More -
A snowy owl - normally a resident of the Arctic - has been spotted as far south as Florida, US. The coldest air in 20 years surged into large parts of the US this week as the polar vortex broke down and pushed cold Arctic air further south than normal.
Photograph: Will Dickey/AP
An adult shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) in Mabamba Bay, Uganda. The species can be found living in swamps in tropical east Africa from Sudan to Zambia. They are mostly silent and solitary birds, only coming together when food is scarce or to breed. Shoebills are classed as vulnerable due to poaching, regular burning of their swamp habitat and pressure from fishermen.
Photograph: Martin Hale/FLPA/REX
A sea otter dozes happily, disguised as a lump of seaweed in Monterey, California.
Photograph: Michael Yang/Rex
A bee on blossom in Cologne, Germany. The disruption of the polar vortex has brought warmer weather and into many parts of Europe, confusing wildlife.
Photograph: Henning Kaiser/Corbis
A red avadavat (right) and an Indian silverbill feed on grass seeds at the Okhla bird sanctuary in New Delhi, India. The species are similar in size and structure, with stubby bills, stocky bodies and long tails. In India, these finches are very popular in the illegal bird trade and also, with rapid urbanisation, these birds are fast losing their habitats. Experts say their numbers are dwindling.
Photograph: Ridhima Sikka/Barcroft India
Divers swim with dozens of West Indian manatees as the animals congregate around a freshwater spring north of Tampa, Florida. Local temperatures dropped below freezing, redirecting the animals to the warm springs at the Crystal River national wildlife refuge.
Photograph: Matthew Beck/AP
The Guardian (I take it as them commentating from photographers' or photo agencies' notes but I don't know) have a heavy deck in this week's photos, of which there are 15.
When I post guardian photos on wildlife, I tend to pick pretty good photos or interesting to me for some reason, and try to pick six or less since it can get to be a task - plus no photos that send me down re animal trading for gain and/or superstition, given the nature of this thread being about beauty. But if you are interested in the subject of animal abuse, the photo series include a fair amount of instances.
