The Astounds: World

Magnificent Picture of Ape & Another Species

bonobo cuddles a mongoose – Christian Ziegler/Natural History Museum

Magnificent Picture of Ape Cuddling Another Species is Finalist in Wildlife Photographer of the Year – SEE Photos By Andy Corbley-Sep 7, 2022: In a photograph that won Christian Ziegler “Highly Commended Image” at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest, a bonobo ape appears to be cuddling a mongoose as if it were a pet. Perfectly capturing the mystery and technical brilliance that are the standards for the competition, held by the Natural History Museum in London, this incredible story-in-a-photo ended later on, when the bonobo released the mongoose which went on its way. Now in its 58th year, the competition will nominate 100 entries for judging, selected from tens of thousands of submissions. “What’s stayed with me is not just the extraordinary mix of subjects in this year’s collection – a vast panorama of the natural world—but the emotional strength of so many of the pictures,” said chair of the judging panel, Roz Kidman Cox. Ziegler was exploring bonobo habitat in the Democratic Republic of Congo, wading chest deep flooded forest for days in Salonga National Park. Coming across a young male bonobo, he noticed the ape was holding a mongoose in his hand. “I was so surprised to see how he carried the mongoose with such care. I immediately started to follow him and document it,” he told BBC News. The motives of the ape are questionable, as they do hunt animals, but with his free hand gently wrapping under the arm holding the mongoose, signs of aggression were few. The BBC also heard from Dr. Barbara Fruth, director of an organization that has observed bonobos for 20 years, and who said that “we know from captivity bonobos care for individuals other than their own species.”

Other entries

Southern Right whale – Richard Robinson/Natural History Museum

The populations of this once-Endangered southern right whale are now returning to vast numbers, and this particular juvenile had a particular interest in the camera and person of Richard Robinson.In the category of “animal portraits” this photograph was selected as a finalist.

Coconut octopus peeks out of clam shell; nominated in 15-17-year-old category – Samuel Sloss/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Not to be outdone, this coconut octopus decided to strut his colors and coils from inside a “borrowed” clam shell for Samuel Sloss. While muck diving in Sulawesi, Indonesia, Sloss noticed the home invader, who promptly closed the shell during Sloss’ attempts at picture taking. Eventually though, he opened up and gave Sloss a finalist spot in the 15-17-year-old category.

‘The Swimming Pool‘ captures breeding frenzy of tree frogs – Brandon Guell/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Like Ziegler, Photographer Brandon Guell had to spent days wading through chest deep water to photograph an early dawn phenomenon that only happens a few times a year in very few places. These green tree frogs are about to have a breeding frenzy on these stalks of grass in Costa Rica. Each female lays 200 eggs, which eventually fall into the water below and become tadpoles.

Dmitry Kokh/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Abandoned since 1992, Kolyuchin Island in Russia has been claimed by polar bears who, as a result of shrinking sea ice, are forced into scavenging the remains of industrial civilization. A low-noise drone was used to capture this excellent portrait of a bear that had taken a break on a windowsill.

European perch in Finland – Tiina Törmänen/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Tiina Törmänen got the cooperation for a photo from this lively group of European perch swimming through clouds of algae in a lake in Posio, Lapland. The algae is actually the result of warmer weather allowing these microscopic plants to bloom in great, problematic numbers, as these perch bear witness. All 100 finalists can be seen on the Natural History Museum website, and a winner will be selected for each category in early October. Magnificent Picture of Ape Cuddling Another Species is Finalist in Wildlife Photographer of the Year – SEE Photos

Comedy Wildlife Contest Unveils class Photos

A windy day on Bempton Cliffs during the nesting season for gannets in Yorkshire © Alison Tuck / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

26/oct/2025, Comedy Wildlife Contest Unveils Wonderful Photo Finalists to Make Everyone SmileComedy Wildlife Contest Unveils Wonderful Photo Finalists to Make Everyone Smile: The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards just released their annual finalists.“We are absolutely delighted to reveal the hotly anticipated finalists of the 2025 competition. They are a cracking collection of jaw dropping and laugh out loud photos of some of the most incredible wildlife that we share this planet with,” said contest officials in a news release.The call for photos was answered worldwide with photographers sending in a record number of brilliant and hilarious entries—just under 10,000 in total from 108 countries.They are all competing to win the top prize of an incredible one-week safari with Alex Walker’s Serian in the Masai Mara—other prizes include Nikon cameras and photography rucksacks.Among the contenders this year are animals caught in headlocks, doing high-fives and getting hugs. You’ll even see a dancing gorilla.The Awards were co-founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam to create a competition that fused exceptional wildlife photography and the positive power of humor in a bid to help promote the conservation of wildlife and habitats that our precious planet relies on. Below are GNN’s favorites, but for more chuckles see the full collection of finalists at www.comedywildlifephoto.com. The images are all authentic, and absolutely no AI or digital manipulation is permitted to create the photographs.

Rwanda Gorilla © Mark Meth-Cohn / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

“This photograph was taken during a trip to Rwanda earlier this year, where we spent four unforgettable days trekking through the misty Virunga Mountains in search of the gorilla families that call them home. We came across a large family group gathered in a forest clearing, the adults were calmly foraging while the youngsters were enthusiastically playing. One young male was especially keen to show off his acrobatic flair; pirouetting, tumbling, and high kicking. Watching his performance was pure joy, and I’m thrilled to have captured his playful spirit in this image.”

White-Tailed Sea Eagle in snow © Annette Kirby / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

“This was taken in Japan. I was visiting Rausa on the Shirenhoka Peninsula and Nemuro Straits, where I was observing a White-Tailed Sea Eagle putting their fish in a hole and protecting it. This one had a fish and saw another Eagle coming in to try and steal it.”

Elephant ‘Peek-a-boo’ – © Henry Szwinto / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

‘Peek-a-boo’ features a Sri Lankan Elephant playing peek-a-boo with his ears.

Madagascar lemur licking his fingers after eating © Liliana Luca / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

“It was then that the crowned sifaka lemur appeared, staring at me with wide, curious eyes, as if questioning my presence. Then, with the grace of a stage actor and the timing of a comedian, he raised his hand, licked it thoughtfully, and then paused mid-gesture, as if he knew exactly what he was doing.”

Two Bridled Guillemots in Norway © Warren Price / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

“Guillemots were nesting on a small rocky cliff ledge where space was at a premium. The nests all crammed in close together which isn’t a good recipe for being good neighbors, as guillemots are fiercely territorial. Aggression and battles are frequent over nesting space and I captured this image of this bemused looking bridled guillemot, its head firmly clamped in his/her neighbor’s beak.”

Two Asian water monitors in ‘Battle Hug’ © Jessica Emmett / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

‘Battle Hug’ features two Asian water monitors locked in battle right by a main path in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park in Singapore. “A battle of strength and wills never looked so affectionate!”

Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill spooked by incoming tawny eagle © Geoff Martin / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

‘Hornbill In A Hurry’ – A Hornbill in South Africa was spooked by an incoming tawny eagle and decided a quick exit was probably wise. “Its ungainly departure was captured in a sequence of shots but this one for me perfectly captured the panic of the hornbill at that moment. The hornbill safely escaped although I doubt the tawny eagle was seriously interested in tackling that hornbill beak anyway.”

Yellow-cheeked Gibbon © Diana Rebman / Nikon Comedy Wildlife

“This Yellow-cheeked Gibbon was just hanging out in the trees. It looks like he’s waiting for a beer to be served.” The team of expert judges will be busy over the next few weeks picking their favorites. The winners will be announced on December 9th at an Awards Night in London, which will be followed by an exhibition for one week from December 10 -14 showcasing all the 2025 Award Finalists at the Gallery@Oxo.The free competition is open to photography novices, amateurs, and professionals—all ‘to celebrate the hilarity of our natural world and bring a smile to everyone’s face. Comedy Wildlife Contest Unveils Wonderful Photo Finalists to Make Everyone Smile

Photograph of World’s Happiest Elephant

Andy Rouse captured antics of Kenyan family of elephants – SWNS

Photographer Captures Pictures of World’s Happiest Elephant Herd (LOOK), An award-winning wildlife photographer believes he may have found the world’s happiest elephant family—and his pics will make you feel all warm inside. Andy Rouse documented the African herd in Kenya and described the playful young calves that were fascinated with branches. In the setting sun, the British tour guide shot pics of the small elephants while they played tug-of-war and ran toward Andy’s vehicle pretending to charge it. “I lead safari tours several times a year and love going to Samburu in Kenya because the elephants there are special,” he told SWNS news agency. “They are very very relaxed and, because of this, the herds will let you get very close to them and will pass close to vehicles without any issues. “I am completely relaxed with the incredible elephants of Samburu. On this occasion we found a large breeding herd with several youngsters less than 3 months old, who were very playful.

Andy Rouse / SWNS

“We positioned the vehicle well ahead of them so the matriarch had time to get used to us and felt comfortable. “It’s so important when you work with elephants—as I have done for all of my 25-year career—that you understand them and work within their tolerances. “The female and the herd settled around us grazing. The calves took it upon themselves to create havoc, chasing birds, doing mock charges to our vehicle and playing tug-of-war with branches. “Their antics made us laugh out loud.”

Andy Rouse / SWNS

“Young elephants are lovable idiots and I so love working with them. “The thirty minutes that we spent with this herd was all the more special as I had my 10-year-old daughter on her first safari.

Andy Rouse / SWNS“

To dictate to her about the wonder of elephants, the dangers saving them and the need to conserve them was a special thing indeed. ”Photographer Captures Pictures of World’s Happiest Elephant Herd (LOOK)

Check Out Some of the Gorgeous Pictures...

Aug 22, 2019, Check Out Some of the Gorgeous Winning Pictures From This ‘Kindness Photography’ Contest, By McKinley Corbley - Research has shown that viewing images of peace, kindness, and compassion has a dramatic impact on a person’s happiness and wellbeing. That’s why photographers from all over the world were asked to share their kindest photos—and the winners have finally been announced.

Envision Kindness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading media positivity, recently concluded their third annual The World is Kind photography contest for images that embody kindness.

For this year’s contest, there were more than 1,800 submissions from 750 photographers in over 85 countries. The Envision Kindness team selected 20 of their favorite photographs while another 20 pictures were chosen by members of the public—and all of them are breathtaking.

“Every day, people are exposed to negative images, stories, and experiences,” says David Fryburg, founder of Envision Kindness. “We know that this exposure is stressful to the viewer—it causes anger, anxiety, depression, and can affect behavior, disconnecting people from one another.”

“To help counterbalance the negative, we want to share diverse, positive images like those submitted to the contest on a regular basis. We know that these images have great power to bring out joy, gratitude, optimism, love, and compassion,” he added.

If you would like to check out the rest of this year’s winners, you can visit the Envision Kindness website—or you can check out more of last year’s winners here on GNN.

Be Sure And Share The Photos With Your Friends On Social Media, Check Out Some of the Gorgeous Winning Pictures From This ‘Kindness Photography’ Contest

Photographer Captures Incredible Luminous..

First red ring ELVES phenomenon over Italy captured by Valter Binotto via SWNS

11/12/2025, Photographer Captures Incredible Luminous Event Over His Italian Town–For the Second Time (LOOK): Incredible images captured by an amateur astrophotographer show a bizarre red ring, 143-miles wide, floating in the sky. Valter Binotto not only managed to capture the otherworldly sight over his hometown of Possagno, amazingly, it’s the second time he has recorded the rings from his location in northern Italy, nestled in the foothills of Monte Grappa. The doughnut-shaped red rings are known as ELVES, an upper-atmospheric lightning event sometimes caught in long-exposure images above distant thunderstorms. (ELVES stands for Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources). They’re a type of ‘transient luminous event’ which occurs in the lower ionosphere, dozens of miles above the Earth, directly above powerful lightning storms. Valter Binotto says he’s spent almost a decade tracking such high-altitude displays and secured his first ELVES image in 2023 above a storm 177 miles from his home (285 km). “It took almost three years before I managed to capture another one,” said Valter. He spotted it last month on November 17 from his home. This time, it was triggered by a negative lightning strike of 303 kA, according to SWNS news. The lightning occurred above the Cinque Terre in Liguria, 186 miles (300 km) away from his location—with a calculated diameter measuring 200 km (124 miles). “Another great thrill!

Third red ELVES ring with sprites in the sky over Possagno, Italy by Valter Binotto via SWNS

13/12/2025, “Less than a week later, I captured a third. The thunderstorm was over the Adriatic Sea this time, in front of the Marche regional coast, 380 km (236 miles) from my home. “This third event was different from the previous ones because, in addition to the ELVES, the lightning also produced a beautiful sprite.” Sprites are sparkly, red, firework-like phenomena created by extremely powerful lightning between the ground and the edge of space. Even better, he grabbed a photo (above) that contained both of the luminous events in the same frame—which he believes could be a first. “When I saw it on the display, the emotion was overwhelming—I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was witnessing something unique, never seen before.”

Red Sprites in sky over Possagno, Italy by Valter Binotto via SWNSHe reported that the positive lightning had a power of 387 kA. And, thanks to the star field, he was able to calculate its position to be 52 miles high (85 km), measuring 143 miles wide (230 km). Photographer Captures Incredible Luminous Event Over His Italian Town–For the Second Time (LOOK)

Savannah - The Tallest Cat in the World

The Savannah Cat, Scarlett’s Magic is the Guinness record holder for the world’s tallest cats

Owner Miss Kim Droper describes her cat as an obedient and smart one. She also said that the Savannahs are the most beautiful companion for the family. She adds that they are active cats and like to play with family members. She owns the Californian-based Savannah Cat Shoppe, with her husband Lee. This Savannah breed is popular in California because of their beautiful appearances and their great learning abilities.

Source: Savannah - The Tallest Cat

The World's Smallest Postal Service

In San Francisco and its environs is a "postal service" WSPS (World's Smallest Postal Service). She has no office, and works in the office "only one person. However, customers who turned in WSPS, can send "most small letters in the world." Initiated and actually postmaster - artist Lia Redmond (Lea Redmond). Become her client in two ways: or watch the calendar and find out where the next time will be taking orders for "mobile office" services (usually in cafes and shops), or consult the Leah the Internet. A principle of WSPS follows. Customer wrote longhand, in which, however, should not be more than 120 words, and passes it to Redmond. Artist rewrites the text on the tiny leaves the size of 2,5 x 4 cm, and then puts them in a miniature envelope, and that importantly, strengthens letter wax seal. In addition to the English artist can write a letter example, Russian and Greek. His "tiny" calligraphic ability Leah says natural talent. Next mini-message gets accustomed to this email packaging and comes with a magnifying glass. In the end the customer decides what to do with the letter: Leah can send it myself or give to your customer's hands. Services WSPS - not free. Three-letter or two-card are equally - Eight dollars (cost of delivery in an amount not included).