From an elusive jaguar to an industrious beaver, photographers captured iconic animal moments around the world.

From giant stick bugs to rarely seen sea creatures, these animal videos fascinated us—and led to new scientific discoveries.

National Geographic contributor Karine Aigner earned top prize for her photo of mating cactus bees in Texas. A buzzing ball of cactus bees spins over the hot sand. After a few minutes, the pair at the ...

Conservation biologist and wildlife photographer Lara Jackson takes us behind the scenes of this rare photograph of a threatened white rhino, taken in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy. When Lara came ...

“As we’re sitting there, legs dangling down from a tree, 15 feet below us a leopard walks in the beautiful moonlight. It was one of the most extraordinary sightings of a leopard I’ve ever had.” In 25 ...

The six-pound box arrived on a steamy June day, hot from its ride in the delivery van. The label said “Boot Barn” in capital letters, and when I opened the package, the oaky scent of leather enveloped ...

RUNDU, NAMIBIA — Canadian oil and gas exploration company Reconnaissance Energy Africa has bulldozed land for a test oil well inside a protected wildlife area in northeastern Namibia, and two local ...

Jolie, an Indochinese green magpie, was rescued from a wildlife trafficker’s suitcase. Her story is emblematic of the threats facing other songbirds like her. Jolie, who was rescued from a wildlife ...

For National Geographic photographers, work assignments can take them anywhere from the sea floor to a summertime Santa Claus camp in Missouri. In the photo seen above, wildlife photographer David ...