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25 Heartwarming Pictures Of Polar Animals That Capture Them In Their Full Glory

bySaurabh Pandey
15th December 2016
3 minute read

Polar animals are beautiful creatures from the lands of snow and ice. These residents of the winter wonderlands often remain hidden from the world as they live in some of the coldest and remotest corners of the world. Dwelling in some of the harshest conditions with temperatures going way below freezing point with almost little or no vegetation, these animals are not just beautiful but they also are an epitome of strength and an instinct for survival.

Photojournalist Paul Nicklen has taken the job of capturing the beauty of these polar animals in their full glory. Following are some of the most stunning images from his gallery of these magnificent creatures.

1. A newborn harp seal pup looking happy

 

2. A sea of king penguins

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In this incredible journey as a wildlife photojournalist there have been countless moments where I have come upon a scene that was so jaw-dropping beautiful that all I could do was stare in awe. Looking out over a sea of 400,000 king penguins, framed by 8000-foot peaks and listening to crashing surf just behind me. This is one such experience. My images do not do justice to scenes like this and I wish I could bring everyone with me to witness such powerful moments in nature. Through @sea_legacy, @cristinamittermeier and I we will be leading donor funded expeditions to many of the most remote and most stunning places on Earth to document the importance of healthy ecosystems and to get people to realize what we stand to lose through our changing planet. #joinus #expeditions #adventure #discovery #climatechangeisreal #antarctica

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3. Underwater swim for a polar bear 

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Hello Instagram Friends. I have such a great team behind me that allows me to shoot images about important stories. You are part of that team and thank you for your support. Without people like you who care deeply about the issues I photograph there’d be no reason to do it. Thank you! Part of my team is Craft & Vision, publishers of my recent eBook Photographing Wild. They’ve just told me they’re having a big sale and that includes my eBook, so if you missed it the first time, it’s now half-price – only $7.50. Every ebook sold helps keep my @sea_legacy team and I out in nature, on the front lines photographing and filming stories about the biggest issues facing us today. My dream is to have millions of passionate story tellers, out there with their cameras documenting our changing planet. This book will help you make better photographs and tell better stories. It also features some of my favorite conservation and nature photographers of all time. Thank you again for your support! You can find my book at PhotographingWild.com #gratitude #thejourney #ebook #poarbear

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4. Motherly love

 

5. A male Walrus in all his glory

 

6. Penguins on a swim

 

7. A wolverine travelling across snow

 

8. An arctic fox looking for its reflection in the ice

 

9. Happy penguin family 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBUOVfYlsI-/?taken-by=paulnicklen

 

10. Lone warrior

 

11. Enjoying a slide

 

12. Narwhals getting out of the sea

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Narwhals carefully reach skyward with their pointy ivory tusks as they grab a much needed breath between feeding dives. Standing on a drifting pan of sea ice while being surrounded by hundreds of narwhals remains a top moment on this already unforgettable journey as a wildlife photographer. For @sea_legacy. #narwhal #thejourney #lifeexperience #thinblueline #marine #‎MPA‬ #202020 ‪#‎wildlife‬ ‪#‎gratitude‬ ‪#‎explore‬ ‪#‎nature‬ ‪#‎smile‬ ‪#‎love‬ ‪#‎beauty‬ ‪#‎adventure‬ ‪#‎travel‬ @natgeocreative @thephotosociety ‪#‎instagood‬ ‪#‎tbt‬ ‪#‎follow‬ ‪#‎followme‬ ‪#‎photooftheday‬ ‪#‎happy‬ ‪#‎tagforlikes‬ ‪#‎beautiful‬ ‪#‎like‬ ‪#‎picoftheday‬

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13. Follow the leader

 

14. Mama bear making her cubs cosy

 

15. A ringed seal in her breathing hole

https://www.instagram.com/p/BF6pbFLlsIW/?taken-by=paulnicklen

 

16. This fox looks straight out of Winterfell

 

17. A happy penguin chick soaking the sun

 

18. Fresh after an icy bath

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMNACbJDHUB/?taken-by=paulnicklen

 

19. Dogs of the snowy lands, a group of huskies

 

20. A polar bear having fun on the shore

 

21. Dinner time with mother

 

22. A polar bear waiting patiently for the ice to melt

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A polar bear sniffs the arctic wind along the coast of Hudson Bay. This bear has been stranded on land for over four months and waits patiently for the sea ice to freeze so it can once again feast on seals. Once bears are stranded on land, they have access to very little food. Bears are designed to go for long periods of time without a meal, however, the sea ice is melting earlier each spring and freezing later each fall. There are some places in the Arctic where there used to ice year round and now are free of ice for up to 6 months a year. Some scientists are saying that we may see the demise of this species within a hundred years. What do you think? Will they adapt or will they disappear? #bear #polarbear #nature #naturelovers #tbt #photooftheday #picoftheday #beauty #climatechangeisreal

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23. Dogs detached from their sledge waiting for a rescue team

 

24. A short flight for an emperor penguin

 

25. A giant petrel waiting eagerly for its prey

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Photograph by @paulnicklen I pretended to be floating dead in the cold waters of South Georgia, Antarctica. Giant Petrel’s are truly giant and they are voracious scavengers with a six foot wingspan and powerful beaks. I thought this was a fun game and was excited by the photographs coming out of this encounter until it, along with three others stood on my back. Then, one tried to break through my skull with some powerful pokes. I will be sharing many stories from the field in NYC at the NYU Skirball Center on February 4th at 7:30pm as part of the #natgeolive series. There are still some tickets left so please come and join me for a night of images and story-telling. #natgeolive #spiritofthewild @natgeocreative @thephotosociety#beauty #love #nature #wildlife #animals #elplanetaphoto @instagramhub @picoftheday @photooftheday @cristinamittermeier

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Beautiful creatures, aren’t they? Sadly, a lot of them are facing a serious threat of extinction as ice caps are melting due to a continuous rise in global temperatures. It is important for us to take care of these animals as we are the ones responsible for climate change, not they.

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