Watching Wild Nature

A man feeds a hippopotamus named Nikica in a private zoo in the village of Plavnica, about 6 miles south of the Montenegro capital Podgorica, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2009. The 2-ton hippo that escaped 9 days ago from a zoo in Montenegro has returned home, without hurting anyone. Flooding had allowed the animal to swim over the cage surrounding its pen. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

An immature bald eagle fights with two adult bald eagles while the birds eat a goose carcass at Union Reservoir in Longmont, Colo., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. A fourth adult bald eagle later joined the group before the birds dispersed. (AP Photo/Longmont Times-Call, Richard M. Hackett)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010, panda cubs from the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center in Sichuan are seen in a Shanghai zoo, in China. Ten giant panda cubs, all born after the deadly earthquake that hit China's Sichuan province in 2008, were sent to Shanghai to go on display during this year's World Expo. (AP Photo)

A man rides a horse through a bonfire in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

Michigan and other Great Lakes states have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to order shipping locks separating the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River basin closed immediately to prevent the Carp from entering the Great Lakes. (Fox News Channel)

A man rides a horse near a bonfire in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

A reveler runs away from a bull with flaming horns during a festivity in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals, in the streets of Gilet, a town near Valencia, Spain, on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010, panda cubs from the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center in Sichuan are seen in a Shanghai zoo, in China. Ten giant panda cubs, all born after the deadly earthquake that hit China's Sichuan province in 2008, were sent to Shanghai to go on display during this year's World Expo. (AP Photo)

George Kieffer, president of the Southern Caribbean Cetacean Network, swims with pilot whale named Sully at SeaWorld in San Diego, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010. Sully was stranded in Curacao in July, nursed back to health on the Caribbean island, and transferred to SeaWorld. (AP Photo/SeaWorld San Diego, Mike Aguilera)

A Koala joey named Miah is shown at the San Diego Zoo on Monday Jan. 18, 2010. (AP Photo/San Diego Zoo)

A newborn Black Headed Spider Monkey is  protected by its mother on its first few days on exhibit in Miami.This is the first offspring for both parents and is very important because the parents are two of only a handful of purebred representatives of their particular subspecies of Spider Monkey in the United States.  The Black Headed Spider Monkey is a rare arboreal primate that lives in the canopy of tropical forests in isolated pockets of Colombia. Spider Monkeys get their name from their very long arms and legs, along with their long prehensile tail which can be used as another arm sometimes giving the appearance of a large hairy spider in the trees. (AP Photo/Miami Metrozoo, Ron Magill)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010, panda cubs from the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center in Sichuan are seen in a Shanghai zoo, in China. Ten giant panda cubs, all born after the deadly earthquake that hit China's Sichuan province in 2008, were sent to Shanghai to go on display during this year's World Expo. (AP Photo)

Father Juan Villar blesses a ferret at the San Anton church during the feast of St. Anthony, Spain's patron saint of animals, in Madrid. The feast is celebrated each year in many parts of Spain and people bring their pets to churches to be blessed. (AP Photo/Arturo Rodriguez)

In a Monday, Jan. 11, 2010 photo provided by the Miami Metrozoo, a wild iguana, inert from the cold temperature, is seen on the grounds of the Miami Metrozoo in Miami. The iguana appeared to have succumbed to the cold, but began to stir again as it warmed up. The iguana is an exotic species introduced to South Florida. (AP Photo/Miami Metrozoo, Ron Magill)

Two adult male tigers play in a pool at Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno Forest Monastery in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The monastery and its Buddhist monks are dedicated to conservation and what has become a wildlife sanctuary for tigers. (AP Photo/David Longstreath)

I captured this moment off Seal Island, Cape Town. Waiting for a shark to rise from the cold waters, when suddenly without warning, an explosion of raw power thrust itself out of the water. It was all over in a split second, but it will last in my memory forever.  (Neil Wilkinson)

A pair of lions fight for a buffalo at the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana. (Ignacio Palacios)

A young lioness attacks zebras in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The zebras escaped. (Mitch Seaver)

The photo was taken on a Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1 in July of 2009, in a neighborhood close to Fort Myers Beach, FL. The photograph shows a snake eating a frog (which is showing resistance to the snake). (Mallory Schindler)

Two years ago I discovered a reclaimed wetlands area near our winter home in Melbourne, Florida, writes the photographer. I was there photographing waterbirds in February when I noticed an anhinga making several dives underwater, apparently looking for food. I positioned myself at the water’s edge and waited for the anhinga to surface. After dozens of dives, the anhinga rewarded me with this picture of his catch. The surprised look on the fish’s face mirrors my surprise that I was able to capture the photograph. (Cita Bandy)

An adult and a juvenile Bearded Vulture (a threatened species) have a quarrel over food. This action was captured at Giants Castle in the Drakensberg region of Southern Africa. (Mitchell Krog)

This photo was taken during a safari in Tsavo East, Kenya. It was nearing midday at the end of August when we were called to witness this spectacular event showing Darwin's "survival of the fittest." The chase itself lasted for about 15 seconds whereas the actual kill took 5 whole minutes! (Ellen Claudia Hausen)

In that split second when the egret's head plunges into the water, panic among the fish is evident by their escape into the air. (Deb Cloud)

This image was recorded in September 2009 in the Masai Mara region of Kenya, where wildebeest and zebras had been collecting near a river for several hours. They made many aborted attempts to cross, with crocodiles lying in wait, anticipating the animals. One zebra led the way and crossed safely. That triggered the masses of wildebeest to follow suit. I focused on the smaller wildebeest as they crossed the river and watched as the crocodiles got close to their prey. (Austin Thomas)

Two adolescent brothers try their best to bring a gazelle down. End of story? The mother cheetah did it. (Annie Katz)