A giant green sea anemone eats a red cancer crab in a tidal pool in Washington's Clallam Bay. These carnivorous invertebrates snare their prey by firing a hooked filament into their victims, paralyzing them with a potent neurotoxin before engulfing the unlucky prey.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Pools of Spring," April 1999, National Geographic magazine)
August 12, 2008
Nasca Lines, Nasca, Peru, 1964
Photograph by Bates Littlehales
An aerial view shows the famed Nasca Lines of southern Peru. These images, enormous geoglyphs etched into the desert some 2,000 years ago, are so large they can only be discerned from the sky. Some are more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) long.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Five Worlds of Peru," February 1964, National Geographic magazine)
August 13, 2008
Submersible and Research Vessel, Black Sea, 2001
Photograph by Randy Olson
A team of archaeologists with the Black Sea Project lowers a remotely operated submersible named Little Hercules from a research vessel. In 2000, when this photo was taken, the project discovered several impeccably preserved ancient shipwrecks in the depths of the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Deep Black Sea," May 2001, National Geographic magazine)
August 14, 2008
Elephant's Trunk, Zakouma National Park, Chad, 2007
Photograph by Michael Nichols
A unique camera angle captures an elephant's trunk approaching a waterhole in Zakouma National Park, Chad. African elephants hydrate by sucking liquid into their trunk, then pouring it into their mouth. Adults will drink up to 50 gallons (190 liters) of water per day.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Ivory Wars: Last Stand in Zakouma," March 2007, National Geographic magazine)
August 15, 2008
Diwali Observance, Jaipur, India, 2001
Photograph by Joe McNally
Two women observe Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the ancient palace of the maharaja in Jaipur. The festival lasts five days and celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. During Diwali, buildings and waterways are lit with candles and oil lamps, the earliest forms of artificial lighting after campfires.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Power of Light," October 2001, National Geographic magazine)
A farmer in Poland's Dunajec Breach grazes his sheep on pastureland that is now many feet under water. This photo, taken in 1987, shows the dam-in-progress (center right) that nearly a decade later would turn this valley into a tranquil lake. Lofty Niedzica Castle (center top) now boasts waterfront property.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Poland: The Hope That Never Dies," January 1988, National Geographic magazine)
August 17, 2008
Cave Diver, Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico, 1991
Photograph by Michael Nichols
Ultra-clear water makes this formation in New Mexico's Lechuguilla Cave look more precipice than pool. Called Lake Chandalar, spelunkers are advised to fill their canteens here without touching the water to avoid introducing bacteria that could cloud the crystalline pond.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Charting the Splendors of Lechuguilla Cave," March 1991, National Geographic magazine)
August 18, 2008
Buddhist Temple, Lhasa, Tibet, 2003
Photograph by Galen Rowell
Pedestrians walk near a temple on the famed Barkhor promenade in Lhasa, Tibet, with the grandiose Potala Palace sprawled atop nearby Red Mountain. Once a spiritual epicenter, the Barkhor is in the midst of a Chinese government-led modernization effort that many believe has stripped the ancient neighborhood of much of its unique Tibetan culture.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "275 Miles on Foot Through the Remote Chang Tang," April 2003, National Geographic magazine)
August 19, 2008
Sunrise, Oxford, England, 1998
Photograph by Annie Griffiths Belt
Sunrise breaks in Oxford, England, home of Thomas Edward Lawrence, who came to be known as Lawrence of Arabia. Hooked on history as a boy, "Ned" roamed the fields and riverbanks behind his home in Oxford, on the lookout for artifacts from Britain's age of chivalry. Later the scholar turned soldier fought alongside Arab forces in the Middle East.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Lawrence of Arabia: A Hero's Journey," January 1999, National Geographic magazine)
A remote-controlled "carcass cam" captures an inside view of a gray wolf fiercely guarding its meal at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota. Wolves at the center are provided with food, but wild populations generally hunt in packs. After a large kill, a single wolf can consume more than 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of meat.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Return of the Gray Wolf," May 1998, National Geographic magazine)