National Geographic Photo of the Day

Caravanner and Camels, Mali

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

A caravanner of mixed Tuareg and Arab descent leads his camels in Mali. His Tuareg uncles taught him which plants can cure—or kill—his animals and how to navigate by the color, texture, and taste of sand.

See more pictures from the September 2011 feature story "Lost Lords of the Sahara."

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Squirrel in Snow

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

Photographed during a snowstorm in New Jersey

(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)

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Anhinga, Everglades National Park

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

This photo was taken on the Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park, in July 2010. The anhinga bird had just surfaced from the stream, having skewered the fish. Taken with a Nikon D50.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Crabeater Seal, Antarctica

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

A cute crabeater seal peeked out at us from behind a piece of snow but wasn't bothered by our presence. I think he was just as curious as we were. He didn't move except to look at us and stretch. Sun was shimmering on his fur and the ice and snow he was laying on. It was the trip of a lifetime with the family, December 2011. Took this while Zodiac cruising in Cierva Cove, Antarctica, with Lindblad Expeditions on the National Geographic Explorer.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Elephants, Serengeti

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

Elephants roam the Serengeti under a stormy sky in this photo by Michael “Nick” Nichols, who sent dispatches from the field as he shot a story for National Geographic magazine.

See more pictures from Michael "Nick" Nichols's Project: Serengeti Lions, part of an ongoing series documenting the work of photographers in the field.

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Tigers, India

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

Meet Smasher—the male in the background. That's the name Steve Winter gave this youngster, cooling off in a watering hole in Bandhavgarh National Park, after he slapped the automated camera trap until it stopped clicking. Both tigers are thought to have killed people, and Smasher is now in captivity.

See more pictures from the December 2011 feature story “A Cry for the Tiger.”

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Crayfish, Australia

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

A foot-long crayfish dodges a hiker fording a stream in Australia's Claustral Canyon. The color of these crayfish, called yabbies by canyoneers, remains a puzzle. In some streams they're orange. In others they're blue. The difference is due partly to water purity—the blue ones are found in the clearest water.

See more pictures from the October 2011 feature story “Deep Down Under.”

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Springboks, South Africa

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

The golden light at dusk and dawn in the Kalahari is amazing and can enhance the mood of a scene greatly. On this particular morning in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the rising sun was filtered by an ancient forest of camel thorn acacia trees, with a herd of springbok gazelles in attendance to complete the scene.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Gray Wolf, Washington

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

A gray wolf rests at Wolf Haven International, a wolf sanctuary in Washington State.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Whale Shark, New Guinea

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

"Suddenly he just jumped in!" says photographer Michael Aw. Sarmin Tangadji, the Papua police officer who escorted the photographic team to where the sharks congregate, "was so excited to see them up close." Aw shares that excitement when it comes to diving with a dozen whale sharks: "You are sandwiched in, sharks ahead and behind, but you want to be there," he says. "They make eye contact with you and then charge by. It blows your mind."

See more pictures from the October 2011 feature story "Sharing With Sharks."

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Snowy Owl

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures

This snowy owl was captured during a snowstorm. Unlike most owls, which are nocturnal, snowy owls are diurnal—they hunt and are active both day and night.

(This photo was submitted to My Shot.)

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Asiago Plateau, Italy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500