Images

A male (light colored) and a female (dark colored) Yosemite toads mating.

Tidepool scenes of vibrantly colored sea stars could become a rarity as the Sea Star Wasting Disease spreads.

Spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) are omnivores, often feeding on fruits and insects.

USGS technician weighing a Yosemite toad in the field.

San Francisco Bay — which has already lost the majority of its marsh habitat since the 19th Century — could lose even more marshes by the year 2100 due to sea level rise, according to a new USGS report.

A San Francisco gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) stares down the camera lens.

Photo of the blooms of the Barstow woolly flower (Eriophyllum mohavense).

Clark's grebe sitting on a nest at Thermalito Afterbay, California.

The flower of the thistle sage, Salvia carduacea.

A mountain bluebird eats a giant mistletoe berry in an ash tree in Sedona, Arizona (Oak Creek).  These bluebirds, and many other types of birds, rely on mistletoe berries for sustenance. As a result, they also help distribute the mistletoe seeds.

A mountain bluebird eats a giant mistletoe berry in an ash tree in Sedona, Arizona (Oak Creek).  These bluebirds, and many other types of birds, rely on mistletoe berries for sustenance. As a result, they also help distribute the mistletoe seeds.

A mountain bluebird eats a giant mistletoe berry in an ash tree in Sedona, Arizona (Oak Creek).  These bluebirds, and many other types of birds, rely on mistletoe berries for sustenance. As a result, they also help distribute the mistletoe seeds.

Taken at Palmyra National Wildlife Refuge

The turbid waters of the Elwha River and the coastal waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca mix directly offshore of the river mouth, forming a large coastal plume.  This plume is easily identified by the cloudiness of the water (or "turbidity") resulting from sediment discharged by the river.  Two large dams on the Elwha River were incrementally r

The turbid waters of the Elwha River and the coastal waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca mix directly offshore of the river mouth, forming a large coastal plume.  This plume is easily identified by the cloudiness of the water (or "turbidity") resulting from sediment discharged by the river.  Two large dams on the Elwha River are being incrementally r

A beard lichen (Usnea sp.) grows on an Island Oak on Santa Rosa Island and helps to create the fog precipitation.

Field photo of shovel-nosed snake (Chionactis occipitalis). Credit Zach Cava/USGS.

Ambystoma californiense - California Tiger Salamander is a A dark brown salamander with yellow spots.

Tecate cypress regeneration, showing charred, open cones on the branches of a dead cypress (top right of photo). Tecate cypress cones are serotinous, meaning they open in response to fire. 

Colorful wildflowers in the Great Basin.

A breeding colony of California common murres (Uria aalge californica) on Prince Island off San Miguel Island off Southern California. Ecologists Josh Adams and Jonathan Felis of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center shot this and other high-resolution digital telephotos from a research vessel, and used the photos to identify nesting and feeding behavior.