BEST PHOTOS OF 2016

 

Here is a gallery of National Geographic's 5 best images of the year—curated from 91 photographers, 107 stories, and 2,290,225 photographs.

 Kirill Vselensky perches on a cornice in Moscow as Dima Balashov gets the shot. The 24-year-olds, risktakers known as rooftoppers, celebrate their feats on Instagram.This photo was originally published in " Why Many Young Russians See a Hero in Putin," in December 2016. 

 PHOTOGRAPH BY GERD LUDWIG 

 A diver keeps a close watch on a tiger shark in the Bahamas. But the scene may not be as dangerous as it looks: Tigers rely on surprise to hunt prey and are unlikely to attack divers who keep them in sight.This photo was originally published in "He Went Face-to-Face With Tiger Sharks," in June 2016.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN SKERRY 

Tempted by the fruit of a strangler fig, a Bornean orangutan climbs 100 feet into the canopy. 

With males weighing as much as 200 pounds, orangutans are the world’s largest tree-dwelling animals.

This photo was originally published in "Inside the Private Lives of Orangutans," in December 2016.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM LAMAN

 Parts of the Yellowstone region are wilder now than they’ve been in a century. 

Grizzlies are spreading. This one, in Grand Teton National Park, fends off ravens from a bison carcass. 

Workers moved it away from the road to keep scavengers and tourists apart.

This photo was originally published in "Learning to Let the Wild Be Wild in Yellowstone," in May 2016.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES 

 Twilight bathes the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia at Delphi.

 Pilgrims in ancient Greece may have offered sacrifices here before consulting the oracle of Delphi.

This photo was originally published in "How the Greeks Changed the Idea of the Afterlife," in July 2016.

PHOTOGRAPH BY VINCENT J. MUSI AT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF DELPHI