An emperor penguin chick waddles to the edge of a cliff and jumps 50 feet down to the icy water. National Geographic captured the daring penguin dive with a drone camera, marking the first time the behavior has ever been captured on film. An image (seen below) documenting the moment was also included in the magazine’s final list Photos of the year 2024 honorees.
A young emperor penguin jumps from a 15 meter high cliff for its first dive. The species normally breeds on low-lying sea ice, but some colonies have been found on higher and more permanent ice shelves, a behavior that is likely to become increasingly common due to climate change. Abandoned by their parents a month earlier, the chicks must fend for themselves and find food by hunting in the sea. Photo by Bertie Gregory for National Geographic
The annual Photos of the Year list is limited to 2.3 million photos and celebrates our spectacularly diverse planet. From the imposing sand dunes of Egypt’s Western Desert to a farmer in Romania dealing with a changing environment, the images bring stories to life in stunning detail. Visit for more information NatGeo.com.
A scientist holds the 70-day-old fetus of a rhino conceived through in vitro fertilization. Photo by Ami Vitale
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Ingo Arndt worked with the University of Konstanz to build a nest to watch the breeding behavior of wood ants, which are normally hidden in forest hills. Arndt saw female colony workers cleaning eggs, larvae spinning cocoons, and hatchlings like this one opening cocoons with their mandibles before workers helped cut them out. Photo by Ingo ArndtPeriodical cicadas spend 13 to 17 years in the ground, emerging only to reproduce. Last May and June, for the first time in 221 years, brood XIII, with a 17-year cycle, and brood vibrations as they called to mate. Photo taken for National GeographicCover of National Geographic Magazine, December 2024.
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