Bee-Eater in Flight

Photograph by Jószsef L. Szentpéteri

A brilliant blur as it plucks a butterfly from the air, the European bee-eater leads a colorful life on three continents.

Samburu Elephants, Kenya

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Saturn, an elderly mother herself, cares for two calves orphaned by the deaths of their mothers, who were her adult daughters. The extended family structure helps groups cope with such losses. At sunset along a river channel Saturn oversees the play of her own two calves and the orphans. From her behavior alone, uniformly doting, you couldn't know which was which.

Elephant Seal Mother and Pup

Photograph by Yva Momatiuk and John Eastcott

An elephant seal mother and pup nuzzle to learn each other's smell. Before weaning at about three weeks, the 90-pound (40-kilogram) newborn could triple its weight, while the nursing mother may lose a third.

Nudibranch

Photograph by David Doubilet

Members of the gastropod class, finger-size nudibranchs live fully exposed, their gills forming tufts on their backs. (Nudibranch means "naked gill," a feature that separates them from other sea slugs.).