By Rebecca Drew
THIS YEAR’S most brutal and beautiful wildlife images have been revealed – including a 1200-pound cannibalistic crocodile and a decapitated penguin.
A year filled with lockdowns and pandemic gloom, 2020 has also been a time where people have turned to nature for an escape – and in these pictures it is clear to see why.
Cheerful images showed a pair of Scottish dolphins performing a series of acrobatic tricks off the coast of The Black Isle near Inverness, Scotland, and boisterous gannets as they dive bombed after a tasty mackerel snack off of Shetland.
Another thrilling shot revealed the heart-stopping moment a pregnant impala leapt majestically through the air to miraculously escape a ravenous cheetah unscathed in Kenya, while another captured a stunning bald eagle as it took off with its catch in Alaska, USA.
Some of the spectacular images showed how predators of the animal world will stop at nothing for a meal as a 770-pound leopard seal brutally ripped off the head of a penguin in Antarctica and a large adult crocodile turned to cannibalism as it munched down on one of its own in South Africa.
Other highlights included a pair of bullfrogs as they tossed through a ditch in a hilarious topsy-turvy battle in Polokwane, South Africa, an eastern screech owl in incognito mode against a tree trunk in Massachusetts, USA, and a greedy 400-pound lion who decided to nab not one but two impalas for dinner at the Kruger National Park, South Africa.
