Best of the Best National Geographic Photos

National Geography shows the beauty of our world by taking photos of the most amazing creatures and places on our planet. Here are some of them, which are really breath-taking photos. Enjoy !

Ice Diamond, Iceland

Destined to melt, an 800-pound chunk of ice glows in moonlight on a wintry Icelandic beach. The ice washed up in a lagoon formed by a receding glacier. Photographer James Balog calls such pieces ice diamonds, finding beauty as well as tragedy in disappearing glaciers.
- photograph by James Balog

Iceberg, Greenland

Solid turns to liquid as a 15-story iceberg erodes in the warming seas of the North Atlantic.
- photograph by James Balog

Lions, Serengeti

Dusk is a busy time for the Vumbi pride. As the moon rises, the lionesses rouse themselves from their afternoon naps, tussle in the grass, and set out on the evening hunt. Nichols made this photo using natural light; soon after, he switched to infrared.
- photograph by Michael Nichols

Penguin Pair, Antarctica

I took this picture at Port Lockroy during my trip to Antartica in 2010. The two penguins almost touching flippers, looking at each other, and captured against the majestic frozen background, seemed romantically involved.

- photograph by Marius Ilies

Swans, Slovakia

Swans and ducks, Piešťany, Slovakia
- photograph by Norbert Nemes

Jal Mahal, India

At Jal Mahal in Jaipur, India, a flock of pigeons burst into the sky just as Mahesh Balasubramanian was contemplating the landscape's misty backdrop. "It was an early morning, and I was roaming around Jal Mahal," says the Your Shot contributor. "I was in the right position to [capture] those floating structures' reflections, with one nearby and another a bit far, balancing the frame. The water was very still."
The pigeons coming out of Jal Mahal surprised Balasubramanian, but "that is what made this shot for me."
- photograph by Mahesh Balasubramanian 

Knot an Owl

A camouflaged gray owl protects its nest in this Your Shot picture chosen for the Daily Dozen roundup of editors' favorites- photograph by Mauro Mozzarelli

Moose, British Columbia

A camera trap catches two moose crossing Ealue Lake in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. National Geographic Explorer Paul Colangelo set up the camera on a land bridge between the lake and a fen, where wildlife frequently pass.  
- Photograph by Paul Colangelo

Lion Pride, Serengeti

A pride of lions rests on a kopje, or rocky outcrop, near a favorite water hole in the Serengeti. Lions use kopjes as havens and outlooks on the plains. When the rains bring green grass, wildebeests arrive in vast herds.
- Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic

Manatees, Florida

Manatees swim close to the water's surface because they are air-breathing mammals. They use their stiff facial bristles to guide food into their mouths.
- Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic

Lion, Serengeti

In the Serengeti, life is hard for the greatest of African predators. An adult male lion like Hildur, shown here, might attain the advanced age of 12 in the wild. Adult females can live longer, even to 19.
- Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic

Fallow Deer, England

In England, a fallow deer fawn stays close to a buck. Dama dama isn't native to the U.K.; the species is thought to have been introduced to Britain by the Normans in the 11th century. Today it's widespread in England and Wales.
- Photograph by Mark Bridger, National Geographic

Elephant and Calf, India

Wild elephants live in India's fertile Kaziranga floodplain, where marshland, tall grass, and forests provide shelter and food. Kaziranga National Park takes in 50 miles of the Brahmaputra River and harbors some 1,300 elephants.
- Photograph by Sandesh Kadur

Fennec Fox, Morocco

The fennec, or desert fox, is a canine mammal species of the genus Vulpes, which inhabits the Sahara Desert and Arabia. This is the smallest species of the family Canidae.
- Photograph by Francisco Mingorance

Night Sky, Patagonia

I hiked several hours through the night in Patagonia to find a tree I had seen a few days earlier and photograph it with the night sky.
- Photograph by Max Seigal

Bagpiper, Scotland

While on a 20-day tour through England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, one of my favorite pictures out of the 1,500 I had taken was this one. There was a bagpiper at the tourist pull-off area playing for tips. When I showed this picture to my family, they said it looked like the piper was playing to the mountains, and that's how we like to think of it.
- Photograph by Kaitlyn Campbell

See more on Natuonal Geographic Website