Drying Mud, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, 2006
Photograph by John Stanmeyer Mud baking in the hot Indonesian sun nearly reached the rooflines in a village in Sidoarjo, East Java. In 2006, a fracture deep within the Earth, likely caused by local natural-gas drilling, triggered a massive release of hot mud that lasted for months and buried the region. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Gods Must Be Restless: Living in the Shadow of Indonesia’s Volcanoes," January 2008, National Geographic magazine)
Durian Fruit, Borneo, Indonesia, 1997
Photograph by Tim Laman A wild durian fruit from the rain forests of Borneo is cut open, its vivid red flesh exposed. Wild durian has a spiny green exterior, emits an infamous rotting stench, and is mainly eaten by birds. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Borneo’s Strangler Fig Trees," April 1997, National Geographic magazine)
Rain Forest Mist, Borneo, Indonesia, 1997
Photograph by Tim Laman A twilight mist floats through the rain forest canopy in Borneo’s Gunung Palung National Park. The future of this uninhabited ecological treasure, covering more than 220,000 acres (90,000 hectares), is threatened by ever increasing illegal logging. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Borneo’s Strangler Fig," April 1997, National Geographic magazine)
Giant Squirrel, Borneo, Indonesia, 1997
Photograph by Tim Laman A giant squirrel surveys the surrounding rain forest from a tree limb in Borneo’s Gunung Palung National Park. Borneo, the world’s third largest island, boasts some of the last areas of pristine rain forest in the world. However, deforestation from illegal logging within the park threatens the survival of this unique ecosystem. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Borneo’s Strangler Fig Trees," April 1997, National Geographic magazine)
Multicolored Reef, Tukangbesi Islands, Indonesia, 2005
Photograph by Tim Laman Layers of coral, sea fans, crinoids, and sponges make up a healthy reef off Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands. Lighted by a photographer's strobe, this scene would explode in brilliant colors, but in natural light, it looks altogether different. Scientists are studying how wavelengths of light change at depth and how fish perceive these colors. (Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Why Are Coral Reefs So Colorful?" May 2005, National Geographic magazine)
Clown Triggerfish, Tukangbesi Islands, Indonesia, 2005
Photograph by Tim Laman Found in coral-rich seaweed reefs in the Pacific Ocean, clown triggerfish, such as this patterned juvenile in Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands, are master predators. The fish blow streams of water at the sand to expose hiding prey, then use their powerful jaws and rows of sharp teeth to crush through hard-shelled reef creatures such as sea urchins, clams, snails, and crabs. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Why Are Coral Reefs So Colorful?" May 2005, National Geographic magazine)
Striped Boxfish, Tukangbesi Islands, Indonesia, 2005
Photograph by Tim Laman A dizzying array of dots and squiggles decorates a striped boxfish (Ostracion solorensis) gliding by a coral reef near Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands. Boxfish, also known as trunkfish or cowfish, are known for their distinctive boxy profiles and for the bonelike, six-sided plates that cover much of their bodies and protect them from predators. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: Why Are Coral Reefs So Colorful?" May 2005, National Geographic magazine)
Borobudur Temple, Java, Indonesia, 2001
Photograph by Alexandra Boulat A woman walks among the bell-shaped spires of Indonesia's Borobudur—the world's largest Buddhist temple. Built in the jungles of Java during the eighth and ninth centuries A.D., this ancient pilgrimage site lay abandoned for centuries until it was rediscovered and restored in the early 1900s. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Indonesia: Living Dangerously," March 2001, National Geographic magazine)
 Goby and Bubble Coral, Indonesia, 2005
Photograph by Tim Laman
A goby fish with brilliant orange streaks stands out on a bit of gray bubble coral in Maumere Bay off Indonesia's Flores Island. In most of the ocean, turbid or murky waters force creatures to use nonvisual means of communication—smell, taste, touch, and sound. But in the clear, sunlit waters of coral reefs, light abounds, vision predominates, and animals drape themselves in blazing color. (Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish," May 2005, National Geographic magazine)
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