Protected Threatened And Significant Places photos

Bull elephant seal exits the water to retake his position on the beach. He shows considerable scarring on his chest and proboscis from many winters fighting other males for territory and rights to a harem of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15458  

Magnificent frigatebird, adult male on nest, with throat pouch inflated, a courtship display to attract females.
Species: Magnificent frigatebird, Fregata magnificens
Location: North Seymour Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Image ID: 16725  

Steller sea lions (Northern sea lions) gather on rocks. Steller sea lions are the largest members of the Otariid (eared seal) family. Males can weigh up to 2400 lb., females up to 770 lb.
Species: Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus
Location: Chiswell Islands, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
Image ID: 16977  

Mesa Arch spans 90 feet and stands at the edge of a mesa precipice thousands of feet above the Colorado River gorge. For a few moments at sunrise the underside of the arch glows dramatically red and orange.
Location: Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Image ID: 18040  

Sandhill crane spreads its broad wings as it takes flight in early morning light. This crane is one of over 5000 present in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, stopping here during its winter migration.
Species: Sandhill crane, Grus canadensis
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 21797  

Hammerhead sharks swim in a school underwater at Wolf Island in the Galapagos archipelago. The hammerheads eyes and other sensor organs are placed far apart on its wide head to give the shark greater ability to sense the location of prey.
Species: Scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini
Location: Wolf Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Image ID: 16271  

A great white shark swims underwater through the ocean at Guadalupe Island.
Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias
Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California, Mexico
Image ID: 21348  

Rainbow and clearing storm clouds, sunrise light on Manly Beacon, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.
Location: Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California
Image ID: 27660  

Milky Way galaxy rises above the Fire Wave, Valley of Fire State Park.
Location: Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
Image ID: 28428  

Elephant arch and stars at night, moonlight, Valley of Fire State Park.
Location: Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
Image ID: 28435  

Milky Way over the Watchman, Zion National Park. The Milky Way galaxy rises in the night sky above the the Watchman.
Location: Zion National Park, Utah
Image ID: 28587  

Narada Falls cascades down a cliff, with the flow blurred by a time exposure. Narada Falls is a 188 foot (57m) waterfall in Mount Rainier National Park.
Location: Narada Falls, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Image ID: 28718  

Lunar Eclipse Sequence Over Broken Hill, Torrey Pines State Reserve. While the moon lies in the full shadow of the earth (umbra) it receives only faint, red-tinged light refracted through the Earth's atmosphere. As the moon passes into the penumbra it receives increasing amounts of direct sunlight, eventually leaving the shadow of the Earth altogether. October 8, 2014.
Location: Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California
Image ID: 29412  

Clearing storm clouds over Broken Hill, overlooking La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean, Torrey Pines State Reserve.
Location: Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California
Image ID: 29416  

Mariner Mountain, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, part of Strathcona Provincial Park, located 36 km (22 mi) north of Tofino. It is 1,771 m (5,810 ft) high, snow covered year-round and home to several glaciers.
Location: Mariner Mountain, Strathcona Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada
Image ID: 21072  

Coyote, pausing to look for prey as it passes through Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
Species: Coyote, Canis latrans
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 21803  

Mobius Arch at sunrise, framing snow dusted Lone Pine Peak and the Sierra Nevada Range in the background. Also known as Galen's Arch, Mobius Arch is found in the Alabama Hills Recreational Area near Lone Pine.
Location: Alabama Hills Recreational Area, California
Image ID: 27644  

Milky Way galaxy rises above the Fire Wave, Valley of Fire State Park.
Location: Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
Image ID: 28554  

The Second Wave at Sunset, Vermillion Cliffs. The Second Wave, a curiously-shaped sandstone swirl, takes on rich warm tones and dramatic shadowed textures at sunset. Set in the North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah, the Second Wave is characterized by striations revealing layers of sedimentary deposits, a visible historical record depicting eons of submarine geology.
Location: North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona
Image ID: 28619  

Half Dome and sunset clouds, evening.
Location: Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California
Image ID: 28693  

Christine Falls.
Location: Christine Falls, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Image ID: 28717  

El Capitan reflected in Merced River, Yosemite National Park. Seriously, take a close look, the image as presented here is upside down!.
Location: El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California
Image ID: 36458  

Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world.
Location: Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California
Image ID: 22285  

The Milky Way galaxy arches over Arch Rock on a clear evening in Joshua Tree National Park.
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California
Image ID: 26792  

Archangel Falls in autumn, near the Subway in North Creek Canyon, with maples and cottonwoods turning fall colors.
Location: Zion National Park, Utah
Image ID: 26097  

Guadalupe fur seal pup sits on brown rocks along the coastline of Guadalupe Island.
Species: Guadalupe fur seal, Arctocephalus townsendi
Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California, Mexico
Image ID: 02441  

Yosemite Falls reflected in Flooded Sentinel Meadow, when the Merced River floods Yosemite Valley following a winter of historic snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite National Park.
Location: Yosemite National Park, California
Image ID: 39378  

Milky Way and Stars over Broken Arch, Arches National Park, Utah.
Location: Broken Arch, Arches National Park, Utah
Image ID: 29238