Seal Pup Season in England
A Grey Seal pup and it’s mother lay in the mud at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s Donna Nook nature reserve on November 24, 2014 in Grimsby, England. Seal pup numbers have increased on last year with over 800 pups born at the reserve so far. Large bull seals are the first to arrive at the reserve in late October or early November where they will wait for females. The Cow’s arrive later and are herded into harems by the bulls, where they give birth to a single pup which is covered in white fur. The seals return to the North Sea in January before returning to the same area to give birth the following year. The Donna Nook reserve is the UK’s premier destination to see Grey Seals and thousands of visitors from across the country come to see the wildlife spectacle every year. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
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Rabbit Showjumping at an Animal Fair in Stuttgart
The Grand National springs to mind as the yearly highlight of the “sport of kings” – thoroughbred steeds and their brave jockeys triumphing (or failing) over gruelling courses and high-fenced adversity. And now steeplechase enthusiasts can add another event to the annuls of great sporting occasions, namely the Stuttgart rabbit show jumping. Here: Rabbit showjumping at an animal fair in Stuttgart, Germany, on November 16, 2014. (Photos by Action Press/Rex Features)
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Surfing Penguins
These surfing penguins are making waves as they glide gracefully across the ocean.They are showcasing their talent as they arrive on the East Coast beach of New Island in the Falklands.The penguins are of the gentoo species, characterised by their bright orange bills and the distinctive white stripes on their heads. The dazzling images were captured by amateur photographer Shanu Subra, during a 26 day ecology expedition. Here: a lone penguin balancing cooly on a single foot as it catches a wave. (Photos by Shanu Subra/Solent News/SIPA Press) Continue reading »
Red Panda Makes Herself at Home in the Moscow Zoo
An 18-month old female red panda named Zein, brought to the Moscow Zoo from Dublin. A female red panda named Zein has become the newest resident of the Moscow Zoo. According to a zoo representative, a second such animal may be brought to Moscow next year. Continue reading »
Cuban Couple Keeps Rodents Called Hutias as Pets
In this November 17, 2014 photo, Congui, a domesticated huitia, rides on the front door of an American classic car driven by its owner Rafael Lopez, in Bainoa, Cuba. Five years ago Lopez and his wife Ana Pedraza adopted Congui, their first pet huitia, a large rodent that lives in Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas and some of the smaller Caribbean islands. More than a half-dozen more of the furry animals have been born at their home after occasionally bringing in a male huitia in to mate with Congui. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)
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2014 Super Cat Show in Rome
A cat is examined by the jury during the first day of the Super Cat Show 2014, on November 8, 2014 in Rome, Italy. The Super Cat Show 2014, which takes place on the 8th and 9th of November, involves the participation of 800 cats of different breeds from all over the world. (Photo by Giorgio Cosulich/Getty Images)
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Baby Mammoth Yuka on Display in Moscow
The Yakutian baby mammoth “Yuka” delivered to the Central Artist House before the onset of the Russian Geographical Society Festival. (© RIA NOVOSTI. VITALY BELOUSOV)
The best-preserved mammoth carcass ever to be found, dubbed “Yuka” by scientists, was delivered to the Central Artist House on October 28 before the onset of the Russian Geographical Society Festival.
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No Rat Shall Pass: Cats of the Hermitage Museum
The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, once home to Russia’s ruling Romanov dynasty, is now the centerpiece of the world-renown State Hermitage Museum; its new tenants are a population of stray cats, who control the local population of mice and rats that threatens the museum’s exhibits. Continue reading »
Best Wildlife Photos of 2014
The winners of the 50th Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition have been announced by London’s Natural History Museum.
Stinger in the sun by Carlos Perez Naval (Spain)
Aware of Carlos’s presence, the common yellow scorpion is flourishing its sting as a warning. Carlos had found it basking on a flat stone in a rocky area near his home in Torralba de los Sisones, northeast Spain — also a place that he goes to look for reptiles. The late afternoon sun was casting such a lovely glow over the scene that Carlos decided to experiment with a double exposure (his first ever) so he could include the sun. He started with the background, using a fast speed so as not to overexpose the sun, and then shot the scorpion, using a low flash. But he had to change lenses (he used his zoom for the sun), which is when the scorpion noticed the movement and raised its tail. Carlos then had to wait for it to settle before taking his close-up, with the last rays of the sun lighting up its body.
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Monty the Cat Without a Nasal Bone
If you love someone very much, you care very little about their looks. The beauty of their soul is the thing that matters the most, changing your perception of them for the better.
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Orphaned Sea Otter Pup Finds Home in Chicago
Weighing in at just under 6 pounds and at 22.6 inches long, the female pup arrived at Shedd in late October from Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, where she spent the first four weeks of her life being stabilized. The pup has been doing well since her arrival, receiving continual care behind the scenes of Shedd’s Abbott Oceanarium. Currently referred to as “Pup 681”, Shedd’s animal care and veterinarian teams are providing the continual, round-the-clock care she needs to thrive. Photos used with permisson from Shedd Aquarium. (Photos by Brenna Hernandez/AP Photo) Continue reading »
India Destroys Stockpile of Illegal Wildlife Parts
Indian authorities set fire Sunday to a stockpile of tiger skins, elephant tusks, rhino horns and other illegal animal parts in an effort to discourage wildlife smuggling in South Asia. Animal poaching and smuggling have flourished in India, driven by black market demand from China, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries where many believe exotic animal parts have medicinal or aphrodisiacal properties. In most cases, there is no scientific evidence that they do. Indian Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar loaded more than 42,000 illegal animal parts into a large, blazing oven at the Delhi Zoo. The parts included tiger and leopard pelts, reptile skins, rhino horns and shawls made from endangered Tibetan antelope called shahtoosh. Wildlife officials and members of the media crammed into the small room at the zoo to witness the inferno.
Indian authorities hold a tiger skin as they set fire to a stockpile of illegal wildlife parts at the Delhi Zoo in New Delhi, India, Sunday, November 2, 2014. A stockpile of tiger skins, elephant tusks, rhino horns and other illegal animal parts were burned Sunday in an effort to discourage wildlife smuggling in South Asia. (Photo by Tsering Topgyal/AP Photo)
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Golden Retriever Adopted a Kitten
There is nothing more endearing than seeing true friendship and love. Especially, if it as improbable as that of a big dog and a tiny kitten. Somehow, animals feel when they are dealing with a baby. For example, no matter how much a toddler will tug on the tail of a cat and play roughly with it, it will never or very rarely fight back. This set of pictures taken by Jessie Pon shows a tiny kitten mistaking an adult golden retriever for his mother. Though it may hurt the dog’s nose with its sharp claws, the dog does nothing to harm the kitty. On the contrary, it’s watching over the kitty-cat as if it were her own puppy.
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Three Little Witches of Eastwick
Roxy, Bono and Blue in costumes inspired by Tim Burton’s films in Sonoma County, California, 2014. As Halloween draws closer even pugs are dressing up in costumes. But these outfits are unlikely to give anyone nightmares and are more cute than creepy. Philip Lauer, from California, has dressed his three pets Bono, Blue and Roxy, in adorable costumes – with witch hats and black capes. His home in Sonoma County, California, has its own studio to take professional pictures of the posing pups. Every year he and wife wife Sue dress their pets in creepy costumes and send pictures of them to their friends and family as a spooky treat. (Photo by Phillip Lauer/Barcroft Media)
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South African Rhinos Relocated to Escape Poachers
Dr. Marius Kruger (C) and memeber of the Kruger National Park keeps the head of a rhino up during a white rhino relocation capture on October 17, 2014. The Kruger National Park relocated four rhinoceros from a high risk poaching area to a safer area as part of ongoing strategic rhinoceros management plan. (Photo by Stefan Heunis/AFP Photo)
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Nimbus, a 2-Month Old Clouded Leopard Cub
Nimbus, the 2 month old clouded leopard cub, who was hand reared at the home of curator Jamie Craig. Photographed sitting in her hammock at Cotswold Wildlife Park, Burford, Oxfordshire, UK on September 2014. Jamie Craig the curator of the Cotswold Wildlife park has hand reared the baby clouded leopard in his family bathroom after he was rejected by his mother. Now two months old Nimbus is been fed a cat milk replacement diet by bottle and is given soft toys to play with. It is hoped that the leopard will re-join others at the park and eventually join their breeding program. (Photo by SWNS/ABACAPress)
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A Drunk Mountain Gorilla
Mountain Gorilla, Dominant Silver Back (Gorilla gorilla beringei) completely drunk due to the consumtion of new bamboo stems which cause a fermentation in their stomack and make the gorillas drunk, including the young ones. This behaviour, sometimes crazy, occurs during the rain season, when the bamboos stems are growing very quickly, and are extremely rich in proteins and are very attractive. In such situation the gorillas are extremelly active and playfull, the Silver back can develops strange behaviour and hit the visitors on their way. Kwitonda Group, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. (Photo by Christophe Courteau) Continue reading »
Stunning Photos Of The Colony Of Gannets Diving For Fish Off Coast Of Shetland Isles
A gannet grabs a fish by its beak, 2014, in Shetland, Scotland. Hundreds of gannets crash into the sea in search of food – leaving a trail of air bubbles in their wake. Richard Shucksmith on the Shetland Isles, Scotland captured the remarkable scene as he took a boat to feed the large colony of seabirds that nested on the cliffs. The photographer has taken images of the gannets every summer for the last three years as the birds gather on the cliffs to breed. Continue reading »
Wildscreen Photography Festival 2014
From towering elephants to tiny insects, photographers will be offering a rare insight into the natural world at this year’s Wildscreen Photography Festival 2014. The festival, formerly known as WildPhotos, is the UK’s largest wildlife photography show. The Wildscreen Photography Festival 2014 will be taking place between 24-26 October at London’s Royal Geographical Society.
A snorkeller photographing a whale shark as it feeds, Yucatan Peninsular, Mexico. (Photo by Alexander Mustard/Wildscreen Photography Festival 2014)
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PetCam: The World Through The Lens Of Our Four-Legged Friends
Photographer and animal lover Chris Keeney shows how to use a PetCam with your own pet and offers expert technical know-how and inspiring creative suggestions to get you started. This is Coulee, a border collie/golden retriver mix from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Chris Keeney/Princeton Architectural Press) Continue reading »
Creatures Of The Night: Photographer Traer Scott Captured The Wild Children Of The Night
Sometimes it’s easier to hear than to see nocturnal animals. “Listen to them – the children of the night! What music they make!” Dracula says in the famous 1931 movie. In a beautiful book titled “Nocturne: Creatures of the Night”, photographer Traer Scott shines a spotlight, or at least a well-timed flash, on the children of the night. Here you see the coils of a Burmese python, which can grow up to 12 feet long in the rain forests and wetlands of Southeast Asia. (Photo by Traer Scott/Chronicle Books) Continue reading »
A Dog Race in Shakopee, Minnesota
Spunky runs during the third heat of a dog race Monday, September 1, 2014, at Canterbury Park, in Shakopee, Minn. Canterbury Park hosted their annual Labor Day Wiener Dog Wars in which dogs competed in seven races on the horse track for the title of Grand Champion. (Photo by Jeff Wheeler/AP Photo/The Star Tribune)
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Photo Series Captures the Quiet Dignity of Search and Rescue Dogs that Served During 9/11
Abigail. Ojai, CA. (Photo by Charlotte Dumas)
We all know that hundreds of firefighters, police officers and ambulance crews helped out on 9/11 to rescue those trapped in the World Trade Center, but rarely do we hear about the heroic rescue dogs of that fateful day. With the help of FEMA, photographer Charlotte Dumas tracked down 15 dogs who worked to find survivors in the rubble of the twin towers, and fittingly named her photo series Retrieved. Continue reading »
Pictures of Animals Posing as Humans by Svetlana Valyiskaya
Cat poses with balloons in a tux. (Photo by Svetlana Valyiskaya/Mercury)
It’s often said that pets and their owners can start to look alike, but these adorable photographs take the old mantra to a new extreme. They are the work of Svetlana Valyiskaya, from St Petersburg, Russia, who snaps pets in everyday poses in her spare time from her job as a commercial photographer. Continue reading »
Mongoose vs Four Lions: An Epic Battle In Kenyan Savannah
A mongoose emerges from its hole as lions wait nearby on September 10, 2011 in Maasai Mara, Kenya. Four lions were left with their tails between their legs when a mongoose bravely took on the predators. Despite being under two feet tall, the aggressive mongoose growled at the felines and even bit one on the nose. The shocking fight, which was photographed in 2011 but has just been released, began in the Masaai Mara National Park, Kenya, when photographer Jerome Guillaumot came across four young lions surrounding the terrified marsh mongoose. The lions chased the mongoose into a hole in the ground but the small animal reemerged to fight the predators once again before running for cover. (Photo by Jerome Guillaumot/Barcroft Media) Continue reading »
