National Geographic: 6th Week in 2013 with Breathtaking Photos

In the Okefenokee Swamp, this alligator spent several hours attempting to crack the shell of this turtle. It eventually grew bored and the turtle walked away. Photo and caption by Patrick Castleberry

The lighthouse in St. Joseph, Michigan, has become an ice sculpture. Yesterday (January 26, 2013), after a day of cloudy skies, there was a break in the clouds just above the horizon to the west. As the sun slipped below the the bank of clouds the ice-covered lighthouse came alive in hues of pink. This was one of the most stunning natural wonders I've ever seen. Photo and caption by Lisa Rundell

A pair of great egrets battle over ownership of a good fishing spot in a South Carolina salt marsh during low tide. Photo and caption by Phil Lanoue

A few friends and I were driving the Alaska Highway when we saw this moose head sticking out of the ice on Muncho Lake, so we grabbed some rope and with help from people on the highway we were able to pull the moose out. Good thing I had my Nikon to capture the moment. Photo and caption by Chris Gale

Two young male elephants greet each other with a brief moment of mock sparring in Kenya near the Masai Mara. They were from the same herd, obviously familiar with one another, and not mature enough to have been forced from the group. Teenagers. Photo and caption by Edward Hilsmeyer

Group of king penguins walking out of the water in Fortuna Bay, South Georgia. Photo and caption by Cedric Favero

During a recent expedition offshore from Oahu, this blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) charged through a ball of baitfish directly at the dome port on my camera. I was very fortunate to spend a full 30 minutes in the water with these beautiful animals that day. The ocean is awesome! Photo and caption by Jeffrey Milisen

Springtime in South Kazakhstan mountains. Nomad's camel. Photo and caption by Konstantin Kikvidze

This picture was taken on the morning of Magazine January 24 as the temperature was in the single digits above and below zero. There was a mystical fog that built over areas of the lake as the freezing rollers cascaded along the lighthouse. Photo and caption by Evan Gateman