Here are the Most Awesome Animal Photos that You Will See Today

Out of the 4,000 and 8,000 images uploaded to Your Shot, a National Geographic’s photo community, only 12 pictures are chosen every month to shine in what they call the Daily Dozen. After that, out of those images, only one animal photos receives the Top Shot honor, which is chosen by the audience.

Marie McGrory explains that Your Shot is “a very international community. They travel to see animals all around the world. They spend hours and days waiting for their subject to enter their frame. Like us at National Geographic, they care about animals, animal conservation, and giving a voice to our fellow species”.

Below are some of the animal photos that have made it to the Top Shot in July.

A Naturel Nap (Photography by Michelle Valberg)

At the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary in British Columbia, Canada, this grizzly was lazily resting on a tree.

Monitoring for Lizards (Photography by Michael Haluwana)

Photographer Michael Haluwana visited the lake four days in a row patiently hoping to capture this exact moment. Finally, the photo was shot after spending three hours sitting on a tree, waiting for a monitor lizard dragon to swim through the water below in a small lake in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Full House (Photography by I. Dan)

After they hatch, a female skull spider guards her eggs. However, the spiderlings will be on their own after that.

Monochrome Crocs (Photography by Amy Shire)

Photographer Amy Shire took this photo of two crocodiles cruising around a lake in North Queensland, Australia. The “juxtaposition of the two powerful and menacing creatures framing the delicate nature play above them” was what pulled her to take the picture.

Why Hello, Bear! (Photography by Laura Keene)

“It was a surreal experience, to be in the presence of these magnificent creatures,” says photographer Laura Keene. On the barrier islands of Kaktovik in northern Alaska, Polar bears congregate to partake in leftovers from Inupiat whaling before the Beaufort Sea freezes and they move on to hunt seal.

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Fox Family Portrait (Photography by Jim Chagares)

Spending three and a half weeks photographing fox dens in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, photographer Jim Chagares captures this heartwarming photograph. A family of red foxes gathers in Grand Teton National Park.

The (Big) Catwalk (Photography by Gaurav Kalbhor)

Photographer Gaurav Kalbhor says this image “shows who is the boss”. At Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, India, where the picture was taken, sightseers gather to view the spectacular wildlife in action.