Excellent Wildlife and Nature Pictures

[Apollo]

I've got a frog in my throat... This burrowing owl was left with a huge pair of frog's legs dangling from its mouth when it tried to eat breakfast in one go. The bird struggled to gulp down its prey as it stood in a grassy field. Photographer Michael Cenci took this photo while on holiday near Cape Coral, Florida, US. He was delighted with the picture, which he calls "Frogleg Moustache" because the legs look like a handlebar 'tache. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

     







A bullfrog gets more than a mouthful as it tries to swallow another frog whole. Husband and wife Tad and Karen Bacon discovered the sight while cleaning their swimming pool in Parkton, Maryland, US. Mrs Bacon said: "I heard my husband screaming: "Get your camera, you are not going to believe this!" This species of bullfrog is thought to prey on anything it can overpower and fit in to its stomach - from rodents, birds and bats to turtles, snakes and other frogs.

 

*This image is copyright of its original author

     







This photo seems to show that compassion for another might not just be a human emotion, as a hippo tries to save a wildebeest which broke its back while crossing the Masai River in Kenya during the annual migration. Wildlife photographer Mitchell Krog captured a hippo trying to help the wildebeest which became stuck on a submerged rock in the river. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

      







This hardy frog battled with a snake for 20 minutes before finally kicking itself free and hopping to safety. The frog grabbed hold of a branch and held on for dear life after the snake pounced from behind. Photographer Brizadly Arifin said: "I was sitting in my backyard when I heard the pained sound of a frog. It was like a scream. I saw the snake swallow one of the frog's legs but the frog was very strong and refused to give in. After 20 minutes, the snake finally released the frog's foot and let him escape to freedom."  

*This image is copyright of its original author

        









These two foxes look like they might be fighting to the death as they bite and scratch each other in a bitter fight. The scrap, which lasted only a few seconds, was captured by photographer Willem de Kok, near Haarlem, in the Netherlands. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

       








Two sun bears look like professional wrestlers as they take it in turns to pin each other to the ground. The playful Malayan Sun Bears - named after a golden yellow patch on their chest - grappled under a tree before rolling around on the floor at Zoo Miami in Florida, United States. Photographer Adrian Tavano said: "The fight lasted for about five minutes. They were an even match but the one with the lighter fur won in my opinion." Did someone say 'bear knuckle fighting'? 

*This image is copyright of its original author

      







A koi carp is carried off in the talons of an osprey. The moment was captured by Israeli photographer Assaf Gavra at a secluded pool outside Pardesiya, Israel, where Mr Gavra lay waiting for several hours. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

       







'Jackal vs lion' by Ken Stratford, overall winner of the BBC Wildflife Magazine Camera-trap Photo of the Year 2011. A stunning set of images of a fearless black-backed jackal running rings around a male lion in Ongava Game Reserve, Namibia. The rest of the winning images are published in the December issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine 

*This image is copyright of its original author

       









A leopard leaps onto a Land Rover for his big close up. Sergey Kotelnikov was shocked when this overly camera-friendly young leopard jumped onto the roof of his vehicle in Namibia, close to the border with Botswana. Sergey Ivanov, who snapped the photo from an adjacent vehicle, said: "My friend was scared. I was frightened, too, even though I was on the roof of the other car, as you expect it to begin attacking. But we soon relaxed when we realised that this big kitten was just playing." 

*This image is copyright of its original author

       








This is the moment a wildlife photographer outfoxed a fox - by setting up a secret camera to capture him stealing an egg. German snapper Horst Jegen, 41, had observed the critter persistently creep into his garden and try to steal his kittens dinner. The pesky fox, which has been nicknamed Leo by Horst and his family, refused to give up and returned every day for a month in search of food. Spotting a perfect picture opportunity, wildlife snapper Horst rigged up an elaborate trap - involving a hidden button, an egg and his trusty camera. The 41-year-old placed the egg inside a hollowed log with a button underneath. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

       








A snarling mexican grey wolf at the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois 

*This image is copyright of its original author

      








 A night heron flies away with a duckling that has wandered too far from its mother. Wildlife photographer Michael Yang was taking his wife out to spot some cute wildlife at Radio Road in California to cheer her up after being ill for a few days. He said: "We were hoping to find some baby avocets, stilts or ducklings, and were both really happy to see several families of ducklings following their mothers around the pond. As we were watching the ducklings a night heron flew in." The duckling tried to dive under water to escape the night heron; unfortunately it didn't get deep enough and the heron pulled it out of the water, grabbing the duckling by a foot. Michael said: "At some point in all this my wife had turned away and started sobbing. It didn't help that, through all this, I was taking pictures of the 'event' and not comforting her instead." 

*This image is copyright of its original author

  Reply