8 Most Incredible Animal Photos Of 2015

Eery day at National Geographic, their editors look through somewhere between 4,000 and 8,000 images that are uploaded to their photo community, Your Shot. Of those images, 12 are selected to shine in what we call the Daily Dozen. And from those photos, only one is chosen. And by chosen, I mean voted on by you, the community. That photo receives the Top Shot honor.

Here is the Top 8 photos which we loved so much. Enjoy.

Monochrome Crocs
Two crocodiles cruise around a lake in North Queensland, Australia. Photographer Amy Shire says she was drawn to the “juxtaposition of the two powerful and menacing creatures framing the delicate nature play above them.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY AMY SHIRE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT

The (Big) Catwalk
Sightseers gather at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, India, to catch a glimpse of this tiger. Photographer Gaurav Kalbhor says this image “shows who is the boss.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY GAURAV KALBHOR, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT

Fox Family Portrait
A family of red foxes gathers in Grand Teton National Park. Photographer Jim Chagares spent three and a half weeks photoraphing fox dens in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JIM CHAGARES, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT

Full House
A female skull spider guards her eggs for a few days after they hatch. After that, the spiderlings are on their own.
PHOTOGRAPH BY I. DAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT

Why Hello, Bear!
Polar bears congregate on the barrier islands of Kaktovik in northern Alaska every fall to partake in leftovers from Inupiat whaling before the Beaufort Sea freezes and they move on to hunt seal. “It was a surreal experience,” says photographer Laura Keene, “to be in the presence of these magnificent creatures.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY LAURA KEENE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT

Monitoring for Lizards
A monitor lizard dragon swims through a small lake in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Photographer Michael Haluwana visited the lake four days in a row hoping to catch this moment. This frame was captured after three hours spent sitting in a tree when the lizard finally swam through the waters below.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL HALUWANA, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTOPHER MICHEL, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT

Au Naturel Nap

A grizzly rests on a tree in the rain at the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary in British Columbia, Canada.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHELLE VALBERG, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT