Randy Olson, Melissa Farlow Photography

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  • Fishermen power through the fog and waters through Billy's Lake in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. West entrance of the swamp's open water is also the origin of the Suwanee River that flows into Florida to the Gulf of Mexico.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470845-9.JPG
  • Poor villagers clean the Sasakwa Lodge in the Grumeti Reserves.
    RANDY OLSON_MM7314_985614.JPG
  • Floating islands of bouyant peat carry grasses, sedges, and bald cypress trees in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southern Georgia.<br />
A mysterious aura surrounds the Okefenokee, wilderness of a boggy, unstable land commonly known as “Land of the Trembling Earth.” More accurately translated, “Okefenokee” means “waters shaking” in Hitchiti, an extinct dialect in the Muskogean language family spoken in the Southeast by indigenous people related to Creeks and Seminoles.<br />
<br />
The name refers to the gas that forms as submerged vegetation decomposes and bubbles up from the bottom of the swamp. Plants begin growing and clump together to form spongy little islands.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470843.JPG
  • Lightning bolt strikes and a rainbow appears as sun sets during summer storm season. The gate is closed tightly at the end of a long work day.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222813.jpg
  • After ritualistic pawing and sniffing, an aggressive gray stallion goes for the throat of another wild horse in a confrontation to establish dominance. Fur flies as the stallion rears back, caught off guard at the attack. Although many conflicts are short and not so brutal, serious injuries can occur as stallions fight. Many mustang studs have missing ears, and their bodies are battle-scarred from bite marks and strikes from front hooves. <br />
White Sands herd from the missile range in Utah have a rare gaited gene.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222894.TIF
  • Two young studs playfully spar as they gain confidence and moves that will help them challenge older stallions for hierarchy in the herd. They bite and kick, running in circles and kicking up dust around the other horses.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222806.jpg
  • Campers Elizabeth and Tad Morrow pitch their tent in the rain at Glacier's Two Medicine Lake.
    MELISSA FARLOW_06103_495835.jpg
  • Flat River Grand Prix Motocross Race, St. Joe State Park, Ozark Mountains, Miss ouri.  Joe Little gets stuck in lead tailings muck and gets half of his body co vered trying to dig himself out.
    RANDY OLSON_06168_501252.JPG
  • A mare and foal crest a hill under darkening gray skies of a looming storm in South Dakota.  The silhouetted pair are part of the Gila herd of wild horses with Spanish origin that came to North America with the Conquistadors in the 1600s.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222825.TIF
  • Wild horses graze at dusk as the moon rises over a ranch in land in South Dakota where mustangs and burros are protected.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222785.jpg
  • Young studs playfully practice their moves to fight for dominance in the White Sands Herd. A well placed bite may give one an advantage in a battle for mares during breeding season. The instinctual training is to insure preservation of the strongest in the herd. Brutal fights can leave mustangs scarred and injured so the yearlings practice as they mature.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222776.jpg
  • Canoers paddle through a path cut though Chesser Prairie that is thick with water lilies and small islands in the Okefenokee Swamp. The wilderness trip seen in this aerial photo is located in remote parts of the swamp and takes three days to complete, planned so visitors see no one else on the trails.<br />
Established as a wilderness in 1937, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge protects the waters and wildlife of the 402,000-acre swamp.<br />
The Okefenokee Swamp wilderness is in southern Georgia, and commonly known as “Land of the Trembling Earth.” More accurately translated, “Okefenokee” means “waters shaking” in Hitchiti, an extinct dialect in the Muskogean language family spoken in the Southeast by indigenous people related to Creeks and Seminoles.<br />
<br />
The name refers to the gas that forms as submerged vegetation decomposes and bubbles up from the bottom of the swamp. Plants begin growing and clump together to form spongy little islands.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_110252-3.JPG
  • Firefighters watch a controlled fire burn undergrowth that billows over a road on the edge of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The fires are set on a three-year rotation to prevent wildfires which often start from lightening strikes from frequent summer storms and threaten nearby homes and farm.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470844-2.JPG
  • Aerial photo shows a smoke rising from a controlled fire burning undergrowth on Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The fires are set on a three-year rotation to prevent wildfires which threaten nearby homes and farm.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470844-5.JPG
  • Smoke rises from a controlled fire that burns undergrowth in a pine forest on Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The fires are set on a three-year rotation to prevent wildfires which threaten nearby homes and farm.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470844-4.JPG
  • A controlled fire burns undergrowth of pine trees on Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The fires are set on a three-year rotation to prevent wildfires which threaten nearby homes and farm.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470844-3.JPG
  • A hot smokey controlled fire burns undergrowth in a pine forest on Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The fires are set on a three-year rotation to prevent wildfires which threaten nearby homes and farm.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470844-6.JPG
  • Arial photo at night showing a controlled fire burning undergrowth on islands of peat floating in the marsh water of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The fires are set on a three-year rotation to prevent wildfires which threaten nearby homes and farm.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470844.JPG
  • Aerial photo shows a smoke rising from a controlled fire burning undergrowth in a pine forest on Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The fires are set on a three-year rotation to prevent wildfires which threaten nearby homes and farm.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470844-7.JPG
  • The Okapi is a mammal with distinct striped markings that stands less than five feet tall. The herbivore feeds on tree leaves, grasses and ferns and never developed the long neck of a savannah giraffe since all its’ food is low.<br />
<br />
 Okapi are solitary animals whose dark bodies blend into the shadows and stripes break up an animal outline making it difficult for predators to see them. Major threats to this solitary forest creature include habitat loss due to logging, mining and hunting. Classified as endangered,  The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987 to protect the species. THE Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a World Heritage site that covers around 20 percent of the Ituri Rainforest.
    RANDY OLSON_MM7209_972267.TIF
  • An okapi forages in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a World Heritage site that covers around 20 percent of the Ituri Rainforest. <br />
The Okapi is a mammal with distinct striped markings that stands less than five feet tall. It is an herbivore that feeds on tree leaves, grasses and ferns that never developed the long neck of a savannah giraffe since all its’ food is low. <br />
<br />
Okapi are solitary animals whose dark bodies blend into the shadows and stripes break up an animal outline making it difficult for predators to see them. Major threats to this solitary forest creature include habitat loss due to logging, mining and hunting. Classified as endangered,  The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987 to protect the species. T
    RANDY OLSON_MM7209_976410.TIF
  • Canoes are tied up for the night as paddlers camp on a wilderness trip through the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Summer storms build in the distance at sunset over the wetlands prairie.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470845-4.JPG
  • A still life of a canoe with a paddle floating in still waters reflecting the prairie in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470845-2.JPG
  • Canoes stacked for the evening are mirrored in reflections in still waters of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia.<br />
<br />
Paddlers access the swamp through the Suwanee Canal dug in the 1890's by Atlanta lawyer Capt. Harry Jackson, who planned to drain the swamp for farmland before his company went bankrupt.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470845-1.JPG
  • A lone canoe is seen from the air in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The swamp's prairies are filled with a thick growth of aquatic plants where trails are cut for wilderness paddling trips.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_110252-1.JPG
  • Canoes stacked for the evening are mirrored in reflections in still waters of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia.<br />
<br />
Paddlers access the swamp through the Suwanee Canal dug in the 1890's by Atlanta lawyer Capt. Harry Jackson, who planned to drain the swamp for farmland before his company went bankrupt.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470845.jpg
  • Scientists don equipment and carry nets to study salmon fish in the Kol River Biostation.
    RANDY OLSON_MM7593_1260981.JPG
  • Paddlers cool off from oppressive heat in protected waters after enduring a day of  humidity and black flies in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge wilderness. Students from Valdosta State College reserved a wilderness trip that takes three days floating in canoes through the prairies and portaging over an island where they camped.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470847-3.JPG
  • Paddlers endure oppressive heat, humidity and black flies while taking an overnight canoe trip through the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge wilderness. Students from Valdosta State College reserved a wilderness trip that takes three days floating in canoes through the prairies and portaging over an island where they camped.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470847-1.JPG
  • Brown bears fishing for salmon in Kuril Lake. Kurilskoe Lake Preserve is a world heritage site and had serious poaching. But now, two or three wardens are always out on enforcement and they pack out for a month at a time.  The official salary for wardens is $200 a month, but the WWF came in and supplemented salaries and bought them the equipment they need to do the job. WWF decided one of the gems of the reserve system that exists in all of Russia should be poaching free - and that also protects the brown bears.
    MM7593_20080813_06845.tif
  • Cooking dinner involves creative thinking on a wilderness canoe trip through the Okefenokee Swamp. This outdoorsman stands on seat cushions taken from his boat to keep his feet dry while boiling potatoes over a campfire.<br />
<br />
The Okefenokee Swamp is a deep bog of thick peat moss and fresh “blackwater” that is home to 440 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles, many of which are endangered. The 402,000-acre wetlands was designated a national wildlife refuge in 1937.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_470847.JPG
  • An American flag is displayed on the front porch of a cabin on Floyd's Island. Campers play cards by lantern light while on a wilderness canoe trip in Okefenokee Swamp. This 4000 acre island is the second largest in the swamp and is only accessible by boat. The stop is a respite from camping outdoors with menacing yellow flies in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia.
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  • Workers clean a swimming pool at Sasakwa Lodge in the Grumeti Reserve.
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  • Pygmies bring leaves to the Okapi Faunal Reserve to feed the Okapis, forest giraffes.
    RANDY OLSON_MM7209_976409.JPG
  • Two curious burros watch mustangs drink at a waterhole they share. Burro is the Spanish name for a wild donkey. They have longer ears than horses and engaging personalities liking humans. <br />
The Bureau of Land Management created the Wild Horse and Burro Program to implement the Wild-Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, passed by Congress in 1971. Broadly, the law declares wild horses and burros to be "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" and stipulates that the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service have the responsibility to manage and protect herds in their respective jurisdictions within areas where wild horses and burros were found roaming in 1971.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222856.jpg
  • A Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi) is one the endangered species found on White Oak that was established by the late Howard Gilman, then acquired by TWF Conservation.<br />
<br />
Since 1986, White Oak has rehabilitated and released 19 sick or injured Florida panthers. In 2018, White Oak rehabilitated and released a panther family back in the wild together for the first time.<br />
<br />
The panthers at White Oak are kept in large naturalistic enclosures and have very little interaction with people in order to maintain their wildness and natural instincts. <br />
<br />
Recovery efforts to save the endangered panther, which numbered at one time around 40 has grown to 200.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_110411.JPG
  • A curious yearling approaches warily and wind-blown, shedding his shaggy winter coat. Although cautious, the horses’ ears are forward showing interest and openness. Horses are very social. Young ones play fight and gallop showing little fear as they test their skills while they navigate the hierarchy among members of a wild horse herd. These horses are descendants of a herd bred for the US Cavalry in the 1800s. Rounded up during WWI and WWII, they were shipped to Europe serving as "War Horses" pulling artillery and serving as mounts.
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  • A blue-eyed Palomino mare approaches for a closer look. The U.S. government released Thoroughbred horses at Nevada’s Sheldon range to mix with the Standardbred bloodlines making a bigger, faster “war horse.” During World War I and II, horses were rounded up from Sheldon, loaded onto railroad cars and taken to the East Coast where they were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean. Horses that survived the journey had a bit placed in their mouths and began to pull artillery or serve as a cavalry mount. A shipment of 500 horses left every day and a half to supply American and Allied troops.  Nearly eight million horses died in World War I alone. <br />
Remnants of the “war horse” herds roamed free until they were totally removed from the Sheldon National Wildlife Range.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222829.jpg
  • Strong winds blow rain from a storm cloud that violently erupts with loud claps of thunder that sends a band of horses running for safety. The young foal runs behind, following her mother and another mare.<br />
The wild horse herd nervously watched as a storm approached in central South Dakota. When lightning and thunder began, they galloped to a far away fence where they could go no further. The "fight or flight" instinct of behavior is powerful and horses often panic and flee when they sense danger.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222812.TIF
  • A Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi) is one the endangered species found on White Oak, established by the late Howard Gilman, then acquired by TWF Conservation.<br />
<br />
Since 1986, White Oak has rehabilitated and released 19 sick or injured Florida panthers.  In 2018, White Oak rehabilitated and released a panther family back in the wild together for the first time.<br />
<br />
The panthers at White Oak are kept in large naturalistic enclosures and have very little interaction with people in order to maintain their wildness and natural instincts. <br />
<br />
Recover efforts to save the endangered panther, which numbered at one time around 40 has grown to 200.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_110411-2.JPG
  • Ears pointed forward, a wild Palomino canters blurring at a fast pace through grasslands and prairie. Palominos are recognized by the color of horse distinguished by their cream, yellow, or gold coat and white or silver mane and tail. The Palomino horse is said to have originated in Spain around 1519, at the beginning of the Spanish New World and Cortez's reign. Although the exact development of these horses is unknown, their origin is rooted in Spain. Ears tipped forward indicate excitement or interest.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222874.jpg
  • An animal activist watches a young mustang foal roll in the dirt. They were out for a walk when the young foal stopped and dropped. <br />
Horses roll for pleasure and to clean their coats with sand and soil.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222822.jpg
  • A foal stands out in the herd as mustangs head down a dusty trail to a waterhole. Wild horse herds have a distinct social order and as with other animals that live in large groups, establishment of a stable hierarchical system reduces aggression. A lead or “alpha” mare guides the herd to food and water while stallions follow behind protecting their bands from predators and threats.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1200571.TIF
  • Peering down from a tree, a Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi) is one the endangered species found on White Oak that was established by the late Howard Gilman, then acquired by TWF Conservation.<br />
<br />
Since 1986, White Oak has rehabilitated and released 19 sick or injured Florida panthers. In 2018, White Oak rehabilitated and released a panther family back in the wild together for the first time.<br />
<br />
The panthers at White Oak are kept in large naturalistic enclosures and have very little interaction with people in order to maintain their wildness and natural instincts. <br />
<br />
Recovery efforts to save the endangered panther, which numbered at one time around 40 has grown to an estimated 200.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_110411-4.JPG
  • A Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi) is one the endangered species found on White Oak that was established by the late Howard Gilman, then acquired by TWF Conservation.<br />
<br />
Since 1986, White Oak has rehabilitated and released 19 sick or injured Florida panthers. In 2018, White Oak rehabilitated and released a panther family back in the wild together for the first time.<br />
<br />
The panthers at White Oak are kept in large naturalistic enclosures and have very little interaction with people in order to maintain their wildness and natural instincts. <br />
<br />
Recovery efforts to save the endangered panther, which numbered at one time around 40 has grown to an estimated 200.
    MELISSA FARLOW_05842_110411-3.JPG
  • A full skeleton of a wild horse is played out in the high desert and was likely killed by a cougar. There are few predators besides mountain lions and man on herds in Steens Mountain.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222865.jpg
  • Under a threatening storm, a herd of horses crosses a stream following the lead mare. In a wild horse herd, she leads them to food and water while the stallions follow behind to guard. A herd is similar to a neighborhood and made up of bands that are like families. These horses have dark dorsal stripes and primitive markings. They are genetic descendants of the Gila herd that came with Spanish Conquistadors to North America in the 1600s.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222824.TIF
  • Tension mounts as two battle-scarred wild stallions face off. In a wild horse herd, the dominant stallion is challenged by other studs in a brutal quest for hierarchy. Eye to eye, the horses stare and smell each other which is the beginning of the fight ritual. Many mustang studs have missing ears, and their bodies are battle-scarred from bite marks and strikes from front hooves.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222817.jpg
  • Head lowered and ears laid back in an aggressive posture, a stallion is "herding" or "snaking" or to control his mare and foal. The white mustang is also sending a warning to others. Wild stallions protect their families and this behavior is in reaction to a threat to his band.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222801.jpg
  • A wild horse takes a dust bath by rolling  in the dirt.  It may be a sign he is happy or it may be to self-clean his coat by eliminating extra oils and to discourage insects.<br />
The more dominant horses will have a favourite rolling spot and will be the last to roll in it. This means that their scent is the strongest and therefore their rank is higher within the herd.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222799.jpg
  • Scars and open wounds prove the fights are fierce. When wild stallions battle for mares and status in the hierarchy of a herd, the injuries can be brutal.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222793.jpg
  • Mustangs gallop in a tight pack as hired contractors herd large numbers of horses into a trap chasing them with helicopters. Nearly panicked, they are tricked to follow a tame “Judas” horse let loose in the confusion. The trained horse runs along the jute fence and into a corral expecting food and the wild horses that follow are captured.<br />
The Jackson Mountain Herd consists of mostly brown and dun colored horses. Most were dehydrated and hungry from drought conditions on Bureau of Land Management public lands in Nevada.
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  • Skeleton of a wild horse likely killed by a cougar in the high desert has teeth intact in the skull. The horse's natural enemies are predator animals: mountain lions, wolves and humans.
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  • An illusive band of wild horses crests a ridge under a full moon and a night sky. Horse sleep only a few hours a night ever on guard for their safety from predators.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222870.TIF
  • Bachelor mustangs spar and mock battle to practice their fighting moves and build up the courage to challenge a stallion to steal mares for their own bands. A thick blanket of fog made it tough for the dominant stallion to keep a watchful eye to protect his band.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222827.TIF
  • The horse herd grazes in the last hours of light, and a mustang mare locates and nuzzles her foal.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222879.jpg
  • A wild horse's mane flies forward as the stallion stands after rolling to take a dirt bath on a foggy morning. The more dominant horses will have a favourite rolling spot and will be the last to roll in it. This means that their scent is the strongest and therefore their rank is higher within the herd.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222826.jpg
  • Two wild stallions eye each other and begin a ritual to establish dominance. They paw the ground establishing their turf and next they will either walk away or fight. Horses are prey animals with a strong "fight-or-flight" response where they flee for safety but they defend themselves or stand their ground when their hierarchy is challenged.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222816.TIF
  • A rumble of thunder, crack of lightning, and winds blow dark clouds across the prairie alerting a mustang herd that a summer storm approaches. When the sky opened with torrents of rain, the nervous young wild horses bolted to outrun the storm.
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  • Two albino stallions walk through flowering shrubs and grasses at the Wild Horse Sanctuary. Until captured and removed, they were part of the cultural landscape of the Channel Islands since the mid 19th century. They are first recorded as having been introduced to Santa Cruz Island in 1830.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222804.jpg
  • Portrait of a wild horse in the snow-covered Ochoco National Forest in the Big Summit Wild Horse Territory in Oregon. The origins of the herd are not entirely clear according to the U.SD. Forest Service. Early accounts describe local ranchers in the 1920s turning loose quality animals from a good breeding stock to ensure a future supply of good horses. Recent genetic testing has linked the Ochoco Mustangs to Iberian and Andalusian stock, leaving much to be discovered about their true heritage.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222777.jpg
  • A blue-eyed mustang mare is a descendant of horses bred in the Nevada's Sheldon Range. The horses were used as mounts for cavalry, and in later years, shipped to Europe to serve as war horses during WWI and WWII.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222881.jpg
  • An alert, young foal with interesting markings and roan colors is part of a herd of approximately 120 wild horses in the Pryor Mountains. <br />
Foals are often born with a pale shade of their adult color. In the wild, the dull colored coat camouflages babies from predators. However, they typically shed their fuzzy foal coat at three or four months of age and evolve into their adult coloration.<br />
The herd range is in the high meadows down through rugged juniper-covered foothills to colorful desert-like badlands that border the green fields of Crooked Creek Valley. Bureau of Land Management's Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range in Wyoming.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222831.jpg
  • A pair of protected wild horse foals wander through tall grasses. The black and white orphan babies were rescued and later adopted after their herds were captured by the Bureau of Land Management.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222823.jpg
  • A wild horse is seriously wounded from running into a barbed wire fence. The western landscape is full of old fences that once divided ranches and they are hazards for unsuspecting wildlife.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222814.jpg
  • A charismatic mustang stallion looks like a white horse on a merry-go-round as he arches his neck and proudly walks through a flowering meadow in the Wild Horse Sanctuary. Phantom was well-known in the wild, and after capture, his fans raised money to find him a safe home with his band.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222796.jpg
  • Wild horses exhibit a "fight or flight" instinct typical of prey animals. As a noise startles the band, the horse on the right flees, the middle one quickly turns to follow while the mustang on the left looks back to see the threat and why the alarm was sounded for them to run to safety.<br />
<br />
South Steens wild horse herd located south of Frenchglen in the high desert country with extremely rocky surfaces divided by deep canyons, rim rocks and plateaus.
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  • Two stallions battle for dominance in a war dance of wild horses showing typical fighting behavior in a herd. Many mustang studs have missing ears, and their bodies are battle-scarred from bite marks and strikes from front hooves. <br />
The mustangs' primitive markings are consistent with ancient coloration of horses brought to North America by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1600s.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1200520.TIF
  • An older red stallion scarred from bites and fights intently watches a challenging stud. Battles for dominance in a wild horse herd can be brutal.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222871.jpg
  • A herd of colorful mustangs including Paints and Palominos graze through sagebrush as evening approaches. After stopping at the waterhole, they headed toward salt licks and to roll taking dust baths in Oregon's high desert.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222868.jpg
  • Two paint mustangs playfully bite while grazing at South Steens mountain in Oregon. The wild horses are friends and hang out with other bachelors in the herd.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222905.jpg
  • A Palomino mustang mare intently gallops with a blur and ears pointed forward.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222873.jpg
  • A bachelor band of horses group together for protection and company while grazing in the high desert of Steens Mountain in Oregon. Males in a herd form a family when they are young or old but have no mares.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222866.jpg
  • A powerful, wild stallion with ears pinned back and a mouthful of grass breaks from grazing to chase a challenging stud in the horse herd.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222820.jpg
  • A young stud lifts his lip catching a whiff of a mare in heat. The Flehmen response is a biological reaction to smell where an animal curls back the upper lip and senses pheromones.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222815.jpg
  • A young foal rests in a bed of chamomile flowers creating an idyllic scene as he watches the herd graze. Newborn horses sleep up to twelve hours during the day, but graduate to adults that sleep only three hours -- and often standing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222802.jpg
  • Two foals watch studs fight, learning the behavior they will imitate when they are older. Young wild horses make friends and bond within a horse herd.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222798.jpg
  • Two mustangs groom each other, a common social behavior among wild horses. The mutual grooming brings heads together and reaffirms bonding between horses, reducing social tension within a herd.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222797.jpg
  • Profile of a curious, young, fuzzy mustang foal.<br />
Foals are often born with a pale shade of their adult color. In the wild, the dull colored coat camouflages babies from predators. They typically shed their fuzzy foal coat at three or four months of age, however, and evolve into their adult coloration.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222790.jpg
  • A protected wild mustang foal naps in a meadow near his mother. Newborn horses sleep up to twelve hours during the day, but graduate to adults that sleep only three hours -- and often standing.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222774.jpg
  • Phantom, a charismatic white mustang, fights a roan stallion at the Wild Horse Sanctuary. He was captured by the U.S. Forest Service and rescued by loyal fans who raised money to save him. Once released with other horses, he was tested for hierarchy in the herd.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222773.jpg
  • Wild horses wade in a waterhole to drink and cool off on a summer evening in the Wild Horse Sanctuary.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222911.jpg
  • A wary foal stands with his mother near other mares in the herd as they graze together.<br />
Foals are often born with a pale shade of their adult color. In the wild, the dull colored coat camouflages babies from predators. However, they typically shed their fuzzy foal coat at three or four months of age and evolve into their adult coloration.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222809.TIF
  • Foals are often born with a pale shade of their adult color. In the wild, the dull colored coat camouflages baby horses from predators. They typically shed their fuzzy foal coat, however, and at three or four months of age evolve into their adult coloration.
    MELISSA FARLOW_MM7517_1222787.jpg
  • A frisky mustang foal romps in a meadow.<br />
Foals are often born with a pale shade of their adult color. In the wild, the dull colored coat camouflages babies from predators. However, they typically shed their fuzzy foal coat at three or four months of age and evolve into their adult coloration.
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  • A Palomino mare follows a trail through the sagebrush with her newborn foal and other horses in their band. They grazed near a waterhole then moved to join the herd of wild mustangs that live in Oregon's high desert on public lands.
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  • Phantom, a charismatic stallion, challenges a rival stud after he was captured then released with a herd in California's Wild Horse Sanctuary. He roamed free on public lands in the Nevada wilderness for 17 years leading his band of mustangs out of the mountains and through the valley to water.
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  • Brown bears competing for salmon in Kuril Lake. So many salmon—pink, chum, sockeye (above), coho, chinook, and masu—flood the waters that typically solitary brown bears crowd together
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  • Wild horses are in a corral at Palomino Valley, a Bureau of Land Management holding facility.  After wild horses are rounded up, they are trucked and processed here then cared for until adopted or moved to other secured properties paid for by the federal government.
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  • Born in the cover of a dark night, a foal slowly takes his first steps to walk beside his mother at dawn. Young foals are stand and walk within minutes of birth. Instincts drive the mares to move their newborns to safety. The mare has a freeze brand on her neck indicating she was once a wild horse captured by the Bureau of Land Management.
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  • A mare watches over a newborn foal that is her grandson, scolding him for trying to nurse with her. Although he is minutes old and just standing for the first time, she is teaching him his first life lessons while his mother rests after just giving birth.
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  • Young studs playfully mock battle to earn confidence to battle a stallion. They practice their moves by chasing, biting, kicking and fighting.
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  • Flat bottom boats tied at a dock on a foggy morning at Stephen Foster State Park west entrance to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
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  • A lone boat of fishermen trolls through Billy's Lake in early morning fog in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. West entrance of the swamp's open water is also the origin of the Suwanee River that flows into Florida to the Gulf of Mexico.
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  • Detail of the main on a colorful wild horse rescued from the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge.
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  • A scientist studies salmon fry or young fish in the Kol River Biostation.
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  • Scientists study salmon fish in the Kol River Biostation.
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  • Wildebeests cross road in front of jeep.
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  • Brown bears fish for salmon in one of the best spots where the Ozernaya River flows into Kurilskoe Lake.  An abundant food supply attracts the bears, also known as grizzlies, to the protected watersheds of Kamchatka’s Kurilskoe Lake Preserve, the gem of the Russian preserve system.
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  • Petroglyphs depicting arriving conquistadors on the face of a rock in Canyon de l Muerto.
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