incredible

You have once again made it to Wednesday, friends, and we know that at this time, you're just starting to feel it- the weight of the week settling in, the countdown toward the weekend starting. Don't worry though. We have exactly what you need to make it through the rest of the week - a shot of inspiration that'll get your imagination running and give you the energy that you need to keep going. 

Every single week, we bring you a collection of these incredibly inspiring pictures of animals - wholesome, funny, strange and absolutely magnificent - the kind of pictures that are worth a thousand words and then some. We can look at them endlessly and not get bored, and we hope that they'll bring you the same kind of inspiration that they give us!

Have an amazing rest of the week, and come back next week for more incredible pictures like these!

Let's be honest, us animal lovers have a tendency to think that all animals are beautiful. There's always something unique and beautiful to find in them. Whether it's their size, a pattern of behavior, or something entirely different, animals are just awesome like that.

But there are some animals where it's enough to simply come across one of their pictures for us to have to do a double take, because even though we may not know anything about them, their looks are enough to amaze us. Twitter user @heisTactic has made a thread listing 10 animals like that - ones that are so beautiful, they are simply impossible to look away from. 

The winners of the 2020 Ocean Photography Awards have been announced and we're in awe of the breathtaking photos of the world we don't see often - the world under the sea. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees, each photograph is simply superb.

Each year, Oceanographic magazine holds the Ocean Photography Awards in a celebration of "our beautiful blue planet, as well as a platform to highlight the many plights it is facing." Such as the difficult photographs of the Conservation Photographer award, images of incredible sea life being tormented by waste. It's heartbreaking to see but important to share and be aware of. 

The photographer awards are open to everyone, from amateurs and professionals to everyone in-between. There are six categories and the overall winner which receives the title of 'Ocean Photographer of the Year.' 

The awards were streamed live from an extended reality stage in London, UK, you can watch the awards on YouTube. 

We can't wait to see what remarkable photographs are waiting to be discovered next year! 

20 years ago, the Burmese roofed turtle was presumed extinct, but today, we have some good news! This huge Asian river turtle, whose face seems to be set with a permanent smile, has been saved from extinction by a group of scientists. After accidentally coming across a few of these turtles, these scientists, over the years, have managed to grow the population of these turtles to 1000 and counting, with some of the turtles even released back into the wild.

Wow, wow, wow. 

Picture this: you're on a safari at the Tadoba Reserve, in India, when all of a sudden you spot a black leopard drinking water from a pond. That's what happened to 23-year-old Abhishek Pangis, who watched the rare black leopard for a total of 40 minutes! 

Can you imagine what a sight that must have been? Luckily, Pangis took some photos so we can see the majestic black leopard for ourselves. In an interview with LADBible, Pangis explains how he felt when first spotting the rare wildcat.

Still, must have been breathtaking to see it in person! 

Story via DailyMail

The images below were taken the ultra-talented underwater photographer Paul Caiger.

Known as the Strawberry Squid, this is one bejeweled beauty! Its body looks as if there are jewels covering it, therefore it is also known as the reverse jewel squid. Sampled from the ocean twilight zone, they explain that this mysterious ocean dweller can be found between "the sunlit surface layer and extending down to about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) deep." 

"The strawberry squid is a source of food for many of the large apex predators–such as sperm whales and Risso's dolphins–that dive down into the twilight zone to feed. "

Paul Caigar's Strawberry Squid image won the most-liked Instagram photo and crowned top "Instastar" from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's best of 2019.

(Photos by Paul Caiger, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)