King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) Tropical Color 4

Even scavengers in the tropical world can have ridiculous amounts of color. The king vulture is a large and impressive carrion feeder. As my wife would say "he cleans up well!".



king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa)



king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa)

Military Macaw (Ara militaris) Tropical Color 3

More gaudy color - this time from a pair of military macaws.



military macaw (Ara militaris) pair

Gaudy frogs - Tropical Color 2

Only in the tropics can you find such a colorful array of amphibians. The blue poison dart frog is so stunningly beautiful, that many people do not think this is a living creature - but a plastic chotchke from a tourist shop.



poison dart frog (dendrobates azureus)


Probably one of the most photographed frogs in the world is the red-eyed tree frog.



red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas)

Mouthless Crab (Gecarcinus quadratus) Tropical Color

In the tropics everything seems to get a turbo charge of color. Case in point: why does this mouthless crab need to be so adorned with bright, eye catching hues?



mouthless crab (Gecarcinus quadratus)



mouthless crab (Gecarcinus quadratus)


Photographed on the coast of Costa Rica.