~ A Sacred Ibis Flies In Front Of Pink Flamingos ~ By Massimomei Imagery Location: Lake Nakuru, Kenya
~ The Ice Bear ~
A polar bear peers up from beneath the melting sea ice on Hudson Bay as the setting midnight sun glows red from the smoke of distant fires during a record-breaking spell of hot weather. The Manitoba population of polar bears, the southernmost in the world, is particularly threatened by a warming climate and reduced sea ice.
Photo by Paul Souders, Grand Prize and Nature Winner National Geographic Photo Contest
~ An Owl and A Woodpecker Attempt To Intimidate One Another ~ A Little Owl (R) defends its feeding position from a Great spotted woodpecker (L) with both birds showing a their full colours with dramatic full wing extensions. Photo and caption by Ian Schofield, National Geographic Photo Contest
~ Owl and Mouse ~
Great gray owls come south from Canada into Minnesota during the winter to find food. This owl was on the north shore of Lake Superior, just south of Two Harbors, Minnesota. We happened to find him as the sun was setting, and in the evening light, we were able to be in a position to see an owl that was hunting when a mouse came out, and the owl was quick to pounce and pick up an evening meal.
Photograph by: Tom Samuelson, National Geographic Location: Minnesota, USA Editor’s Note, April 18, 2013: Since first posting this picture, we’ve received additional information. The mouse was placed in position to attract the owl.
~ The Grand Canyon ~ By National Geographic Music: Prophecy
~ Crocodile Teeth ~ By Paul Coleman Location: The Serengti
~ My Brilliant Brain - Make Me A Genius ~ Susan Polgar is the world’s first female chess grandmaster. But she wasn’t born with her brilliant brain – it was created by the unique experiment that dominated her childhood. From the age of four her father trained her for up to six hours a day at chess alone. Growing up in the early 1970s, no woman had ever held the title of chess grandmaster. It was widely believed that female brains weren’t wired with adequate spatial awareness for the game. Nowadays, memory and pattern recognition are recognised as they key areas used by experts in all fields – everyone from waiters to fire-fighters. Neither of these however, has the trained memory of a chess grandmaster. Able to recreate a chess game glimpsed only on the side of a passing van, Susan’s true genius is revealed when she plays an entire chess match over a mobile phone. Her opponent can see the board but she can’t, instead using her memory to imagine the game. By National Geographic
~ Down To The Earth's Core ~ Down to the Earth's Core takes viewers from the sidewalk to the center of the planet in one epic unbroken shot. Using spectacular computer generated imagery; the camera smashes through almost 9 000 kilos of solid rock to explore the hidden world beneath our feet. Experience an earthquake inside the San Andreas Fault, blast out of a volcano, encounter bizarre cave-dwelling creatures and enter caves full of giant crystals -- all inside planet Earth. As the camera lowers into Earth's bosom, the planet's extraordinary story, is laid bare layer by layer, showing how prehistoric forests became modern-day fuel, witnessing the dinosaur's cataclysmic death, and watching as stalactites form and gold grows before our eyes. Deeper, beyond the reach of any mine, any drill, we find wonders beyond imagination: towering molten metal tornadoes, forests of solid iron crystals, until we reach the strangest, least understood place on the planet -- the core. To infinity and beyond, this is Earth like never before. By National Geographic
~ Yosemite Valley At Dusk ~ As mist gathers in Yosemite Valley, the headlights from automobiles illuminate the ground fog in May, 2011. By Phil Hawkins
~ How Stars Are Formed and Born ~ Courtesy Of: NatGeoTV
~ MoonWalk ~ The ultimate full moon shot. Dean Potter walks a highline at Cathedral Peak as the sun sets and the moon rises. Shot from over 1 mile away with a Canon 800mm and 2X by Michael Schaefer This shot was part of a bigger project for National Geographic called The Man Who Can Fly Music track is Will Bolton
~ Evacuate Earth ~ By The National Geographic Channel
~ Koshki ~ Rescued as a cub from the hands of a poacher, five-year-old Koshki grew up in a reserve in northeast Iran. He’s one of only two Asiatic cheetahs living in captivity. A thick tuft of fur on his shoulders, needed for bitter winters on the high steppes of central Iran, sets him apart from African cheetahs. Photograph by Frans Lanting Via: National Geographic
~ Nasca Line ~ In the coastal desert of southern Peru, sprawling figures etched on the land—a spider, a monkey, a strange flying animal, and more—have inspired wonder in air travelers since first spotted in the 1920s. Now scientists believe they know why ancient people created the designs, beginning more than 2,000 years ago. By Robert Clark Location: Peru Via: National Geographic
~ Marine Life - Mysteries Of The Deep ~ The oceans cover 70% of Earth's surface, and are almost entirely unexplored. The fact that even in the best-known regions, we have sampled less than 1% of the seafloor - we are now beginning to realise the deep is home to a spectacular diversity of organisms. With technological advances allowing scientists to go deeper and deeper beneath the waves, catch a glimpse of the deep-sea creatures lurking below. Director: Elise Swerhone Producers: Merit Jensen Carr, Sandra Moore Narrator: Peter Harlowe Writer& Editor: Robert Lower One Ocean Productions Inc. © 2010 For National Geographic Channels
~ Bee-Eater In Flight ~ A brilliant blur as it plucks a butterfly from the air, the European bee-eater leads a colorful life on three continents. By Jószsef L. Szentpéteri Via: National Geographic
Yeti Crab The yeti crab is so unusual that a whole new family of animal had to be created to classify it. Kiwa hirsuta was found on the floor of the 7,540-foot-deep (2,300-meter-deep) Pacific Ocean some 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) south of Easter Island. In many ways the newly discovered species remains a mystery. Its hairy pincer arms host colonies of bacteria, which it may cultivate for food, for protection from toxic fluids issuing from nearby volcanic vents, or as “sensors” that help the blind animal find a mate.
Photograph by Ifremer A. Fifis, Census of Marine Life Via: National Geographic