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A lone polar bear traverses fractured sea ice under an immense Arctic sky, the lingering sun a distant orange pinpoint on the horizon. 📷 Stephen Wilkes

A massive polar bear feeds on a whale carcass along the cold shores of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, revealing the raw mechanics of survival in the High Arctic. 📷 Piet van den Bemd

Crowned tree frogs can be found in Costa Rica’s cloud forests by night, perched on mossy branches near streams. 📷 Jeffery Gonzalez

Late autumn leaves cling to a mature beech in the woodland at Aberfoyle, morning mist drifting along the forest path. 📷 Gavin Duncan

A red-winged blackbird flares its tail and calls into the frigid morning air. 📷 Maxime Légaré-Vézina

The Magpie Tanager cuts a bold figure in black and white, its feathers slick with rainforest drizzle and its golden eyes scanning the stillness. 📷 Jeyaram Sankar

Lanternflies rest on mossy bark in the Malaysian jungle, their emerald wings adorned with golden flecks. 📷 Khaichuin Sim

The Buller’s albatross is a master mariner - returning each year to remote New Zealand cliffs after journeys spanning thousands of kilometers. 📷 Joaquin Spamer

Pastel Pines. Snow-laden Norway spruce stand in quiet formation as twilight paints the winter sky in soft pink and blue in northern Sweden. 📷 Erlend Haarberg

Blood Falls. Iron-rich brine seeps from beneath Taylor Glacier, turning red as it oxidizes on contact with air. Extreme salinity keeps the water liquid as it emerges from deep within Antarctica's ice. 📸 Galaxies

A three-toed sloth in a Costa Rican rainforest reminds us that when life turns you upside down, remember to smile. 📷 Jean Bonilla Portuguez

Winter Retreat. Steam rises as a Japanese macaque sinks into the warmth of a hot spring, its crimson face framed by frost-kissed fur. 📷 Josh Munoz

Along Alaska’s coast, ermine hunt with the tides. As the water retreats, they dart into tidal pools to seize fish, sculpin, isopods, and stranded crabs. 📷 Sergiu Shannon

Ancient Wood. The species of laurel tree found in Fanal Forest has existed since the Tertiary period 66 million years ago. They are living fossils and a window into earth's distant past. 📷 Michael Paramonti

Only found on the Horn of Africa, the thick-billed raven has the largest bill of any raven. 📷 Ignacio Yufera

A dewfly glistens with morning dew like a jewel in Japan’s misty fields under dawn’s first light. 📷 Takuya Ishiguro

African elephants pause at a waterhole as the Milky Way sparkles overhead, an ancient gathering set against one of the darkest and most star-filled skies on Earth. 📷 Villiers Steyn

The iridescent blue-green tail feathers of a silver pheasant shimmer against a snow-dusted backdrop. 📷 @Hotoffthenest

A black-shanked douc emerges from Vietnam’s canopy, a species so wary and treetop-bound that photographing one in the wild is exceptionally rare. 📸 Jayaprakesh Bojan

Misty Mirror. Common cranes stand in ethereal mist on Poland’s still waters. 📷 Agnieszka Florczyk