12/24/2025
National Geographic Pictures of the Year 2025 🙏
In this image from our Pictures of the Year 2025, a s***m whale floats amid shards of polar pack ice, dead and decomposing, mouth hanging open. When photographer Roie Galitz captured the scene with a drone, the image was so arresting that it took a moment to notice the hungry female polar bear stretching her jaw to break through the whale’s leathery skin.
The encounter raised a curious question: What was a s***m whale doing here? The species prefers temperate climes, but as Arctic waters warm, some whales are moving beyond their traditional range. Strong currents and winds might also have pushed it north, a happy surprise for both Galitz and the bear, which worked hard for the feast. “You can see she’s trying to get in and get through, but the hide is just so thick,” says Galitz.
National Geographic photographers ventured to places far and wide to capture the year’s most fascinating images. Out of hundreds of thousands of photos, 25 were selected as our Pictures of the Year. See them all: https://on.natgeo.com/4aURRYM