Bathing Snow Monkey, Japan, 1995 Photograph by Jodi Cobb
Japanese macaques, also called snow monkeys, live farther north than any other non-human primates. Their thick coats help them survive the frigid temperatures of central Japan’s highlands. But when the mercury really plummets, they go to plan B: hot-tubbing in the region’s many thermal springs.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Geisha,” October 1995, National Geographic magazine)
Green Grappler Moth Caterpillar, Maui, Hawaii, 2003 Photograph by Darlyne Murawski
Sensitive hairs and nerves on the back of the green grappler moth caterpillar detect the slightest touch of prey. Lightning-fast reflexes and six needle-tipped claws spell the end for this termite in Maui, Hawaii.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Killer Caterpillars: Built to Eat Flesh,” June 2003, National Geographic magazine)
Boatyard at Sunset, Yscloskey, Louisiana, 2001 Photograph by Medford Taylor
A mauve sunset blankets a boatyard in Yscloskey, Louisiana, in 2001. This and nearly all the other fishing hamlets in the marshlands of St. Bernard Parish southeast of New Orleans were flattened in the summer of 2005 by Hurricane Katrina’s 20-foot (6-meter) storm surge. Years later, the region’s fisheries and oil and gas industries are still rebuilding.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “ZIP USA: Delacroix, Louisiana,” July 2001, National Geographic magazine)
Migrating Monarchs, El Rosario Preserve, Mexico, 2004 Photograph by Peter Essick
A colony of monarch butterflies clings to a tree in the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve in the mountains of central Mexico. The Mexican government is working to encourage tourism and discourage illegal logging in the preserve, where millions of these delicate orange-and-black butterflies come to nest each winter.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “Signs From Earth: Heating Up…Melting Down…” September 2004, National Geographic magazine)
Tie-Dyed Fabric, Jaipur, India, 1999 Photograph by Cary Wolinsky
Tie-dyed fabric is hung to dry from a roof in Jaipur, India. Such Indian textiles are among the richest craft legacies on Earth, encompassing literally thousands of local styles and techniques.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, “The Quest for Color,” July 1999, National Geographic magazine)