December 29th, 2017
Here are our editors’ favorite Instagram posts from our photographers this week.

Photo by Paul Nicklen
"At -20 degrees celsius, a grizzly bear feeds along the Fishing Branch River in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Wet fur turns to ice and lips turn red from feasting on salmon. With luck, this bear is sound asleep far above the Arctic Circle, saving energy until it wakes up in the spring."
"At -20 degrees celsius, a grizzly bear feeds along the Fishing Branch River in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Wet fur turns to ice and lips turn red from feasting on salmon. With luck, this bear is sound asleep far above the Arctic Circle, saving energy until it wakes up in the spring."

Photo by Shah Selbe
"The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America. It’s looks like a very tall fox, but it’s not closely related to foxes or wolves. Interestingly, these canids have formed a symbiotic relationship with leafcutter ants. They tend to defecate on the nests of the ants, and the ants then use the dung to fertilize their fungus gardens. The seeds found in the dung (maned wolves are omnivores) are discarded into a refuse pile by the ants, and this process is seen to significantly increase the germination rate of those seeds. It really is quite beautiful how the natural world can form these dynamic interspecies relationships that help the health of the ecosystem overall."
"The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America. It’s looks like a very tall fox, but it’s not closely related to foxes or wolves. Interestingly, these canids have formed a symbiotic relationship with leafcutter ants. They tend to defecate on the nests of the ants, and the ants then use the dung to fertilize their fungus gardens. The seeds found in the dung (maned wolves are omnivores) are discarded into a refuse pile by the ants, and this process is seen to significantly increase the germination rate of those seeds. It really is quite beautiful how the natural world can form these dynamic interspecies relationships that help the health of the ecosystem overall."