An endangered black-footed ferret surveys its new home on a private ranch in Lamar, Colo., following a release by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A bull bison — seemingly with a smile — greets the morning sun at Rocky Mountain Arsenal Nat’l Wildlife Refuge. Colorado.
Sandhill Cranes. Spring migration through the San Luis Valley. Colorado.
A swift fox parent leads two kits to a nearby den where three of their siblings are waiting. Avondale, CO.
A least chipmunk munches on wildflowers. Golden Gate Canyon State Park. Colorado.
A bison takes an early-morning wallow at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Colorado.
Sandhill Crane. Spring migration through the San Luis Valley. Colorado.
Mule deer buck. Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Nat’l Wildlife Regfuge. Colorado.
A male lark bunting perches on a prairie sunflower. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Colorado.
After sounding its alarm call, this American pika bounded up the rocks to keep watch over a trail near Lake Isabelle in Indian Peaks Wilderness. Colorado.
Sandhill Cranes. Spring migration through the San Luis Valley. Colorado.
A group of starling hitch an early-morning ride on a large bull bison. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Colorado.
A least chipmunk stands watch over a trail in Eldorado Canyon State Park. Colorado.
A coyote sits just off the shoulder of Highway 1 near Stinson Beach, California.
A mother black bear takes a moment to herself as her two cubs, just out of frame, play nearby. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tennessee.
A white-tailed deer stands in the early-morning mist in Cades Cove. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tennessee.
A royal tern colony comes in to roost as the sun sets over Queen Bess Island. Louisiana.
A silky shark swims off the coast of Jupiter, Fla.
An albino alligator floats in the water at St. Augustine’s AZA-accredited Alligator Farm Zoological Park. Florida.