BigPicture

Nest fidelity drives herons and egrets, like the pair of Great Egrets mating here, to return annually to a rookery outside of downtown Dallas. Birds carry sticks and twigs to this urban oasis, where they breed and raise their young. 📷 by ’24 People’s Choice Finalist Nicole Land

“Don’t rush to capture the perfect moment—take time to observe and understand," says BigPicture 2025 judge Aishwarya Sridhar. "The best images are as much about patience and empathy as they are about skill.” Submissions are open until March 1! Enter here: bit.ly/3OygKxb

"Focus on images that create emotion, or images that stop a viewer and make them really look." Winning photo advice from 2025 BigPicture judge Peter Mather. Photo submissions are open now until March 1! Enter here: bit.ly/3OygKxb

Captured via underwater camera, a Red fox drinks from a plunge pool in Hungary’s Vértes Park. In the absence of water in the nearby mountains, & with puddles frozen over during winter, animals come to the pool regularly to drink. 📷 by ’24 People’s Choice Finalist Milan Radisics

Submissions now open! Enter your best nature, wildlife, & conservations photos for your chance at $12,000 in cash prizes & a spot in @calacademy's annual “BigPicture” exhibit. We can’t wait to see what on Earth you’ve photographed. Enter here: bit.ly/3OygKxb

The grizzly shown here has ventured to the high alpine slopes of the Absaroka Mountains in Wyoming, where army cutworm moths make up an important part of the grizzly diet, with bears eating as many as to 60,000 moths per day. 📷 by ’24 People’s Choice Finalist Jessica Hadley

A Combtooth blenny rests open-mouthed inside a green coral. These blennies lack swim bladders, a type of organ that helps fish control buoyancy – this makes the blennies bottom-dwellers, darting between coral & rocks to forage. 📷 by ’24 People’s Choice Finalist Dennis Corpuz

This napping herd of Indian elephants looks relaxed & peaceful, but everything from their touch-connected posture to their location near forest cover is carefully orchestrated to stay protected from danger while they rest. 📷 by ’24 People’s Choice Finalist Pravin Shanmughanandam

Female digger wasps stock their nests with prey insects so that their young can begin to feed immediately after hatching. Wasps are an important part of urban ecosystems, helping to control populations of grasshoppers & katydids. 📷 by ’24 Winged Life Finalist Takuya Ishiguro

This Alpine ibex silhouetted against a sunlit horizon is representative of this species’ rebound story. These goats were saved by conservation efforts that increased their population from under 100 to nearly 30,000 today. 📷 by ’24 Terrestrial Wildlife Finalist Radomir Jakubowski

Though cheetahs are normally strong swimmers, even this famed group of felines—known locally as ‘The Magnificent Five’—grimaced at the effort it took to cross the Talek River’s strong currents. 📷 by ’24 People’s Choice Finalist Buddhilini de Soyza

Don’t worry, you’re not seeing double. This mind-boggling image shows how tent moth caterpillars gather close to camouflage against tree bark, trying to remain invisible to predators. 📷 by ’24 Art of Nature Finalist Xiaodong Sun

An ambitious American beaver drags its bounty—a fallen sapling—down a snowy hill, showing off its strength and building prowess. Not pictured is the beaver’s clumsy tumble into the water, after this image was snapped. 📷 by ’24 People’s Choice Finalist Savannah Rose @tetonlioness

A colony of King Penguins appears larger than life from this bird’s-eye view, their shadows stretching out against a stark snowy backdrop on the Falkland Islands. 📷 by ’24 Art of Nature Finalist @daisygilardini

What was once an air force base is now home to a long-running seabird study, which allows researchers—and this photographer—to access the intimate lives of Alaskan wildlife such as this family of Black-legged Kittiwakes. 📷 by ’24 People’s Choice Finalist Morgan Heim

Flowing for over 85 days, the 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption left a path of destruction throughout Slovenia, leveling buildings and displacing thousands of people. 📷 by ’24 Landscapes, Waterscapes & Flora Finalist @MatjazKrivic

Photographer Neil Aldridge introduces us to the anxiety-inducing POV of a lesser horseshoe bat’s prey, as the cave-dwelling species prepares to pounce from its low-flying position. 📷 by ’24 Winged Life Finalist @AldridgePhoto

This incredible close-up of Cinnabar moth wing scales uses UV light to highlight the insect’s fluorescent red scales, evoking the look of koi fish floating in a pond. 📷 by ’24 Art of Nature Finalist David Maitland

We’re not sure if transport-by-jellyfish is the most efficient way to get around, but this juvenile Cornish blackfish appears determined to hitch a ride on a phosphorescent jellyfish floating off the coast of Sorrento, Italy. 📷 by ’24 Aquatic Life Finalist @margar68

When photographer Marcus Westberg was invited to a panda rescue and breeding center, he found that well-intentioned conservation efforts can still raise questions about the ethics and practice of captive breeding. 📷 by ’24 Human/Nature Finalist @TheLifeOfMarcus