Best Photos of the Wildlife of Russia 2016 Contest

The best photos of the Wildlife of Russia 2016 contest, carefully selected from over 55,000 pictures submitted by photographers from all over the country, have been collected in this gallery for you to enjoy. The annual Wildlife of Russia photo contest has been held in the country since 2011 under the auspices of National Geographic Russia and Russian Geographic Society.

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© Photo : Sergei Korolev/National Geographic Russia

Tuloma Whims. Photo by Sergei Korolev. The overall winner of the contest which also placed first in the Landscapes category.

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© Photo : Irina Polozkova/National Geographic Russia

They Flew In! Photo by Irina Polozkova. First place in the Mammals category.

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© Photo : Alexander Fedosov, Nataliya Fedosova/National Geographic Russia

Seeing Off the Evening Sun. Photo by Alexander Fedosov and Natalia Fedosova. First place in the Russia Preserved category.

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© Photo : Dmitri Velyunov/National Geographic Russia

First Chick. Photo by Dmitry Velyunov. First place in the Birds category.

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© Photo : Darya Selivanova/National Geographic Russia

Outlived the Dinosaurs. Photo by Daria Selivanova. First place in the Black-and-White Nature category.

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© Photo : Evgeni Polonsky/National Geographic Russia

Wolf Deep. Photo by Yevgeny Polonsky. First place in the Photo History category.

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© Photo : Oxana Ariskina/National Geographic Russia

Winter Dream. Photo by Oksana Ariskina. First place in the Plants category.

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© Photo : Gennadi Yusin/National Geographic Russia

Unexpected Addition. Photo by Gennady Yusin. First place in the Mothers and Babies category.

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© Photo : Konstantin Novikov/National Geographic Russia

Atlas. Photo by Konstantin Novikov. First place in the Underwater Photography category.

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© Photo : Vladimir Voichuk/National Geographic Russia

When the Volcano Doesn't Sleep. Photo by Vladimir Voychuk. First place in the From Dusk Till Dawn category.

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© Photo : Darya Timokhina/National Geographic Russia

Golden Whirlwind. Photo by Daria Timokhina. First place in the Young Talents category.

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© Photo : Anton Grigoriev/National Geographic Russia

Stone Waves. Photo by Anton Grigoriev. First place in the Mobile Photo category.

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© Photo : Yuri Sorokin/National Geographic Russia

'Martian' Landscape in Central Russia. Photo by Yuri Sorokin. First place in the Energy of Life special category.

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© Photo : Viktoriya Karpenko/National Geographic Russia

A Fragment of a Big Dandelion. Phoyo by Victoria Karpenko. First place in the Macrography category.