The Most Beautiful Wildlife Images Ever Taken
Facing Reality
- Photograph: Amos Nachoum
- Place: Pleneau Island, Antarctic peninsula
The leopard seal is one of the 5 species of seals that exist. Considered an opportunistic predator, it is the most ferocious of the Antarctic seals. Its main food source is krill and young seals. Thanks to its imposing size—on average 3.80 meters and 500 kg for the female against about 3 meters and 300 kg for the male—the leopard seal is able to attack sea lions, for example.
Cool Drink
- Photograph: Diana Rebman
- Place: Hokkaido, Japan
Longtail tits are generally found in Northern Europe and Palearctic. Its diet is essentially arthropods; it prefers the eggs and larvae of moths and butterflies.
Flamingo Socks
- Photograph: Jasper Doest
- Place: Fundashon Dier en Onderwijs Cariben, Curaçao
This flamingo was collected by the Fundashon Dier en Onderwijs Cariben, in Curaçao. The mission of this foundation, among others, is to heal and rehabilitate wild animals. They improvised stockings for this flamingo to help heal its severe foot lesions.
A Whale of a Mouthful
- Photograph: Michael AW
- Place: South Africa’s Eastern Cape
This photographer succeeded in photographing a Bryde’s whale swimming close to a school of sardines, which are part of his diet.
Golden Rain
- Photograph: Norbert Kaszás
- Place: Hungary
Damselflies live on all continents, except Antarctica. Normally, when they are found above a body of water, it means that the water is relatively unpolluted.
Sky Hole
- Photograph: Sven Začek
- Place: Karula National Park, Estonia
Nature is unquestionably full of surprises and capable of the most spectacular landscapes!
Bee Line
- Photograph: Frank Deschandol
- Place: Maroc
A bee colony consists of 3 castes: the queen, the workers and the males. If a colony manages to survive the cold season, it can last several years.
Behind Bars
- Photograph: Daniel Trim
- Place: London
Even if this bird is free, he seems rather angry. Maybe it’s because of all the garbage lying around?
Britain’s Most Loved Mammal
- Photograph: Lawrie Brailey
- Place: Britain
European hedgehogs are widespread in Europe, especially in Russia, Turkey and the Caucasus. While it is a protected species in France, and in Europe by the Bern Convention, this mammal is considered an invasive species in New Zealand.
Land Of The Eagle
- Photograph: Audun Rikardsen
- Place: Norway
The photographer himself placed the branch on which the eagle is about to land. During the 3 years that followed the addition of the branch, the eagle gradually began to land on it to monitor its territory.
Falcons And The Arab Influence
- Photograph: Brent Stirton
- Place: Central Mongolia
Saker falcons, the national bird of Mongolia, but also of Hungary and the United Arab Emirates, are an endangered species because their habitat—the open grasslands, preferably with some trees or cliffs—is becoming increasingly rare, but also because the illegal wildlife trade is ubiquitous in Mongolia.
Snow Exposure
- Photograph: Max Waugh
- Place: United States
There are now only two species of bison: American bison and European bison. In addition to humans, bison are preyed upon by pumas, wolves and grizzly bears.
The Ghost
- Photograph: Blanco Mendizabal
- Place: Nature park of Sierra de Andújar, Andalucía, Spain
The Sierra de Andújar is one of the most important hunting parks in Spain. Located in the northeast of the province, where there are several medium mountains of various shapes and altitudes, it is mainly home to fighting bull farms.
Cradle Of Life
- Photograph: Stefan Christmann
- Place: Antarctic
In emperor penguins, it is the male who incubates the only egg laid while his partner goes hunting. For an egg to start hatching, it takes between 65 and 75 days of incubation.
Jump
- Photograph: Csaba Daróczi
- Place: Hungary
There are nine kinds of rabbits on the planet, and they are not considered rodents, but lagomorphs because of their different teeth and lack of penile bones.
Frozen Moment
- Photograph: Jérémie Villet
- Place: Yukon, Canada
The Dall sheep live mainly in the arctic and subarctic regions. They are found around steep, rugged cliffs and outcrops, which are essential to their survival as they protect them from predators.
Beauty In The Mud
- Photograph: Arthur Kingdon
- Place: Loch Duich, Scotland
Long-clawed squat lobsters can be found in all oceans, usually at the bottom. About his picture, the photographer explained, “I spotted a length of plastic pipe lying partially buried in the mud. Moving cautiously to avoid stirring up the silt, I reached the open end and was delighted to find this collection of marine life. A long-clawed squat lobster posed proudly outside his man-made home, which he shared with numerous brittlestars, while dainty sea loch anemones decorated the entrance.”
The Garden Of Eels
- Photograph: David Doubilet
- Place: Dauin, Philippines
To take this picture, the photographer had to put down his camera and go back and hide behind a shipwreck to operate it remotely, otherwise the garden eels would hide as soon as they saw him.
Bond Of Brothers
- Photograph: David Lloyd
- Place: Tanzania
The cubs stay in their group until they are two or three years old. When they reach sexual maturity, the dominant lion ousts them. They therefore become nomads and together they form a kind of coalition, creating very strong bonds between them.
Caretta Caretta Turtle
- Photograph: Eduardo Acevedo
- Place: Canary Islands, Los Gigantes, south Tenerife, Spain
This turtle is found in all the oceans of the world, mainly in salt water and estuaries. Once adult, it measures on average 90 cm long and weighs 135 kg, but some specimens of more than 270 cm and 454 kg have already been discovered.
Big Cat And Dog Spat
- Photograph: Peter Haygarth
- Place: Africa
Spotted hyenas have several predators, including cheetahs and leopards. Leopards are usually interested in smaller prey, but since hyenas tend to prey on the same prey, and therefore steal it from cheetahs and leopards, they may sometimes prey on them.
Burst
- Photograph: Tyler Schiffman
- Place: Monterey Bay, California
Before taking this picture, the photographer had spent the day photographing the algae in the light. At one point, he set up his camera in this angle, waiting for a sea lion to show up. He waited about 5 minutes to capture this shot.
The Challenge
- Photograph: Françoise Gervais
- Place: Baffin Island, Canada
Baffin Island is the largest island in Canada and the 6th largest in the world. Partially covered by glaciers, it is home to many wild animals such as polar bears, barren-ground caribou, arctic fox, arctic hare, arctic wolf and lemmings.
Big Fish In A Big Ocean
- Photograph: Alex Kydd
- Place: Ningaloo Reef, Australia
The whale shark is considered to be the largest fish currently living on Earth. While it generally measures between 4 and 14 meters long, it can sometimes measure up to 20 meters and weigh up to 34 tons. Like the blue whale, it feeds mainly on plankton, algae and microscopic animals. Not aggressive, it is completely harmless to humans.
Snow-Plateau Nomads
- Photograph: Shangzhen Fan
- Place: Kumukuli Desert, Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
On this picture, we can see a small herd of male chirus crossing the Kumukuli Desert.This type of antelope, loving high altitudes, are found only on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Last Breath
- Photograph: Adrian Hirschi
- Place: Kariba Lake, Zimbabwe
Infanticides between hippopotamuses are rare, but they can result from overpopulation stress. When their day-resting pool begins to dry up, overpopulation can become problematic. Also, in order to increase his chances of reproduction, a male may decide to prey on young hippos that are not his own.
Greater Sage-Grouse
- Photograph: Elizabeth Boehm
- Place: Pinedale, Wyoming, US
Sage Grouse is the largest spruce grouse in North America. It is mainly found in the prairies and sage steppes of western North America.
Now Where’s The Groom?
- Photograph: Sitara Karthikeyan
- Place: India
When the photographer fell in front of this scene, he actually wanted to photograph waterbirds by a coconut grove. However, he saw 3 spotted owlets that started to be mobbed by a few mynas. Then, 2 adults joined the owlets to mark their territory. On this subject, the photographer explained, “I was moved by their togetherness when in danger, and I wanted to capture the feeling.”
Silk Desert
- Photograph: Sergey Gorshkkov
- Place: Namibia, South Africa
This photo was taken in 2013 while the photographer was flying over the desert dunes of northern Namibia. The gemsbok immortalized in the photo is one of the few present at that time that was still alive.
The Huddle
- Photograph: Stefan Christmann
- Place: Atka Bay, Antartica
At the time of taking the picture, it was -40°C on this Arctic sea ice. In order to warm up, these more than 5,000 males Emperor penguins huddled, with their backs to the wind and their heads down, to share their body heat.
Half Albino Turtle
- Species: Sea turtle
- Where it lives: Sri Lanka
Generally, an albino animal will be white with red, pink or very light-colored eyes, but sometimes an albino animal may appear pink, yellow or brownish. Their coloring can indeed vary according to other pigments, or be colored by pigments from their diet.
Giraffe Making a Face
- Fun fact: A giraffe’s neck is too short to allow it to reach the ground easily.
- Fun fact: Giraffes need only 5 to 30 minutes of sleep every 24 hours.
In ancient times, giraffes were given the name Camelopard, derived from the Ancient Greek for camel and leopard. This name referred to its camel-like shape and leopard-like coloration.
Cutest Animal
- Also Known As: Dangerous Bears
- Dangerous To Human: If they feel in danger, they do not hesitate to attack humans.
The giant panda is endemic to central China. It is found in mountainous regions covered with high altitude forests, between 1,000 and 4,000 meters above sea level, mainly in the provinces of Sichuan and Gansu, but also in Shaanxi.
Rare Kind of Antilope
- Species: Saiga antilope
- Where it lives: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Saiga antilope is a rare species of Eurasian antelope. Threatened with extinction, it is specifically found in the dry steppes and semi-arid deserts of Central Asia. Poaching is one of the main reasons for its extinction. It is hunted for its meat, but also for the resale of the male’s horns.
Red-Winged Blackbird
- Photograph: Kathrin Swoboda
- Place: Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, Virginia, US
The name “red-winged blackbird” comes from the two red spots found on each side of its body. These spots take the shape of shoulder pads when the bird takes on an intimidating attitude.
Hare Tap-Dancing
- Photograph: Rosamund Macfarlane
- Place: Monadhliath Mountains, Scotland
In this picture, we can see a hare scraping the snow to reach the heather shoots, its main source of food during the winter.
Frogcopter
- Photograph: Lessy Sebastian
- Place: Indonesia
What are the chances of witnessing that moment when a dragonfly lands on a frog? That’s what we call perfect timing!
Another Barred Migrant
- Photograph: Alejandro Prieto
- Place: US-Mexico border fence
This photo is actually a projection of the original photo also taken by photographer Alejandro Prieto. As indicated on the Natural History Museum website, this work was created “to symbolise ‘the jaguar’s past and its possible future presence in the United States. If the wall is built,’ he says, ‘it will destroy the jaguar population in the United States.’”
Strange Kind of Moth
- Species: Venezuelan poodle moth
- Fun Fact: The existence of this moth species was only discovered in 2009.
It is the zoologist Arthur Anker from Kyrgyzstani who photographed this species for the first time in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela. Its name comes from the fact that its appearance resembles a mixture between a moth and a poodle.
Relaxing moment
- Species: Red Panda
- Fun Fact: The name “panda” was given to them about 50 years before the famous white and black variety that we know so well.
The red panda is both a nocturnal and crepuscular animal. They are not doing much more than sleeping and eating due to their very low-calorie diet.
Elephant Line
- Photograph: Patrick Bentley
- Place: Luangwa River, Zambia
Elephants are accustomed to stand in packs, walking one after the other, and protecting the younger ones by placing them in the middle of the line.
Otherwordly
- Photograph: Franco Banfi
- Place: Isla Espíritu Santo, Baja California, Mexico
The bluish effect of this photo was created by the photographer using the underwater lights of his boat and a long exposure.
Black Friday
- Photograph: Pedro Jarque Krebs
- Context: This picture was taken in the spring, during mating time
In flamingos, both sexes engage in courtship rituals to try to seduce a suitor. These parades include group walks, head turning, sudden opening of the wings or a feint of grooming.
Resting Dragon
- Photograph: Gary Meredith
- Place: Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia
While living in sometimes difficult conditions, the long-nosed dragon has to adapt. That’s why it sometimes uses human structures, like a wire mesh outside a workshop, to take advantage of the artificial rays of commercial lights to feed on the moths and insects that stand there.
Shy.
- Photograph: Pedro Carrillo
- Place: Lembeh strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia
This type of anemone is also known as “nursery” anemone. It is common for young clownfish to reside in it temporarily while they find an anemone more suitable for their adult life.
Courtship Display
- Photograph: Thomas Hinsche
- Place: Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
In order to court a female, the drake Goldeneye throws his head backwards while pedaling his legs. This ritual is perpetrated in order to impress the female.
Proud Daddy
- Photograph: Dhritiman Mukherjee
- Place: National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarpradesh, India
In crocodiles, it is customary that a male mate with 7 or 8 females. Once the babies are born, it is him who takes care of them. In this picture, we see the male taking care of about 150 baby gharial crocodiles.
Harmony In Nature
- Photograph: Jonathan Jagot
- Place: Ilha do Lençóis, Brazil
Red Ibis are found from the southeastern United States to Brazil through the Pacific coast of Central America and the Greater Antilles. They are gregarious birds whose colonies can reach several thousand individuals.
Glamorous Fish
- Species: Red Lipped Bat Fish
- Where it lives: Galapagos Island
Also known as Ogcocephalus darwini, the Red Lipped Bat Fish lives in the marine environment, between 3 and 76 meters deep. While this species is mainly found in the Galapagos Islands, it has already been observed on the Ecuadorian and Peruvian coasts. Its lifespan is about 12 years.
Giraffe Faces
- Fun fact: Giraffes are the tallest mammals on Earth.
- Fun fact: Over short distances, a giraffe can run up to 35 miles per hour.
According to naturalists of the last two centuries, there are nine giraffe populations, differentiated by their morphology.
Nature’s Work Of Art
- Photograph: Mark Bridger
- Species: Panther Chameleon
The panther chameleon is native to Madagascar. This species is one of the largest; a male can reach a total length of 55 cm, and the female a length of 35 cm. While the female generally has duller hues, the male has much brighter colors. These hues vary depending on the region where the chameleon is found.
The Moment
- Photograph: Yongqing Bao
- Place: Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
When danger appears, the groundhog gives a laryngeal cry powerful enough to alert its fellow creatures of the danger. We can guess that the groundhog in the picture was screaming very loudly when this picture was taken!
Black And White Lace
- Photograph: Edwin Giebers
- Place: Gelderland, Netherlands
Everything leads us to believe that the reptile represented in this photo is a sand lizard. It is one of the 4 species of lizards living in the Netherlands. It is mainly found in heatlands and sand dunes.
Snow Landing
- Photograph: Jérémie Villet
- Place: Chilkat River, Alaska
When this picture was taken, the bald eagle was landing to catch a salmon swimming in the icy waters.
Portrait Of A Mother
- Photograph: Ingo Arndt
- Place: Germany
Young pumas stay with their mothers until the age of two, sometimes a little less. After that, they leave her to try to establish their own territory.
