National Geographic Photo du jour

2011-10-sand-dune-roll-namibia

Photo: Students rolling down a sand dune

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
It doesn’t take much to get rolling down a Namibian dune. These students on a geographical field trip find the slope irresistible but end up with sand in every nook and cranny.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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2011-10-marine-catfish-japan-skerry

Photo: School of juvenile marine catfish

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
A school of juvenile marine catfish masses over the sandy bottom of Suruga Bay off Japan’s Izu Peninsula.
(From the National Geographic book Ocean Soul by Brian Skerry)

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2011-10-stratus-clouds-inglefield-bay-greenland

Photo: Stratus clouds over Inglefield Bay

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Eight hundred miles south of the North Pole, stalactite-like stratus clouds—churned by 90-mile-an-hour winds—and the light of a bruised dawn paint an apocalyptic portrait over Inglefield Bay.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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2011-10-whitetip-shark-bahamas-skerry

Photo: Whitetip shark and diver

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
An oceanic whitetip shark and diver swim in the Bahamas.
(From the National Geographic book Ocean Soul by Brian Skerry)

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2011-10-beltane-fire-festival-scotland-richardson

Photo: Costumed participants of a festival in Scotland

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
On the eve of the Beltane Fire Festival, these costumed participants help celebrate the beginning of the summer growing season. The pagan festival, which has roots in Celtic fertility rituals, also features drummers and acrobats.
(From the National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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2011-10-gray-wolves-playing-minnesota-sartore

Photo: Gray wolves playing

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Members of the Ambassador Wolf Pack of the International Wolf Center bite and tussle in the snow. The center aims to educate the public about wolves, confident that as human appreciation of the species grows, so too will the wolf’s chances of survival.
(From the National Geographic book Deadly Instinct)

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2011-10-spruce-trees-moss-alaska-melford

Photo: Spruce trees covered in green moss

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Untouched wilderness is everywhere in Alaska. Spruce trees on Kodiak Island are almost entirely covered in soft moss.
(From the National Geographic book Hidden Alaska by Michael Melford)

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2011-10-ice-canopy-japan-skerry

Photo: Diver exploring an ice canopy in Japan

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
A diver explores an ice canopy off Hokkaido, Japan. The frozen seas here are a harsh realm to explore, but they’re anything but bleak, sustaining a variety of life above and below.
(From the National Geographic book Ocean Soul by Brian Skerry)

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2011-10-american-alligator-claws

Photo: Close view of American alligator claws

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Though tipped with nightmare claws, the limbs of American alligators—this one photographed at a local park—are more often used to excavate wallowing holes than to slash at prey.
(From the upcoming National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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2011-10-clown-anemonefish-indonesia-laman

Photo: Orange clown anemonefish near a green sea anemone

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Clown anemonefish nestle amid the tentacles of a sea anemone off the Tukangbesi Islands in Indonesia. The clear waters surrounding coral reefs have encouraged the evolution of color and pattern among the inhabitants.
(From the upcoming National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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2011-10-zebra-snow-ohio

Photo: Zebra in snow

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Stripes and flakes share space at the Wilds, a refuge for rare and endangered species. Here, a three-year-old Grevy’s zebra named Elvis stomps in the winter pen, which adjoins heated indoor quarters.
(From the upcoming National Geographic book Visions of Earth)
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2011-10-ferris-wheel-kansas

Photo: Ferris wheel at night

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
The Ferris wheel at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson mimics a giant Lite-Brite toy. Long lines can form at popular midway rides, but in this long exposure all the stress melts away.
(From the upcoming National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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2011-10-lotus-bloom-maryland

Photo: Close view of a lotus bloom

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Looking like a lemon torte on a plate of petals, a lotus blooms in a Maryland garden pool. The chartreuse circle, three inches (eight centimeters) in diameter, is dotted with 23 seed holders and ringed by immature pollen sacs.
(From the upcoming National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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2011-10-ivanhoe-reservoir-los-angeles-ludwig

Photo: Plastic balls in the Ivanhoe Reservoir

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
In 2007, high levels of bromate—a carcinogen formed when bromide and chlorine react with sunlight—were found in Los Angeles’s Ivanhoe Reservoir. Today three million black plastic balls help deflect UV rays.
(From the upcoming National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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2011-10-walrus-skull-bristol-bay-melford

Photo: Walrus skull in a field of wildflowers

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
A walrus skull sits alone in a field of wildflowers. Each spring thousands of walruses return to the Walrus Islands in northern Bristol Bay to feed, rest, and sometimes die.
(From the National Geographic book Hidden Alaska by Michael Melford)

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2011-10-colorful-shawls-girls-brunei

Photo: Girls in colorful shawls and flowered dresses

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Colorful shawls and flowered dresses accentuate these Bruneian girls as they practice for a traditional Malay family gathering. Their hands, folded together, symbolize humility and peace.
(From the upcoming National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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2011-10-river-bushman-botswana-doubilet

Photo: Bushman in a canoe

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Sunlight and shadows highlight a river Bushman in a canoe in the Okavango River. When the river swells and floods, it creates an alluvial fan of more than 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers).
(From the upcoming National Geographic book Visions of Earth)
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2011-10-summer-festival-spain-soriano

Photo: People wearing papier-mache masks in Spain

This Month in Photo of the Day: Photos From New National Geographic Books
Young people in oversize papier-mâché heads pause in a blooming field on the way to a summer festival in the town of Banyoles. Called capgrossos in Catalan, the big heads are often worn on feast days.
(From the upcoming National Geographic book Visions of Earth)

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