Video by @bertiegregory. A female toque macaque and her baby share an intimate moment during the heat of the day in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. This species of macaque is endemic to Sri Lanka meaning it is found nowhere else. Despite being the smallest species of macaque, they have one of the longest tails compared to their body size! Shot during a leopard assignment for @natgeo, @natgeowild and @stevewinterphoto. Follow @bertiegregory for more videos from Yala National Park!

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Video by @joelsartore | A leopard tortoise at the @lincolnchildrenszoo in Lincoln, Nebraska. This beautifully-marked tortoise can be found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa. They are defensive creatures, often retracting into their shells for protection, which can produce a hissing sound as air is squeezed from their lungs during the process. Leopard tortoises are the fourth largest species of tortoise on Earth, typically growing to 18 inches in length and weighing around 40 pounds. However, some individuals have been found weighing up to 120 pounds! To see an image of a another leopard tortoise, follow @joelsartore! . . #tortoise #leopardtortoise #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #savetogether #video #natgeo #photoark

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Jun 7, 2017 at 7:44am PDT

Photo by @TimLaman. The Hunt. Recently while in the Serengeti in Tanzania, I had the amazing opportunity to witness a coordinated lion hunt by five lionesses. It was a textbook operation. The lion you see here was moving slowly straight up the middle toward the unsuspecting wildebeest herd in the background. One female was further out to the left, and three others were spread out to the right. With just an occasional glance toward each other to check position, they moved steadily toward the herd, keeping their heads just below grass height, and flanking them on both sides in a precise military-like operation. When the wildebeest finally panicked and bolted (I think it was when they saw two lion cubs way in the back who climbed up on a termite mound eager to see what was going on) a female on the left had an easy time bringing one down. See more from my Africa shoot by following @TimLaman. #lion, #serengeti, #tanzania, #Africa @thephotosociety @natgeocreative

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Video by @joelsartore | A white-faced whistling duck at @lincolnchildrenszoo in Nebraska. Found mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South America, they’re distinguishable by their bright white faces in contrast to their dark necks and bodies, and as their name implies, they have a very high-pitched call. They can be found in freshwater wetlands and forage mainly at night for grass, seeds and aquatic molluscs. During breeding season, these ducks undergo a flightless moulting period during which they’re quite vulnerable to predators. At that time, they often make their nests in dense areas of vegetation for the utmost protection. To see a portrait of white faced whistling ducks, check out @joelsartore! . . #savetogether #ducks #whistlingduck #animalfacts #wildlife #wildlifephotography #nature #natgeo #photoark

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Photo @ladzinski / A lightning fast #CliffSwallow, flying low on the surface of a pond catching insects with ease. (Swipe through the carrousel to see more Cliff Swallow and #BarnSwallow pics) These colorful birds are extremely efficient hunters, feeding primarily on flying insects and small bugs, even in water. They thrive in human populated areas, hunting and nesting affectively on man made structures like bridges, barns, houses and buildings. Barn Swallows are wide spread, found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas and are quite commonly seen. I shot these photos over the course of a couple of hours crouched in an icy pond, soaking wet and holding position near my home in #Boulder Colorado. My feeble attempts to stay warm and dry we're quickly overshadowed through the sheer entertainment of trying to keep these birds in focus while they hunted!

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Image by @joelsartore | Today is #pollinatormonday! This flashy pollinator from the @columbus_zoo is called the Rainbow Lorikeet, native to Australia and Indonesia. Nicknamed the “brush-tongued parrot”, this lorikeet has a highly specialized tongue equipped with small hair-like appendages called papillae that work like a brush to collect nectar and pollen when the tongue is extended. This feature, unique to lorikeets, allows it to soak up as many nutrients as possible from the blossom in very little time. The pollen that collects on its throat and tongue and is then transferred to the next flower on the lorikeet’s menu, allowing pollination to occur. It is unable to process hard foods like many nuts and seeds, and has a nearly all-liquid diet of soft foods and nectar from flowers like this grevillea honey gem it's perched on. . . #pollinators #pollinator #lorikeets #birds #colorful #pretty #nectar #flowers #plants #flora #fauna #wildlife #wildlifephotography #nature #animalfacts #photoark #natgeo #savetogether

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Jun 5, 2017 at 8:24am PDT

Photo by @amivitale for @natgeo. Joseph Lolngojine, a Samburu warrior turned elephant caretaker, watches over baby elephant Kinya near Reteti Elephant Sanctuary (@r.e.s.c.u.e) in Northern Kenya. Moments after this photo was taken, it was decided to bring her to the sanctuary to try to save her life. Follow all of us, @r.e.s.c.u.e, nearby @sararacamp and @amivitale to support and learn more about these initiatives. Read more about Reteti in my @NatGeo story: https://tinyurl.com/kvopc69 @nrt_kenya @lewa_wildlife @kenyawildlifeservice @tusk_org @sandiegozoo @conservationorg @natgeocreative @thephotosociety @nature_africa #elephants #saveelephants #retetielephants #ecotourism #stoppoaching #kenya #northernkenya #magicalkenya #whyilovekenya #africa #everydayafrica #photojournalism #amivitale #worldenvironmentday

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Video by @bertiegregory. A Sri Lankan leopard sizes up to a huge 3m/10ft mugger crocodile. In the hours leading up to this standoff, this leopard had been feeding on the buffalo calf kill pictured in this frame. This attracted the attention of a group of mugger crocodiles in a nearby pond. Keen on stealing the leopards meal, one of the crocodiles slowly walked towards the leopard and the kill. Considering the size and armour of this crocodile, I was sure the leopard would run away. I was wrong. In fact, it did the exact opposite stepping over the kill and bluff charging the crocodile. Follow @bertiegregory to see the climax of this face-off when the leopard started throwing punches!

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Jun 5, 2017 at 4:35am PDT