Best photos of the May 2012 National Geographic

A selection of the best photos from the May National Geographic.

Forest dragon trees

In this outlandish forest dragon trees almost no seedlings and young shoots. Some scientists attribute this to the lack of moisture. Photo: Mark W. Moffett

Whale Shark, New Guinea

Fishermen on Bagan (floating fishing platforms) fed whale sharks caught a trifle, hoping that they will not touch the network. Photo: Michael Ou

Eye contact

In the Ussuri taiga is becoming increasingly rare tigers. However, if napadesh on his trail - hold on. Tiger, like all members of his family, loves the game of cat and mouse. Photo: Victor Yudin

Bear, Svalbard

Chewing seat snowmobile case for video camera and a hat the photographer Paul Nicklen, a female polar bear does not lose hope to find at least some food. Photo: Paul Nicklen

Newborn turtles

With a special tooth small turtles are selected from the shell into the wild, where they begin the journey of life, full of dangers. Photo: Brian Skerry

Kalalau Beach

Before you hide in the darkness, the moon silvers the waves washing the beach Kalalau. According to an ancient Hawaiian legend, the goddess of fire Pele wanted to settle there. But it drove here goddess of the sea. Photo: Diane Cook and Len Dzhenshel.

Moeraki Boulders in the

These unusual and full of mysterious large stones correct spherical form located on the east coast of New Zealand, in the town of Moeraki. Photo: Oleg Gaponyuk.

Halt, who goes there?

When the Philippine eagle is something alarming, it's funny it raises crest. So are all individuals. Photo: Klaus Nigg

At the watering

After the meal, the lioness go on the trail to the pond. The time has come to quench their thirst. Photo: Sergey Gorshkov

Kitka

Kitka River, teeming rapids and waterfalls, rushing, winding, to a meeting with a broader and more relaxed Oulanka, which flows into the White Sea. Photo: Peter Essick

Butterfly Kalimantan

Butterflies Euthalia godarti Nymphalidae - one of the rare species of Borneo island. The island was divided just three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Photo: Andrey Kamenev

Forest Pagodas

In the Forest of Pagodas buried most prominent Shaolin monks. The number of layers in the sanctuary corresponds valor monk. Photo: Fritz Hoffmann

Salt marshes Altiplano

The mirror surface of the salt plateau reflects the light summer clouds. SUVs, crossing one of the high plateau of the Altiplano salt marshes, as if floating on the water surface. Photo: George Staynmits

Godafoss waterfall

The incredible beauty of the known crystal Godafoss waterfall, one of the most famous waterfalls of Iceland, located on the north of the island on the river Skyaulfandaflout. Not the highest, but one of the widest (30 m), he is loved and visited by tourists from around the world, which is not surprising. This waterfall is known that in the years 999-1000. in making Christianity the inhabitants pagan idols were thrown into the waterfall. Hence the name of the waterfall - Godafoss, by the word of God - "God." According to another version, this waterfall was named so because of the wooden figures of gods, long time standing over him at the behest of the local pagan priest.

glider

Gliding is very developed in North Carolina. Fans soar above the ground waiting for the right wind, and go to "catch the wave" at Jockey's Ridge State Park, in the town of Nags Head.

Forest Oregon

Oregon Picturesque places open to tourists all year round. In particular, the most popular route is the mountain trail on Neahkahnie Mountain Trail.

Kayaks Maui

Look beautiful kayakers among corals on the southern coast of Maui that Olovalu. Bird's-eye view, this picture looks altogether unreal, like a picture of the cartoon.

Crossing the river

A very interesting and original way to ford the river, which captures photos during his trip to Alaska. However, Andrew Skurka, who flaunts the photo, notes that even this bizarre way to go did not save his shoes from water.

Sunset in the mountains

sight Magic managed to capture a photograph: as the golden sun sets right between the western shoulder of Mount Everest (right) and the peak of Nuptse (left).

Malibu

This photo shows the beauty of the Malibu on the other hand. An unforgettable experience you can get, go for a walk along the coast, at a time when the ocean is undergoing a period of low tide. Seagulls, surrounded a lone surfer, create an original, even somewhat mysterious picture.

Great Sand Dunes

Giant tracts of sand, up to 200 meters in height, changing the outline before our eyes - a unique attraction. Photo: Andrey Kamenev

The hills of Tuscany

The hills and mountains, spread across the Tuscan territory, formed its unique appearance. The one who came to Tuscany for the first time, can not help feeling that he had seen her landscapes, wandered through the streets of its ancient cities. Photo: Guboimages / Fotolink

Pointed tree frog

In New Guinea biologists have discovered several new species surveyed only a tiny portion of Foggia mountains. This long-nosed frog found on a bag of rice. Photo: Tim Laman

The Bear family, Svalbard

If the far north there is no ice, the bear's mother can not fully hunt, which means - to feed their babies. Photo: Paul Nicklen

Central Park, New York

Thousands of years ago, retreating glacier threw the boulders on the territory of Central Park in New York. Photo: Fritz Hoffman

Litlanesfoss Waterfall, Iceland

Waterfall Litlanesfoss cuts across an ancient lava flow, frozen in the form of columns. Photo: Orshoya and Erlen Harberg

Feeding Belka

Belek sucks milk, loudly smacking his lips, just like a human baby. Belek gain weight up to three kilograms per day. Photo: Andrey Kamenev

City koala

female sitting in a tree watching Jess Hooper, assistant photographer. Jess in the hands of the basket - in case koala descend before rescuers arrive. Photo: Joel Sarturi

The new capital of Kazakhstan

The new capital of Kazakhstan can not be called a flea. As nightfall government buildings are illuminated in different colors. Photo: Gerd Ludwig

Mushroom Cookeina tricholoma

Bright petsitsievye gelatinous, like mushrooms, the fruiting body is shown in the picture (Cookeina tricholoma), prefer the spring or autumn. Photo: Andrey Kamenev

Gorge Wyre, USA

Wyre Gorge begins as a broad, shallow valley, but soon narrows, and you find yourself in close deep crevice. Depending on the time of year, travelers waiting for various misfortunes: from dehydration to sudden flooding. Photo: Richard Barnes

Manakin Ecuador

When the club-winged manakin (Machaeropterus deliciosus) raises its wings, music sounds. The photo:

Tim Laman

Fledgling Ural Owl

owlet dozing near the vole, which he regale after sleep. In Europe, home to hundreds of thousands of Ural owl, and the north of Asia - millions. Photo: Sven Začek

Holding on to the rope, which affects his life, fearless diver swims through the fence of stalagmites in the cave Dan on Grand Abaco.

It is beautifully illuminated by the sun the western slope of Mount Everest, especially at dawn. Snowy peaks silver shine under the warm sun.

What looks like a gnarled strands of wire, is a forest of deep-sea precious coral in the Japanese Suruga Bay. Each strand is equipped with polyps that draw tiny tentacles to trends, to grasp the float food.

In addition to rock climbing in recent years has become popular like sport - ice climbing. Ice slopes may be frozen waterfalls, large icicles or artificially created ice facilities. Regularly hosts national and international competitions in this sport. The photo - Training of Croatian athletes who have to keep in shape climbing on icy waterfall on the mountain Medvednica Sopot. Color this picture adds a bright red sky, created by the lights of the nearby Zagreb.

Active volcano Nyiragongo, in the Republic of Congo, one of the most active in the world. People come here with the most extreme expeditions, travelers and scientists. And then their tents, lanterns glowing from the inside of the inhabitants, very picturesque tower in the twilight at the edge of a volcano.

Who would call extreme canoeing? Probably no one would not have thought, until he sees canoeists descend from the waterfall. And beautiful, and scary.

For centuries, people believed Redwoods forest inexhaustible wealth. The tallest trees on the planet, they cut down without regret. But time Redwoods of plenty came to an end. Sitting on a 106-meter tree, botanist Marie Antoine (right) passes a small sample of the core redwoods, whose age exceeds 750 years, his colleague, ecologist Giacomo Rentsullo.

In eastern Nepal, local guides, porters, helping foreigners to climb the Himalayan peaks, called "sherpas". It is a professional climber Sherpa holds the majority of records for the ascent of Everest. This Sherpa porter and photographer captures in close proximity to the famous Tengboche Buddhist monastery in Nepal.

Utah is famous for its special snow, which is particularly dry and did not stick. Alta Ski Resort - a place of worship of American skiers. Here are the most inexpensive platforms across America, it attracts skiers masters, so at Alta can be found with the legends of the world of alpine skiing. One of them, the famous athlete Max Kuszaj, captured in a photo during an evening workout.

Madagascar is famous for its natural formation such as the limestone ridges called "Tsing," which translated from Malagasy language means something that has a pointed, needle-like shape, or a place "where one can not walk barefoot," and you need to walk on the tips of his fingers. According to the "stone forest" and sneaks climber John "Razor Sharp" Benson.

surfer Coco Ho is known as the youngest and most promising athlete not only in Hawaii, where she was born, but also far outside the country. Back in 2009 she received the title of ASP Rookie of the Year and became the best Hawaiian surfing year. She is known for its vast repertoire of spectacular stunts, one of which - "underwater surfing"? who was captured in the photo.

Mutnovsky volcano, which partly is on the territory of South Kamchatka Nature Park and in 1996 declared a World Natural and Cultural Heritage in the category "Volcanoes of Kamchatka", is a monument of nature, and she Kamchatka - one of the most volcanically active areas in the world, there are about 29 active volcanoes. Unique object Mutnovsky volcano has attracted the attention of researchers and tourists. In the photo - a volcanologist, wading through a field of high-temperature fumaroles, steam jets and hot springs.