Cool Pitures (2024)

$Rainbow wingsVictor Tyakht, RussiaThe bird's wing acts as a diffraction grating - a surface structure with a repeating p...$

30/11/2016

Rainbow wings
Victor Tyakht, Russia

The bird's wing acts as a diffraction grating - a surface structure with a repeating pattern of ridges or slits. The structure causes the incoming light rays to spread out, bend and split into spectral colours, producing this shimmering rainbow effect.

30/11/2016

Breakfast time
Cari Hill, New Zealand

Shortly after purchasing the Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya, the owners learned that the only remaining Rothschild's giraffes in the country were at risk, as their sole habitat was being subdivided into smallholdings. So they began a breeding programme to reintroduce the Rothschild's giraffe into the wild. Today, guests can enjoy visits from resident giraffes in search of a treat.

30/11/2016

Confusion
Rudi Hulshof, South Africa

Rudi Hulshof wanted to capture the uncertainty of the future of the southern white rhino in the Welgevonden Game Reserve, South Africa, because of poaching. He anticipated the moment when these two rhinos would walk past each other, creating this silhouette effect and the illusion of a two-headed rhino.

30/11/2016

Eye contact
Guy Edwardes, UK

The Dalmatian pelican, seen here on Lake Kerkini, Greece, is the largest species of pelican in the world. It is native to eastern Europe, Russia and Asia. However, its population is currently threatened in some areas from hunting, water pollution and habitat loss, particularly a decline in wetlands.

30/11/2016

The blue trail
Mario Cea, Spain

The kingfisher frequented this natural pond every day, and Mario Cea used a high shutter speed with artificial light to photograph it. He used several units of flash for the kingfisher and a continuous light to capture the wake as the bird dived down towards the water.

30/11/2016

Jelly starburst
Andrea Marshall, US

Andrea Marshall was snorkelling off the coast of Mozambique when she came across hundreds of large jelly-fish. Many were covered with brittle stars - opportunistic riders, taking advantage of this transport system to disperse along the coast. Delicate lighting makes the jelly glow, so the viewer can focus on the subtle colours and textures.

30/11/2016

The couple
Sergio Sarta, Italy

During a dive off the coast of Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia, Sergio Sarta saw a bright-coloured organism - a fire urchin with an elegant couple of little Coleman shrimps. The fire urchin has quills that are very toxic to humans - the shrimps avoid this danger by seeking out safe areas between the quills.

30/11/2016

Colorado red
Annie Katz, US

It was a crisp, clear day in January when Annie Katz saw this Colorado red fox hunting in her neighbour's field in Aspen, Colorado, US. The light was perfect, and she took the photo as the fox approached her, looking right into the lens of her camera.

30/11/2016

Facing the storm
Gunther Riehle, Germany

Gunther Riehle arrived at the sea-ice in Antarctica in sunshine, but by the evening a storm had picked up - and then came snow. He concentrated on taking images of the emperor penguin chicks huddled together to shield themselves.

30/11/2016

The stare of death
Johan Kloppers, South Africa

Johan Kloppers saw this little wildebeest shortly after it was born in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. Little did he know that he would witness its death later that same day. The small herd of wildebeest walked right past a pride of lions, and the calf was caught by a lioness and then taken by this male lion.

30/11/2016

Opportunistic croc
Bence Mate, Hungary

Although this shot was taken from a safe hide, Bence Mate says it was chilling to see the killing eyes of this 4m (13ft) Nile crocodile. This one had been baited with natural carcasses on an island in the Zimanga Private Game Reserve, South Africa, but crocodiles also come here just to bask in the Sun.

30/11/2016

A mother's hand
Alain Mafart Renodier, France
A mother's hand by Alain Mafart Renodier,

Alain Mafart Renodier was on a winter visit to Japan's Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park when he took this photograph of a sleeping baby Japanese macaque, its mother's hand covering its head protectively.

30/11/2016

A cub escapes deep snow by hitching a ride on its mother's backside in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada.

Taken by Daisy Gilardini, from Switzerland, the photo is one of 25 shortlisted for the People's Choice Award in the latest Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition - on show now at the Natural History Museum in London.

23/07/2016

Located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, this archipelago is made up of four remote islands and their surrounding waters: San Benedicto, Socorro, Roca Partida and Clarión. This archipelago is part of a submerged mountain range, with the four islands representing the peaks of volcanoes emerging above sea level. The islands provide critical habitat for a range of wildlife and are of particular importance for seabirds. The surrounding waters have a remarkable abundance of large pelagic species, such as manta rays, whales, dolphins and sharks.

22/07/2016

This fossil site is located at the south-eastern tip of the island of Newfoundland, in eastern Canada. It consists of a narrow, 17 km-long strip of rugged coastal cliffs. Of deep marine origin, these cliffs date to the Edicarean Period (580-560 million years ago), representing the oldest known assemblages of large fossils anywhere. These fossils illustrate a watershed in the history of life on earth: the appearance of large, biologically complex organisms, after almost three billion years of micro-dominated evolution.

21/07/2016

Located in Hubei Province, in central-eastern China, the site consists of two components: Shennongding/Badong to the west and Laojunshan to the east. It protects the largest primary forests remaining in Central China and provides habitat for many rare animal species, such as the Chinese Giant Salamander, the Golden or Snub-nosed Monkey, the Clouded Leopard, Common Leopard and the Asian Black Bear. Hubei Shennongjia is one of three centres of biodiversity in China. The site features prominently in the history of botanical research and was the object of international plant collecting expeditions in the 19th and 20th centuries.

08/06/2016

Are you trudging through life slowly? Well, this fish—found inside a jellyfish—can sympathize with you.

Back in December, ocean photographers Tim Samuel and Franny Plumridge were freediving in Byron Bay, off the east coast of Australia, when Samuel spotted a curious scene. He made a picture of a yellow fish stuck inside a translucent jellyfish and posted it to his Instagram account.

It wasn’t until DiscoverOcean republished the picture on Tuesday that the image went viral. Samuel says he later posted the picture to Reddit, where it made the trending list—twice.

“Woke up this morning to my phone going crazy due to one [of] my photos being reposted,” Samuel wrote on Instagram. “It is crazy how much attention this little guy is getting.”

In his years of photographing marine life, Samuel hadn’t seen a similar scene before. The fish’s tail was sticking outside the back of the jelly, so it was able to propel the creature forward. Over the 20 minutes that Samuel and Plumridge watched in curiosity and amazement, the fish/jellyfish wobbled and swam in circles. The fish knocked the jelly off balance and pushed it from side to side in the water. At some points, the duo just stopped moving.

“I’d never seen anything like it before,” Samuel says.

After taking in the scene, Samuel and Plumridge left to photograph turtles.

"I definitely thought about setting it free,” Samuel told CNN, “but in the end decided to just let nature run its course."

30/05/2016

Midnight Magic

Photograph by Marino Sallowicz, National Geographic Your Shot

On a carousel in Rome, Italy, backlight seems to animate one of the horses. This image was submitted by Your Shot community member Marino Sallowicz, who calls it “the beginning of a fairy-tale midnight.”

Sallowicz's shot was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

28/05/2016

Jerusalem's Old City

A Christian pilgrim holds a candle during Easter Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed to be the burial site of Jesus Christ, in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, May 1, 2016.

26/05/2016

Pucon, Chile

Villarrica Volcano is seen at night from Villarrica national park in Pucon, Chile, May 4, 2016.

24/05/2016

Light Echoes Used to Study Protoplanetary Disks

This illustration shows a star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk. A new study uses data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and four ground-based telescopes to determine the distance from a star to the inner rim of its surrounding protoplanetary disk. Researchers used a method called "photo-reverberation," also known as "light echoes.

22/05/2016

Wild Beauty in Big Sur

Photograph by Israel De Alba, National Geographic Your Shot

The exoticism of Big Sur, California, is on vivid display in this colorful photo submitted by Your Shot member Israel De Alba. It’s little wonder that many American artists—writers Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac, and photographer Ansel Adams included—were inspired here.

07/05/2016

Night Watch

Photograph by Pietro Sorano, National Geographic Your Shot

On a clear night, a lone tree stands like a sentry over a small hill in Pavullo nel Frignano, Italy. "I took this picture after seeing a reflected light on this tree, alone in the countryside," writes Pietro Sorano, who submitted the photo. "I tried to capture the moment with the stars that served as a backdrop to this magnificent scenery."

06/05/2016

"A Magical Night"

Photograph by Satu Juvonen, National Geographic Your Shot

In Finland, a scattering of trees draped in heavy snow crosses the landscape, and the northern lights toss ribbons of color across the sky. This image was shared by Your Shot member Satu Javonen, who writes, “[It was] a magical night in Lapland.”

05/05/2016

Gatekeeper

Photograph by Danielle Lussier, National Geographic Your Shot

“As I biked about the Aran Islands in Ireland,” writes Danielle Lussier, who submitted this photo, “I came across this horse ambling about in front of these church ruins, just after the daily Irish drizzle. He finally struck a pose for me at the gate.”

03/05/2016

Sunrise Ritual

Photograph by Neetesh Kumar, National Geographic Your Shot

A man balances on a stone protruding from Kolavai Lake in India’s Tamil Nadu state, an area known for its temples as well as its natural beauty. “The man [was] just washing his legs,” says Your Shot member and photographer Neetesh Kumar, who shot this photo as the sun rose.

02/05/2016

A Natural Rush

Photograph by Victoria Komarevych, National Geographic Your Shot

Your Shot member Victoria Komarevych shared this photo of Chamarel Falls as it cascades more than 300 feet into a lush gorge. The falls are located on Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. Ecotourism is an expanding industry here, as the volcanic island features extraordinary landscapes and marine life.

01/05/2016

Mountain Sanctuary

Photograph by Giacomo Marchegiani, National Geographic Your Shot

The Temple of Valadier welcomes visitors to a cave in the Frasassi Gorge in Italy’s Marches region. The eponymous structure, designed by Italian architect Giuseppe Valadier in the early 1800s, was to be used as a retreat for Christians seeking forgiveness, earning it the nickname “refuge for sinners.”

30/04/2016

Work Together

Photograph by Malgorzata Walkowska, National Geographic Your Shot

“[It’s] early morning in the field,” writes photographer and Your Shot member Malgorzata Walkowska, and apparently the farmer in the background isn’t the only one who rose early to tend to his work: A hardworking spider has been busy spinning an intricate web on plants nearby.

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