Amazing pictures from National Geographic International Photography Contest 2009

When the wave conditions are right a wave appears, infrequently, as a result of the splash back off the cliff connecting with an incoming wave.  This causes the incoming wave to pop up, creating fan-like shapes.

They are look like a two-headed penguin.

The effect of the Earth's shadow beyond this butte located in northern Arizona. The small tree in the foreground made the shot.

Curious gulls on Sanibel Island, Florida. Meet my friend, "Gull-i-Bel"!!!

This is a photo taken of the sun setting over a salt lake in Western Australia.

Puffin eating fish

On the same evening Governor Bobby Jindal signed dozens of controversial bills into law, lightning struck the capitol building in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

With a low, solid, overcast of clouds covering the launch site, they launched.

A type of lemur, a sifaka

Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus)

July 13, 2009. A trio of black skimmers feeding at dusk in a pond on the beach in Santa Barbara, California.

While on the island of Bocas Del Toro, Panama, a brown vine snake is threatened by a potential predator ... a camera's lens.

A male gelada baboon on the Guassa Plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands enjoys a good grooming.

Masjid Selat Melaka is a new landmark in Melaka on the man-made island of Pulau Melaka near Malacca town. Masjid Selat Melaka is built along the coastline of Straits of Malacca, at the water level of the sea. So, in the evening at high tide, Masjid Selat Melaka looks like a floating mosque. This shot was taken on the day of Eid ul-Fitr, often abbreviated to Eid, that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

The arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) is well suited for frigid weather, from its short muzzle and ears, to its furry-soled paws and thick, bushy tail. This photograph illustrates the camouflage effect of the winter white fur in the snow. The stance shows the fox is poised to dart away, yet his curiosity holds him in frame just long enough to capture those vibrant, piercing eyes staring warily into the camera lens.

A young snow monkey (Japanese macaque) is warming up in a hot spring in Japan.

National Geographic International Photography Contest 2009

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