Stunning Shot of Rare Black Tiger Among the Most Fascinating Wildlife Photos of the Year

Stunning Shot of Rare Black Tiger Among the Most Fascinating Wildlife Photos of the Year

"National Geographic" released its Pictures of Year in its December 2024 issue

A black tiger—known for its merged stripes—patrols the Similipal Tiger Reserve.
A black tiger — known for its merged stripes — patrols the Similipal Tiger Reserve. Photo: 

Prasenjeet Yadav for National Geographic

National Geographic is sharing the natural world's most beautiful moments from 2024

In its December 2024 issue, National Geographic reveals its Pictures of the Year. The collection of 20 photos was curated from over 2.3 million images submitted to the magazine by world-renowned photographers.

National Geographic Magazine Cover, Dec. 2024.
National Geographic's December 2024 Issue. 

National Geographic

A Malnourished Emperor Penguin Is in Recovery After Swimming Over 2,000 Miles to Australia

The photos capture animals, people, and nature coexisting in fascinating ways. Among the 20 images is a shot of a rare black tiger, a big cat that gets its name from its extra-wide stripes. Prasenjeet Yadav captured the elusive feline prowling the Similipal Tiger Reserve in India. Per National Geographic, Similipal Tiger Reserve is home to the world's only wild population of black tigers, also known as pseudo-melanistic tigers.

A young emperor penguin jumps off a 50-foot cliff for its first swim. The species normally breeds on low-lying sea ice, but some colonies have been found on higher and more permanent ice shelves, behavior likely to become increasingly common with climate change. Left by their parents a month earlier, the chicks must fend for themselves and find food by hunting in the sea.
A young emperor penguin jumps off a 50-foot cliff for its first swim in one of National Geographic's Pictures of the Year. 

Bertie Gregory for National Geographic

In another part of the world, photographer Bertie Gregory captured the nail-biting moment a young emperor penguin leaped from a 50-foot cliff in Antarctica for its first big swim. According to National Geographic, Emperor penguins often spend time on low-lying sea ice but have increasingly sought higher ice shelves, likely due to climate change.

Frio Bat Cave in southern Texas is the spring and summer home of approximately 10 million Mexican free-tailed bats. Most nights around sunset, bats fly out in a coordinated stream to feed primarily on moths. "You think maybe it'll finish in 10 minutes," Babak Tafreshi says, but their takeoff "continues for two hours."
The Frio Bat Cave in southern Texas is the spring and summer home of approximately 10 million Mexican free-tailed bats. 

Babak Tafreshi for National Geographic

Babak Tafreshi snapped his photo, which was selected for National Geographic's Picture of the Year, in southern Texas. He captured dozens of bats streaming out into the sunset.

Periodical cicadas spend 13 or 17 years in the ground, emerging only to reproduce. Last May and June, for the first time in 221 years, brood XIII, with a 17-year cycle, and brood XIX, with a 13-year cycle, emerged simultaneously in the Midwest and southeastern United States, respectively, filling the air with vibrations as they called out to mate.
Periodical cicadas. 

John Stanmeyer for National Geographic

Cicadas were another swarm that caught National Geographic's attention this year. John Stanmeyer's photo of the insects shows just a few of the millions of cicadas that emerged this summer when brood XIII, a 17-year cycle cicada, and brood XIX, a 13-year cycle cicada, emerged simultaneously for the first time in 221 years.

Pacific herring spawn off the coast of Vancouver Island every spring. Females release up to 20,000 eggs each, then males release milt (semen). The event causes a visual display that typically lasts less than a day and provides a valuable food source for other animals, including this sea lion.
Pacific herring spawn off the coast of Vancouver Island with a sea lion nearby. 

Ryan Tidman for National Geographic

Rescue Orangutan Who Survived Shooting Excitedly Jumps into Jungle During Long-Awaited Release

Ryan Tidman photographed a rare event in Canada: the day female Pacific herring release up to 20,000 eggs off the coast of Vancouver Island every spring, and males release milt to spawn — a visual display that attracts other animals, like sea lions.

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All 20 photos selected at National Geographic Pictures of the Year are available to view now. For more on this story, visit NatGeo.com/Photos.

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