Macaque in Snow

This surrealistic image was captured by Jasper Doest, winning the 2014 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year; WINNER: Creative Visions.

 Doest caught this image as a blast of cold wind blew over the hot springs of Jigokudani, central Japan, where the Macaques like to warm themselves.  The cold wind hits the hot steam rising from hot pools, creating fantastic effects.

Jaguar Mating Dance

This image brought the Joe McDonald the 2014 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award; WINNER: Behavior: Mammals McDonald captured this image on the banks of Three Brothers River in Brazil’s Pantanal.

The story behind the photo is as follows:  McDonald and others were in a boat off the riverbank when a female jaguar (left) emerged from the brush and went to the river to drink.  Soon after, a male emerged, drank and approached the female.  She attacked and backed him into the brush, but soon after, both disappeared into the jungle together to continue to mating dance.

Polar Bear Swimming Around Sea Ice

Polar bears are excellent swimmers and can stay underwater for up to two minutes, using their strong front paws to propel themselves through the water. They are also skilled hunters and mainly feed on seals, using their powerful jaws and sharp teeth to catch their prey. However, polar bears are facing many challenges due to climate change, which is causing the sea ice to melt and reducing their access to food. Conservation efforts are underway to help protect polar bear populations and their fragile Arctic habitat.

Paul Souders wins the  BBC 2014 Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Animals in Their Environment award , for this eerie image of a polar bear swimming around ice.  Taken 30 miles off the shore of Canada, it took Souders 3 days to scout for the shot.

Three Lions

Jonathan and Angie Scott are multi award-winning wildlife photographers and live in Kenya, where they spend much of their time with African wildlife at the Masai Mara National Game Reserve.

The Mara is a sanctuary for more than 200 lions, possibly 80 leopards and around 50 cheetahs, some of which Jonathan and Angie have followed throughout their lives.

Amur Leopard

The Amur Leopard is the rarest cat on Earth, with only about 30 cats living in the wild.  They are a subspecies that is native to southeastern Russian and have been classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN since 1996. 

Two Black Tailed Fawns Playing

This image of two Black-Tailed deer fawns are caught frolicking with one another on Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park in Washington state was taken by Mary Campbell, for which she was awarded the grand prize in the 2008 Northwest Exposure Photo Contest.

Image Credit: Mary Campbell

Giraffes In a Storm

This image of two giraffes facing an approaching storm was captured by Marina Cano while she vacationed in Africa. I am very impressed by her collection, which you can enjoy by clicking this picture.

Image Credit: Marina Cano