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 »
A Young Elephant Calf vs Buffalo Bull in South Africa
Conrad Cramer/Barcroft Media
The buffalo bull charges, on March 23, 2014, in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa. A young elephant calf tried to attack an old buffalo bull and was taught a lesson it will never forget. Continue reading »
A Dog Show in Seoul
In a photo taken on August 30, 2014 dog owners prepare to shave their poodles during a competition at a dog show in Seoul. Some 2000 dogs took part in the three-day show organised by the Korea Kennel Federation which was celebrating its 58th anniversary. Dog ownership in South Korea is a growing industry widely reported to have passed 10 million in 2013, with private expenditure on pet supplies increasing some 14 percent per year since 2000, according to a report by the Nonghyup Economic Research Institute. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)
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Moose Comes to Work
A young moose stands behind a window in an administration building of Siemens in Dresden, Germany Monday August 25, 2014. Police are trying to capture a moose on the loose in the eastern German city of Dresden. A spokesman for Dresden police says the young bull walked into the offices of German industrial giant Siemens on Monday and got stuck behind a glass wall. Marko Laske says officers and wildlife are trying to shoo the moose into a container so he can be taken to the local zoo. Moose are rare in Germany and the animal is likely to have come from neighboring Poland. (Photo by Arno Burgi/AP Photo/DPA)
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Photographer Katie Yeaton Makes These Beautiful Photos Of Rescue Dogs Wedding
When wedding photographer Katie Yeaton saw that one of her dogs had white fur and the other had black-and-white fur, she did what only a wedding photographer could do: she threw them a backyard wedding complete with professional photography to remember the day. Continue reading »
Alabama Hunters Haul in 1,000-Pound Alligator
In this Saturday, August 16, 2014 photo, a large alligator weighing 1011.5 pounds measuring 15-feet long is pictured in Thomaston, Ala. The alligator was caught in the Alabama River near Camden, Ala., by Mandy Stokes and family, according to AL.COM. (Photo by Sharon Steinmann/AP Photo/Al.com)
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Monkey Selfie
These are the chimp-ly marvellous images captured by a cheeky monkey after turning the tables on a photographer who left his camera unmanned. The inquisitive scamp playfully went to investigate the equipment before becoming fascinated with his own reflection in the lens. And it wasnt long before the crested black macaque hijacked the camera and started snapping away sending award-winning photographer David Slater bananas. David, from Coleford, Gloucestershire, was on a trip to a small national park north of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi when he met the incredibly friendly bunch. Continue reading »
Dog Shopkeeper from Musashi-Koganei,Tokyo
A friendly Shiba Inu in Musashi-Koganei, Tokyo greets customers at the Shimada Cigarette Shop, and he is becoming somewhat of a local celebrity. Continue reading »
The Frog and Snake
The frog and snake. Clinging on with sticky toes, a green tree frog sits bravely on its unlikely friend – a large tree python. Curled around the branches of a small coconut tree, the snake appears relatively undisturbed by the bold passenger that has clambered onto its skin. Grown in captivity together, the pair display no signs of aggression or fear, comfortable with their encounters high up in the leafy branches. Photo enthusiast Fahmi Bhs watched in surprise as the frog slowly climbed along the scales of the metre long snake in a zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photos by Fahmi Bhs/Solent News/SIPA Press)
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