brazil, and then the Atlantic Ocean nearly 3 thousand kilometers away. Having lost nearly 20% of its forest cover in recent decades, the Basin is still under siege today from threats such as mining, oil drilling, and clearing for farming. Despite these losses, much still remains intact and just as imperative as ever to continue protective efforts for these invaluable forests. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Hidden in the dense leaf litter of the rainforest floor, an Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) lies in wait for its next meal. With a mouth wider than the length of its body, and a voracious appetite to boot, these frogs can consume prey as large as small reptiles and rodents. This species is widely distributed in the Amazon Basin, but nowhere particularly abundant. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • The Chocoan Rainforest along the Pacific coast of Panama, Colombia, and northern Ecuador is one of the world's most endangered rainforest habitats. It is separated from the Amazon rainforest by the Andes mountains, and is home to a great diversity of endemic species. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Sun Glass Frog (Hyalinobatrachium aueroguttatum), male hiding on the underside of a leaf. The pattern on the back of this species mimics a cluster of the frog's eggs, which help to deter attacks by predatory wasps. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Gold-Nugget Treefrog (Boana picturata), an endemic to the chocó pacific rainforests of Ecuador and Colombia. Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Long-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii). Papallacta, Ecuador.
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  • Smallest of all the anteaters, the Silky Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) is seldom seen because it spends much of its life high in the rainforest canopy, often curled up as an indistinguishable ball of fluff. They have no teeth and can only defend themselves by means of their razor sharp sickle-like fore-claws, which are usually used for tearing open ant nests. Females bear a single youngster at a time, which is carried on their back until large enough to feed on its own. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Ecuadorian Toadheaded Pitviper (Bothrocophias campbelli). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Slug moth caterpiller (Parasa sp.). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Longhorn beetle (Mallodon chevrolatii). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Calathea sp. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Katydid (Eurymetopa obesa). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Cushion plant (Plantago rigida) among alpine Páramo vegetation. Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Warning colorations, such as those exhibited by these tiny fungus beetles (Corynomalus marginatus), which exude a foul chemical when disturbed, doesn’t always guarantee immunity from predators. To enhance their defense, many such insects often cluster in aggregations; not only is there greater safety in numbers but the combined colorations of all the individuals together results in an amplified warning signal that encourages even naive predators to get the message. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Grasshopper (Helolampis coloniana). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Pleasing fungus beetle (Erotylus incomparabilis). Orellana, Ecuador.
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  • Tiger moth (Correbidia sp.) which mimics a toxic net-winged beetle (Lycidae). Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Painted Antnest Frog (Lithodytes lineatus), a mimic of toxic dendrobatid frogs. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Weevil (Cholus ellipsifer) on palm inflorescence. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Hidden in the dense leaf litter of the rainforest floor, an Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) lies in wait for its next meal. With a mouth wider than the length of its body, and a voracious appetite to boot, these frogs can consume prey as large as small reptiles and rodents. This species is widely distributed in the Amazon Basin, but nowhere particularly abundant. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Moth killed by Akanthomyces fungi. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Camouflaged fulgorid planthopper (Diareusa sp.). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Striped Sharpnose Snake (Philodryas argentea). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • White-bellied Woodstar (Chaetocercus mulsant). Papallacta, Ecuador.
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  • Purple Anole (Anolis purpurescens). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Dead-leaf moth (Oxytenis albilunulata). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Perez's Snouted Frog (Edalorhina perezi). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Ecuadorian Hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo), female feeding juvenile female. Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador.
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  • A female pompilid wasp (Eragenia congrua) hauls a paralyzed spider (Corinna sp.) towards her nest, after having neatly amputated its legs to make the transport of her victim easier. This will not be food for her, but for her offspring. Her nest consists of a hole in the soft bark of a tree, and once depositing the spider inside she will lay a single egg, which upon hatching into a larva will consume the still-living host. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Convict Tree Frog (Boana calcarata). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • With a full palette of colorful wing scales at their disposal, butterflies are capable of pulling off some of the most convincing and complex mimicries in the insect world. At first glance this is a common clear-winged Ithomiid butterfly, which are known for their toxicity and unpalatability. However, it is actually a Clearwinged Mimic-white (Dismorphia theucharila), a non-toxic species of the family Pieridae. It can be distinguished from its toxic models (Oleria spp.) by counting the number of legs: Dismorphia has six, whereas Oleria stands on only four. Insectivorous birds don’t have time to stop and count the legs on every butterfly in the forest, so this mimicry is a highly successful one. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Shag-carpet Caterpillar (Prothysana), one of two species that, aside from their curious appearance, exhibit a remarkable form of mimicry. Tiny parasitoid wasps are known for extracting a heavy toll on caterpillars: their larvae devour a caterpillar from inside out, emerging once they are ready to turn into adult wasps and leaving their distinctive white cocoons in the process. At a glance, the white dorsal hairs of Prothsyana look exactly like these wasp cocoons, so much so that the wasps themselves likely avoid laying their eggs in this caterpillar, believing that it has already been eaten. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • A lone Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) ventures down to the rainforest floor to take a sip of mineral mud at a clay lick. This is a common phenomenon with the larger parrots of the region and was often believed to be due to the fact that the birds ingest the clay to help neutralize toxins in the fruits that they consume. More recent observations suggest that they may simply be obtaining salt – a mineral that is in particularly scarce supply in the western Amazon Basin. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Spiny orbweaver (Micrathena kirbyi), female putting the final touches of silk on her egg sac. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • “Parasitoids” are defined as different from “parasites” in that they ultimately kill their host, and among the most nefarious of these are those that are able to manipulate the behavior of their host, keeping them alive only until they no longer need them. This unfortunate katydid is in the process of having a horsehair worm (Nematomorpha) vacate its body. Although the katydid is still alive, the worm has slowly devoured most of its internal organs while growing inside to many times the length of its host’s body. Even when fully developed, the worm keeps from killing the insect because it uses it for transport – somehow compelling the katydid to seek out a source of water where the worm can finally complete its life cycle. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Amazon Tree Boa (Corallus hortulanus). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • The dreaded Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata), in possession of the most painful sting on the planet, here has fallen prey to an even more sinister organism: a parasitoid fungus (Ophiocordycipitaceae). The ‘zombification’ of insects in tropical rainforests has been well documented, but the incredibly precise way that these fungi control the behavior of their hosts prior to consuming them is not yet fully understood. Recent research indicates that, rather than invading the brain which might kill the insect prematurely, the fungus may directly control the muscles of its host like a puppet. In this way it can lead the ant to a location where it is more likely to infect others. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • It’s hard at first glance not to be fooled by the appearance of this wasp-mimicking katydid (Aganacris nitida), which is modeled after a stinging thread-waisted wasp (Eremnophila spp.). To enhance the effectiveness of this masquerade, the katydid also copies the wasp’s quick erratic movements, as most other katydids (especially camouflaged ones) move rather slowly. Katydids possess no chemical or otherwise painful defenses, and make for particularly good meals for predators, which is the driving force behind their remarkable disguises. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Looking like a cross between a dragonfly and a butterfly, owlflies (family Ascalaphidae) are in fact more closely related to ant lions and lacewings. These nocturnal predators feed on small insects that they catch on the wing. By day, they sleep concealed on twigs, or in this unusual case (Cordulecerus sp.), as a group together on a root hanging above a stream. Sleeping in an aggregation with their antennae held outstretched in a perimeter may help to better detect the approach of predators, keeping the group safer than sleeping alone. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Walker's moth (Sosxetra grata). Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Ecuador.
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  • A female katydid (Diophanes salvifolius) deposits her eggs inside the soft rotting wood of a tree stump to hide them from predators. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Glasswing Butterfly (Cithaerias cliftoni), male. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas). Cosanga, Ecuador.
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  • Tarsier Monkey-Frog (Phyllomedusa tarsius). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Cloudy Snail-eating Snake (Sibon nebulatus). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Spiny katydid (Panacanthus varius), female. Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • While the majority of katydids masquerade as leaves, this species (Anaphidna sp.) takes on a different strategy: it rests with its wings raised in the air to mimic a lichen-covered twig. The long filamentous antennae of many insects, which can sometimes betray their camouflage to a predator and are thus often kept tucked away for concealment, are in this species deceptively disguised with bends and kinks. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Babbling Torrenteer (Hyloscirtus alytolylax), young froglet metamorph. Mindo, Ecuador.
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  • A fly-mimicking weevil (Hoplocopturus sp.) from the Ecuadorian rainforest. Most cases of insect mimicry involve the imitation of a toxic or distasteful species as a model, so the reason for this beetle to appear like an entirely edible fly is not immediately apparent. However, entomologists studying these insects suggest that because flies are so agile and quick, most visually-oriented predators (particularly birds) probably learn to avoid wasting their time pursuing them, hence the incentive for this “evasive mimicry”. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Napo, Ecuador.
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  • Blunthead Tree Snake (Imantodes cenchoa), a lizard hunting specialist that due to its extremely slender body is able to seek out sleeping lizards on even the most delicate of branches. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Smallest of all the anteaters, the Silky Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) is seldom seen because it spends much of its life high in the rainforest canopy, often curled up as an indistinguishable ball of fluff. They have no teeth and can only defend themselves by means of their razor sharp sickle-like fore-claws, which are usually used for tearing open ant nests. Females bear a single youngster at a time, which is carried on their back until large enough to feed on its own. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • The shady understory of the Ecuadorian rainforest hosts a great diversity of butterflies that are adapted specifically for this dimly lit ecosystem. Although we often rank butterflies on how gaudy and beautiful their wings patterns are, among the most remarkable of the understory are those that bear transparent wings, such as this Glasswing Butterfly (Dulcedo polita). When perched under the right conditions they can appear almost invisible. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Illuminated by a stray beam of sunlight, a Hognosed Viper (Porthidium nasutum) lies in wait on the forest floor, providing a reminder of why hikers are advised to wear high boots when walking in the Chocó rainforest off trails. These habitats are some of the richest in all South America, with a high number of endemic reptiles that are separated from their Amazonian relatives by the Andes mountain range. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Hidden in the dense leaf litter of the rainforest floor, an Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) lies in wait for its next meal. With a mouth wider than the length of its body, and a voracious appetite to boot, these frogs can consume prey as large as small reptiles and rodents. This species is widely distributed in the Amazon Basin, but nowhere particularly abundant. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Lowland Paca (Cuniculus paca). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Buthid scorpion (Tityus sp.) preying on a smaller scorpion. Yasuní National Park, Orellana, Ecuador.
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  • Giant Cockroach (Blaberus giganteus). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Katydid (Panoploscelis specularis). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Neotropical Snail-Eater (Dipsas indica). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Ecuadorian Hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo), juvenile male. Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Tiger moth (Cratoplastis diluta), mimicking a firefly beetle (Lampyridae). Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Although the ‘zombie ants’ are undoubtedly the most infamous, entomopathogenic fungi come in a great diversity of species, many of which specialize in a particular type of prey. Here, a weevil has been killed by Ophiocordyceps curculionum, and is now a host to three fruiting bodies that have been releasing new spores. Like the mind-controlling fungi in ants, this pathogen similarly manipulates the weevil like a puppeteer to position itself in the ideal spot before it dies. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Darkling beetle (Cuphotes erichsoni), mimic of unpalatable fungus beetles (Gibbifer spp., Erotylidae). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Many-banded Aracari (Pteroglossus pluricinctus). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • At the onset of dusk, a pair of Many-banded Aracari (Pteroglossus pluricinctus) arrive at their roosting tree hole where they will be joined by the rest of their family group to spend the night. These birds are unusual among toucans for their gregarious behavior with as many as half a dozen sleeping together. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • With its fearsome appearance, the Spiny Devil (Panacanthus cuspidatus) surely ranks as one of the most impressive of all katydids. Endemic to the upper Amazon Basin, this large insect uses its prickly front legs in self-defense and also to capture prey – it feeds both on vegetation and other insects. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Cane Toad (Bufo marinus), in natural habitat. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Few warning signals in nature are as blatant as the colors of the Aquatic Coral Snake (Micrurus surinamensis), and for good reason: it possesses a highly potent neurotoxic venom. Unique among South American elapid snakes, its venom appears to be specialized for its favored prey of fish and eels, although can undoubtedly be fatal for mammals as well. They are, however, very non-aggressive and bite only when attacked or accidentally stepped on – the latter of which is rare thanks to their gaudy coloration. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Stick grasshopper (Paraproscopia aberrans). Looking much like a typical walking stick (Phasmida), these grasshoppers exploit a similar defense strategy but with the added bonus that they can jump away from a predator if needed. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii), male. Mindo, Ecuador.
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  • This large royal moth (Bathyphlebia eminens), a member of the giant silkmoth family (Saturniidae) is endemic to the cloud forests of Ecuador.
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  • Smallest of all the anteaters, the Silky Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) is seldom seen because it spends much of its life high in the rainforest canopy, often curled up as an indistinguishable ball of fluff. They have no teeth and can only defend themselves by means of their razor sharp sickle-like fore-claws, which are usually used for tearing open ant nests. Females bear a single youngster at a time, which is carried on their back until large enough to feed on its own. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • With their vertical pupils and opposable thumbs, Phyllomedusa are easily some of the most distinguishable of all tree frogs. However, it is their peculiar form of locomotion that is perhaps their most striking feature: when seen walking slowly down a branch with their bodies raised, they appear decidedly ‘un-froglike’. Studies into their anatomy reveal that they possess a specialized musculature that not only allows them to move their limbs independently (as opposed to the simultaneous bilateral hopping motions of most other frogs), but also gives them a ‘precision grip’ which enables steady movement over thin branches. This grasping ability is rare among animals and is shared predominantly with higher primates, hence leading to one of their common names: ‘Monkey Frogs’. Coca, Ecuador.
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  • The incredible camouflage of the Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) becomes even more apparent when viewed from above. It is no wonder that these frogs are not strong jumpers; they prefer to remain motionless even upon the approach of a potential predator. Being sit-and-wait predators, they can sometimes spend several days staked out in the same spot, moving only nights of heavy rainfall. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Emerald Cicada (Zammara smaragdula). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Leaf-mimic katydid (Typophyllum sp.), male. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Cushion plant (Plantago rigida) among alpine Páramo vegetation. Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • In the understory of the Amazonian rainforest, a small piece of dead vegetation hanging beneath a leaf is revealed to be a camouflaged mantis (Metilla coloradensis) guarding her egg case (ootheca). Parental care like this in insects is a rare thing: it occurs in only about 1% of all species because as it is possible only for those which produce a smaller number of offspring. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata) killed by parasitoid fungi (Ophiocordyceps sp.). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • The ghostly outline of a glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium aueroguttatum) shines through a leaf, the shadow of its heart and internal organs clearly visible. These small frogs are found near clear streams where the males typically call from the undersides of leaves. Threatened with habitat loss, H. aueroguttatum is restricted to the disappearing Chocó rainforest. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Elegant Snail-Eater (Dipsas elegans). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Katydid (Pycnopalpa bicordata), female. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Broad-headed Woodlizard (Enyalioides laticeps). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Tortoise beetle (Stolas excelsa). Mashpi, Ecuador.
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  • Pale-striped Poison-Frog (Ameerega hahneli). Coca, Orellana, Ecuador.
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  • Hispine leaf beetle (Alurnus dallieri). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador
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  • Emerald Glassfrog (Espadarana prosoblepon), male showing humeral spines for intraspecific combat. Mindo, Ecuador.
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  • Wax-tailed Planthopper (Pterodictya reticularis). The waxy filaments may serve to mimic an insect that has been keeled by parasitoid fungi, and thus dispel a predator's interest. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Shag-carpet caterpillar (Prothysana sp.). Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Napo, Ecuador.
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  • Looking like a bunch of trilobite sarcophagi, a cluster of tortoise beetle pupae remain huddled together as they wait to pupate into adults. Although blind, immobile and otherwise defenseless in this stage, each pupa is capable of flexing its body up and down when disturbed, and the combined motion of the entire group may serve to befuddle a potential predator or parasite. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Napo, Ecuador.
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  • Sun Glass Frog (Hyalinobatrachium aueroguttatum), male. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Leaf beetle (Callicolaspis heros). Napo, Ecuador.
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  • Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus), male. Mindo, Ecuador.
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  • A spiny tachinid fly (Eudejeania sp.), the larvae of which are typically parasitoids of caterpillars. Cosanga, Ecuador.
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  • Leaf katydid (Typophyllum mortuifolium), female. Napo, Ecuador.
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  • A fly-mimicking weevil (Hoplocopturus sp.) from the Ecuadorian rainforest. Most cases of insect mimicry involve the imitation of a toxic or distasteful species as a model, so the reason for this beetle to appear like an entirely edible fly is not immediately apparent. However, entomologists studying these insects suggest that because flies are so agile and quick, most visually-oriented predators (particularly birds) probably learn to avoid wasting their time pursuing them, hence the incentive for this “evasive mimicry”. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Napo, Ecuador.
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