25 Amazing Animal Pictures Worth More Than 1,000 Words

Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor

Nov 14, 2026 10:45 AM EST

We tend to forget how amazing the nature around us is, and beautiful wildlife photography is a great way to remind ourselves where we actually live.

There are plenty of animals we see on a day-to-day basis, constantly around us - the dogs we raise, the goldfish in the park's pond, or the little sparrows that dot our cities with gleeful wing flaps. But it's very easy to forget that there are so many other animals, way more than we can conceptually remember. Seriously, there are around 7.8 million species living on Earth in the present. We can't be expected to learn about every single one of these animals and actually remember.

But this is why I think a reminder of the beauty of nature, especially the magnificent and varied wildlife living in it, is a good reminder to take from time to time. It's like a breath of fresh forest air, or a quiet and profound deep dive under the ocean. It's a reminder that this isn't our planet - Earth is home to so many amazing creatures, and we're just one type of them. So come with me on this journey of magnificent wildlife photography, and get a sense of the proportion of our beautiful world.

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01
Lion, king of the animals

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02
Axolotl, a type of salamander

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03
Harpy eagle, one of the largest eagles in the world

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04
Melanistic black jaguar, sporting a dark camouflage

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05
Gooty sapphire ornamental tarantula, a ciritcally endagered species

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06
Bearded vulture, they intentionally rub in mud rich in iron oxide to achieve this red coloring on their feathers

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07
Deep-sea dragonfish, they live up to 6,600 feet below sea level

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08
Blue whale, their hearts alone weigh 400 pounds

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09
Striped hyena, a solitary carnivore

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10
Leopard seal, they have very powerful jaws

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11
Great blue heron, trying to capture a water snake

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12
Stag, resting in a calm place

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13
Lioness chasing a young calf

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14
Ankole-Watusi bull, native to Central and East Africa

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15
A dog looking at a wild animal trapped under the ice

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16
Great gray owl swooping down to hunt a small mouse

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17
Great white shark, an apex predator

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18
A royal moth caterpillar, looking menacing but actually harmless

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19
Antarctic scale worm, they live deep on the seabed of the Antarctic Ocean

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20
A rare albino baby of an American alligator

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21
Green anaconda, their females are significantly larger than the males

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22
California sea lion, mid-hunt of an octopus

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23
Chinese water deer, no antlers but vampire tusks

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24
Mariana snailfish, found about 23,000-26,000 feet underwater

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25
Pork tapeworm, their "eyes" are suckers to latch onto their host

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