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Timber Wolves
Photograph by Jacqueline Crivello, Your Shot
The secret behaviors of the timber wolves revealed in this photograph ascribe almost human attributes within the realm of affection and offerings of familial respect. We see activity pictured that normally stays well hidden from the human eye. It touches our heart and leaves us feeling as though a pet has just wandered through our mind leaving a lasting impression as less than fearless creature, but a caring and giving huggable friend. Yet their complexities we know exist.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)
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Hang En Cave, Vietnam
Photograph by Carsten Peter, National Geographic
Going underground, expedition members enter Hang En, a cave tunneled out by the Rao Thuong River. Dwindling to a series of ponds during the dry months, the river can rise almost 300 feet (91 meters) during the flood season, covering the rocks where cavers stand.
See more photographs from the January 2011 feature story "Conquering an Infinite Cave."
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Penstemons, Tahoe National Forest
Photograph by Raymond Gehman, National Geographic
A field of penstemons surround burnt-out tree trunks in Tahoe National Forest, Nevada.
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Frog and Crocodile, South Africa
Photograph by Jonathan Blair, National Geographic
A year-old Nile crocodile attempts to snap up a frog in the St. Lucia Estuary. Part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, which UNESCO named a World Heritage site in 1999, the protected area is Africa’s largest estuarine system.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)
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Autumn Landscape, Adirondacks
Photograph by Michael Melford, National Geographic
Sunlight dapples the shoulders of Algonquin and Wright, two of the more than 40 so-called High Peaks that rise above 4,000 feet. Once blighted by logging and industry, the region has undergone a renaissance of woods and waters.
See more pictures from the September 2011 feature story "Forever Wild."
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Lemurs, Madagascar
Photograph by Stephen Alvarez, National Geographic
Decken's sifakas appear right at home in their karst home in western Madagascar. These lemurs live among the unusual pinnacles of the Tsingy de Bemaraha, which started to form 1.8 million years ago as groundwater dissolved and shaped the porous limestone.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)
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Lightning, Dubai
Photograph by Maxim Shatrov, My Shot
In Dubai, natural and man-made electricity illuminate the night. As jagged needles of lightning darn an overcast sky, the sail-shaped, 1,053-foot-tall (321-meter) Burj Al Arab hotel glows green on the edge of the Persian Gulf.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)
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Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Photograph by Patrick di Fruscia
Building clouds and a setting sun reflect on a sandy beach on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. The Pacific offers tranquil beauty and good surfing, just two of many reasons why this stable Central American country has become a favorite destination.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)
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Cave Diving, Yucatan Peninsula
Photograph by Christian Vizl
I have been a cave diver since 1997, and I've always been amazed by the natural beauty and uniqueness that you can find in the cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. They are spectacular in many ways, some of them very obvious, like the enormous stalactites and stalagmites, crystal-clear water, and the mystery and history mixed in the middle of the jungle. But there is also a more subtle beauty in them, hidden in their unique colors and details that are not easily spotted by diving or snorkeling in them. So that is my goal, to capture the fantastic details hidden in these natural wonders.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2011 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.)
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Cotton Grass, Iceland
Photograph by Jennifer Jesse
This photograph was taken in July of 2010 while hiking in a region of Iceland called Landmannalaugar. People come to this area in order to see the colorful rhyolite mountains. During our trip we had come across small amounts of cotton grass along the roads, but I never expected to see such a huge field of it. This image represents what Iceland is all about. Just when you think the landscape can't surprise you any more, something else even more amazing comes along.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2010 National Geographic Photography Contest.)
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Five Flower Lake, China
Photograph by Michael Yamashita, National Geographic
Verdant trees reflect in the morning waters of Five Flower Lake, colored by mineral deposits and aquatic plant life. Five Flower is one of 118 lakes in Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, which came under Chinese protection in 1978.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)
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Leopard, South Africa
Photograph by Madison Hall
A dew-bathed juvenile leopard takes a peaceful moment atop a fallen tree on a wintery South African morning. Compared with other African game, leopards are famously shy and rarely seen, partially because of their largely nocturnal hunting habits. Leopards number among many other species of top predators whose population numbers are falling due to human impacts, making this a special sighting of a rare animal that is both powerful and extraordinarily gorgeous.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2011 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.)
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Volcano, Tanzania
Photograph by Olivier Grunewald
A camera’s long nighttime exposure reveals the red glow of lava spilling from Mount Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania’s Rift Valley. The volcano’s lava, which appears brown to the naked eye, has the consistency of olive oil.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)
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Moss-Covered Truck, Michigan
Photograph by Jason Rydquist, My Shot
It’s hard to imagine this 1940s Chevrolet pickup moving down the road. Showcasing the ephemeral truth of automobiles, the earth has overtaken it.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)
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El Capitan, Yosemite National Park
Photograph by Jean Slavin, My Shot
This is a photograph of the reflection of El Capitan in the Merced River in winter in Yosemite National Park.
(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)
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Lake of Zug, Switzerland
Photograph by Ingo Meckmann, My Shot
A snow-covered dock at the Lake of Zug in central Switzerland right before sunrise
(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)
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