Nothing beats taking a short break in your day to admire beautiful wild animals. Here are 15 stunning photos taken by top-notch photographers of animals in their natural habitat.

Like mother, like cub

It won’t be long before this little one grows up to be a formidable hunter, just like its mom.

The world’s fastest land animal, the cheetah can reach a speed of 110 kilometres (68 miles) per hour in just over three seconds. This incredible speed is due to its slender body, long limbs and tail, and extremely flexible spine that helps it achieve a stride length of seven metres (23 feet).

Splashing around

These bottlenose dolphins look like they’re having a whale of a time!

In fact, bottlenose dolphins are actually a type of toothed whale, as are porpoises, killer whales, beluga whales, and narwhals, among other species. Characterized by their bottle-shaped snout, these smiley swimmers are found in warm and temperate seas around the world.

A lustrous coat

The majestic red fox, or Vulpes vulpes, belongs to the Canidae family, which also includes domestic dogs, coyotes, and grey wolves. Found in many parts of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, the red fox has a thick furry tail that it uses like a blanket to keep warm in cold weather.

Family fun

Although it’s known as the killer whale, the orca is actually the largest member of the dolphin family. Some fully-grown males measure more than 10 metres (33 feet) long and weigh about 9,800 kilograms (almost 10 metric tons)!

These highly intelligent marine mammals live in pods of up to 50 family members, passing essential knowledge about hunting, feeding, socializing, and migration routes down from one generation to the next.

Long-distance traveller

Delicate-looking monarch butterflies have a maximum lifespan of just six to eight months, but during that time, millions of them fly thousands of miles from their summer homes in the United States and Canada all the way to Mexico to roost for the winter.

Their distinctive orange, white, and black wings serve an important purpose, warding off predators by signalling to them that the butterfly is poisonous.

What a long beak you have!

The graceful avocet uses its long curved beak to catch aquatic invertebrates as it wades through shallow wetlands, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. These birds also stay dry, thanks to their long stilt-like legs.

Found in many parts of the United States, most of these black and white birds migrate to the coast or to the valleys of California for the winter.

Blue beauty

The great blue heron’s distinctive characteristics are its lovely blue-grey plumage, long legs, and slow movements that belie its ability to quickly strike prey when the opportunity arises. These impressive birds feed on fish in marshes across the United States and Canada.

Cute and cuddly

These adorable marine mammals’ favourite foods include sea grass, mangrove leaves, and algae. According to Smithsonian.com, manatees consume 10 per cent of their body weight in plants every day! If their big snout and wrinkled grey skin remind you of an elephant, it’s because the two species evolved from the same land animals more than 50 million years ago.

A flair for drama

This show-stopping bird is the scarlet ibis, found in the mangrove swamps, shallow lakes, and other wetlands in northern South America. Its vibrant red colouring comes from the carotene in the crustaceans that make up its diet.

Blowin’ in the wind

Originating in the Shetland Isles off the northeast coast of Scotland, where it was used as a pack animal, the Shetland pony is known for its hardiness and strength despite its small size. Having adapted to the cold climate of its homeland, this pony’s most prominent features are its beautiful shaggy coat and thick mane.

All ears

What’s the difference between a rabbit and a hare? They both belong to the Leporidae family, but hares are typically larger and have longer ears and hind feet.

Found in most parts of North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, these herbivores make their homes in open spaces such as prairies, whereas rabbits prefer to burrow near trees and shrubs.

Lazing in the grass

Baby lions are known as cubs, whelps, or lionets. They look cute and innocent enough, but once fully grown, these cubs will weigh between 120 and 230 kilograms (265 to 500 pounds), depending on the sex.

The adult lion’s size is not the only fearsome thing about it; the male’s roar can be heard as far as eight kilometres (five miles) away!

The thinker

This beautiful feline is a leopard—a solitary predator found in several regions of the world, from Africa to Asia. A pro at camouflage, the leopard hunts exclusively at night and brings its prey up into the trees to eat in peace. Today, the leopard is a vulnerable species due, in part, to habitat loss, loss of wild prey, and hunting.

A sight for sore eyes

It may seem like these two camels are admiring the sunset over the mountains of the Sinai Desert, but it’s more likely they’re just resting after a long day of trekking. A domesticated camel can cover 50 to 60 km (31 to 37 mi) in a day and run as fast as 65 km/h (40 mph) if needed. Capable of drinking a huge amount of water at once, it can survive on its reserves for more than eight days.

Since 2002, the wild camel has been in critical danger of extinction, with only 1,000 left in the world.

A beautiful furball!

The Arctic fox is an animal whose colour adapts to the surrounding environment. Its fur, white as snow in winter, takes on brown or grey hues when spring arrives. Despite being able to survive temperatures as low as -50 degrees C (-58 degrees F), it often struggles to find sufficient food in the winter.

When prey is scarce, it follows the tracks of polar bears and feeds on the leftover scraps from their kills.