Sharing Resources ... During winter in northern Norway, large biomasses of herring have overwintered in fjords during 3-4 dark winter months in recent years. This has attracted hundreds of whales and fishing vessels. The killer whales have learned the sound of the boats when they haul their herring bag nets and get attracted to the boats in hopes of an easy meal of leftover herring. A single exposure where Audun has used a self-made underwater housing. Location: Tromsø, Norway. Picture: Audun Rikardsen (NO)

Close-ups of a wonderful world

THE jawdropping finalists from the Siena Photo Awards will make you fall in love with Planet Earth all over again.

2016 Royal Tour To Canada Of The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge - Victoria

British Royal family farewell Canada

Kate, Wills and the kids are charming Canadians with their warmth and enthusiasm as they take in the natural beauty of Canada’s Pacific coast.

Must not publish before Friday September 23 2016 Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition Picture: Jonathan Diaz-Marba In search of food – Runner up: Behaviour I watched feeding griffon vultures searching inside the ribcage of a large mammal. I tried my luck using the camera inside the carcass, shooting from a hide with the help of a trigger wire 20 meters long. My fear was that these huge birds could vandalize the expensive photographic equipment, but I had to take the risk. I realized that the use of a flash to illuminate the inside of the rib cage was not possible because the space was very small and the vultures distrusted much of the equipment. Instead everything was illuminated with natural light at dawn. At this time and at this angle of incidence, light seeped between the ribs of the animal, illuminating the interior. The birds nest in colonies on cliffs that are undisturbed by humans and fly over huge open areas searching for food. It was therefore important to choose the time and place carefully – in particular, I chose an area with many magpies, whose presence gives the vultures a good cue of where to feed. Andorra, Spain.

2016 Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition

FROM a vulture starring through a dead carcass, to a caiman wearing a headress of beautiful butterflies, see all the winning entries...

Man on the Moon ... Picture: Dani Caxete, Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2016 People and Space Runner-up The 2016 runner-up in the People and Space category is 'Man on the Moon' by Dani Caxete (Spain) at Cadalso de los Vidrios, Madrid, Spain on 23 January 2016, using a Long Perng ED80 f/6.2 telescope and Nikon D610 camera, at ISO 1250 with 1/320-second exposure.

Out of this world! Astronomy Photographer of the Year

THESE are 20 of the best unseen amateur and professional photographs taken around the world of our amazing skies.

MUST CREDIT Corey Wilson/Rip Curl MUST LINK TO RIP CURL WEBSITE STRICTLY DO NOT NAME LOCATION THE SEARCH - Comfortably Numb: Mick Fanning and Mason Ho find cold waves and clarity in the frozen north. Picture: Corey Wilson/Rip Curl http://thesearch.ripcurl.com/en/comfortably-numb/?v=mick-fanning

Ice-breakers: Mick Fanning and Mason Ho search for the perfect wave

MICK Fanning and Mason Ho embark on a trip of a lifetime to the frozen north. Rip Curl captured the surfing duos breathtaking adventure, as they searched for the perfect wave.

Jennifer Hawkins, "Dreamy water.. Today was damn FUN! Thank ya @jakewwall for trying to make me fall of the back constantly!!" Picture: Instagram

Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall get cheeky on an island escape

GENETICALLY blessed couple Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall share a series of magical snaps from their luxury stay in the Maldives.

Schilthorn: Skyline Walk - Birg

14 incredible viewing platforms

Competition is reaching great heights between spectacular viewing platforms around the world, each one more daring or dramatic.

Motion Captured: Photocrowd contest "Shake it Off" Tiny the Grizzly is a HUGE Taylor Swift fanatic Picture: Athena_B/Photocrowd.com

Incredible motion captured in a split second

STUNNING freeze-frame images captured by photographers around the world.

Broken Hill - the welcome sign Picture: Manuela Cifra

Broken Hill: Desert theme park

MOVE over Surfers Paradise! This Outback city makes for a fabulous family holiday.

MUST NOT PUBLISH BEFORE SATURDAY MAY 7TH MUST CREDIT SOLENT This attention-seeking little cheetah cub nestles his head beneath his mother's chin (PICTURED), pestering for affection. The female, who is busy guarding her cubs from prey, ignores the three-month-old youngster. Refusing to give up, the tiny troublemaker jumps onto her back and clings on tight with both paws Iris Iris Braun followed this family of cheetahs through Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, for five days to capture these images. © Iris Braun/Solent News & Photo Agency UK +44 (0) 2380 458800

Adorable: Happy Mother’s Day!

Mum’s the word: These mothers from the animal kingdom are full of tender love for their young and their babies are clearly wild about them too.

Nicholas Eagar

Hawaii from the Sky!

GALLERY: Photographer Nicholas Eagar takes a birdseye look at Hawaii from a doors-off chopper over Oahu.

Confrontation

Competition highlights natural beauty

Photographers capture the best of Mother Nature in a series of stunning entries from the 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest.

Image Name: The Majestic Dance Photographer Name: Satvik Bhatt Year: 2017 Image Description: This picture was taken in the forest area of Jaipur, Rajasthan (India). Rajasthan has a huge population of the National Bird and they are found in most areas (both urban and rural). This picture was taken during rain season, in which it's a common sight to see the Peacocks dancing. Series Name: Series Description: Copyright: © Satvik Bhatt, India, Entry, Open, Wildlife, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards

Stunning pictures from 2017 Sony World Photography Awards

THESE 10 photographs are the cream of the crop in the Sony World Photography Awards — and will leave you breathless.

AERIAL ANIMALS

Incredible bird’s-eye view of African wildlife

THIS unique collection of aerial photographs of African wildlife was taken over several trips that photographer Michael Poliza made across the continent in the last 10 years.

Ruby Rose and a friend in Ibiza, "When your mate is fabulous, generous, kind and good looking - it makes floating in a pool with her in Ibiza pretty wonderful." Picture: Instagram

Wanderlust: Around the world with the stars

GET inspired for your next escape as we bring you the best of this week’s social snaps from the stars.

Dronestagr.am's 3rd annual Drone Photography Contest announce winners out of 5900 entries from 28 countries across 3 categories: Nature, Sports adventure and Travel 1ST PRIZE WINNER: CATEGORY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER: Francisco Cattuto http://www.dronestagr.am/basilica-of-saint-francis-of-assisi-assisi-pg-umbria-italy/

Incredible aerial vistas

Drone’s eye view: Dronestagr.am’s third annual Drone Photography Contest from 28 countries.

Supplied Travel SUNDAY ESCAPE, QUIRKY NATURE HOTELS. Free Spirit Spheres. MUST CREDIT: Adam Clarke, freespiritsph

18 amazing hotels in nature

From tree houses to beds under the stars, these quirky hotels make the most of the natural environment.

Bear living with family

There’s a bear in there

WE’RE going on a bear hunt ... but it’s not what you’d expect. Meet Stefan the 2m tall bear who loves cups of tea and bearhugs with his Russian family.

Matira beach, Bora Bora.

12 beaches to blow your mind

CHECK out the Asia-Pacific highlights that feature in Lonely Planet’s “50 Beaches to Blow Your Mind”.

Urban Jungle

Spectacular cities in focus

SEE some of the highlights of the 2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest’s cities category.