Unseen Moments: 76 Stunning Wildlife Photos That Captivated the NPOTY People’s Choice Over the Years

Greater flamingo feeding in an artificial salt pan seen through a ‘window’ on the levee in Sardinia, Italy. The former salt evaporating site turned regional nature park in Sardinia is home to one of the largest breeding colonies of greater flamingos in Europe. I spotted the lonely flamingo on the water from the opposite bank and had to move quickly into position, anticipating (or rather hoping) it would line up with the wooden frame for a shot. The flamingo lifted its head from under the water for a split second when reaching the frame, allowing only one shot, before carrying on with feeding.

While I was documenting a group of short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), I spotted this female carrying her dead calf. She was surrounded by other members of the group, escorting and consoling the mother during her endless swim. Short-finned pilot whales are very social marine mammals and have inquisitive attitudes. Each member of the pod is strongly bonded to each other, and they do everything together: resting, hunting, socializing, playing, traveling… and burial.

After some days of research, the researchers spotted two females carrying their two new-borns baby (dead at birth) in the open ocean for days, reluctant to let go. The male kept the other researchers and me at a safe distance from the two females. He was never aggressive, but his intentions in protecting the two mothers were clear. It was heartbreaking to witness the behavior of the entire group. In this situation, one difficult thing was to deal with my emotions.

Picture taken with the approval of the Portugues Ministerio para la Transicion Ecologica, Secretaria de Estado de Medio Ambiente. In Tenerife, nobody can freely swim with cetaceans without having previously obtained a special license issued by the Government. This kind of photograph can only be taken while snorkeling or free-diving, holding our breath and swimming at the same time. It is forbidden to use underwater equipment such as scuba tanks, rebreathers, underwater scooters, etc.

Species: Short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)

Location: Tenerife island, Canary archipelago, Atlantic Ocean

Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern

When we were photographing a lion sitting on a big rock in the Serengeti (Tanzania), suddenly another lion under the rock roared. The lion on the rock instantly got up and rushed down… I was excited when I saw this and quickly pressed the shutter.

Giraffes have amazing eyesight, and being tall is definitely an advantage. Add to that their curious nature, and you’ve got yourself one of the best spotters in the bush. When they see a cat, they will often stop what they do and stare in the cat’s direction. Often they will, against what most will imagine, start walking towards the cat, getting very close to it at times, to show the cat that they’ve seen it. So when our guide saw a herd of giraffes standing and staring in the same direction, he knew that there must be a cat in the area. All we had to do was drive towards the giraffes, look in the direction they were all looking, and spot the lioness…