Feast Your Eyes on a Selection of the Year’s Most Breathtaking Wildlife Photos

“Coot on Ice”

A coot scrambles across an icy surface with a loach in its mouth. Photo: © Zhai Zeyu (2), Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

In this shot, a coot carries a loach—a small freshwater fish—across a frozen pond in Northeast China. This image was selected to be highly commended from the 10 Years and Under section of the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

Previous Restart

Your Body Heat Could Power the Next Generation of Wearables

Thermoelectric generators probably won’t eliminate the charger for your Apple Watch, but for smaller, screenless wearables, the heat constantly escaping from your skin could fundamentally change how we power our devices.

Gadgets John Loeffler Sep 25

This ‘Little Planet’ Is a Surreal Record of How We’ve Changed Nature—and It’s a Science Photo Contest Winner

Celebrate the beauty of nature—and the science that teaches us about it—with winning photography from the researchers themselves.

Conservation Gayoung Lee Aug 21

In the Pacific waters of Mexico, this photograph captures the aftermath of a successful orca hunt.

This Orca Hunt Left Behind a Brutal Scene—and the Photo Just Won an Award

The 2026 Ocean Photographer of the Year highlight the hidden lives of sea creatures navigating a rapidly changing habitat.

Biology Passant Rabie Aug 17

Pumas Are Helping Make Our Roads Safer, Study Finds

New research shows that pumas often steer deer populations away from human roads.

Biology Ed Cara Aug 5

Usa New York Nicole Pellegrino Sweet Seal 1200x798

An Adorable Puppy-Eyed Seal Is the Star of These Award-Winning Photos

Other winners of the ocean life photo contest include penguins in Beatles formation, crabby-looking dolphins, and cuttlefish abstaining from a death match to win over the girl.

Conservation Gayoung Lee Jul 8

Nature Saw2026 Coral Village Credit Uli Kunz Hr

These Award-Winning Science Photos Capture the Beauty—and Weirdness—of Research

From fluorescent mosquitoes to scientists swimming alongside whale sharks, Nature's annual photo contest offers a rare look at science in action.

Science Gayoung Lee Jun 19