Photo of the Day 510

Yellow-Billed Hornbill, South Africa

Photograph by Daniel Born

A yellow-billed hornbill rests its beak on the camera hood at the Johannesburg Zoological Gardens, South Africa.

—Caption by Daniel Born

Photo of the Day 393

Antelope Cave Art, Drakensberg Range, South Africa, 2001

Photograph by Kenneth Garrett

For the ancient San, or Bushmen, rock paintings, like this cave drawing of an eland in South Africa's Drakensberg Mountains, weren't just representations of life; they were also repositories of it. When the San painted an antelope, he didn't just pay homage to a sacred animal; they also harnessed its essence.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Paintings of the Spirit: Rock Art Opens a New Window Into a Bushman World," February 2001, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 386

Southern Right Whale, South Africa, 2003

Photograph by David Doubilet

Off South Africa, a southern right whale Eubalaena australis takes a peek above water before heading back down to the depths. Photographer David Doubilet rates the South African coast as one of the world's top seven diving spots. "When the sardines run, they bring seals, dolphins, and other predators," he writes. "To me, this is the most exciting dive in the world."

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "My Seven: The World's Best Diving Spots," January 2004, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 382

Grazing Eland, Drakensberg Range, South Africa, 2001

Photograph by Kenneth Garrett

The rich foliage, roots, and bulbs on the slopes of South Africa's Drakensberg Range attract a wide variety of mammals, including eland, the world's largest antelope species. Logging, overgrazing, and soil erosion, however, threaten this critical African habitat.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Paintings of the Spirit: Rock Art Opens a New Window Into the Bushman World," February 2001, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 378

Tribal Dancers, Ndumu Game Reserve, South Africa, 1996

Photograph by Chris Johns

Dance for South Africa's Zulu is like storytelling, with each movement imbued with historical and cultural significance. Here, the crimson skirt of a tribeswoman sways during a performance at the Ndumu Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "A Place for Parks in the New South Africa," July 1996, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 351

Jellyfish, South Africa, 2003

Photograph by David Doubilet

A Catostylus species jellyfish seems frozen in place in this split-level view off the coast of South Africa.

Marine invertebrates, jellyfish are found in every ocean in the world.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "My Seven: The World's Best Diving Spots," January 2004, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 332

Cape Point at Twilight, South Africa, 2003

Photograph by David Doubilet

Clouds streak the twilight sky above South Africa's Cape Point. South Africa's coastline stretches some 1,550 miles (2,500 kilometers) along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "My Seven: The World's Best Diving Spots," January 2004, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 199

Cape Fur Seal and Bull Kelp, South Africa, 2002

Photograph by David Doubilet

A young Cape fur seal forages amid bull kelp near Gansbaai, South Africa. The large numbers of great white sharks here, drawn by huge seal populations, give Gansbaai the unofficial title of Great White Capital of the World. Great whites rarely enter kelp forests, and fur seals seek them out as refuges from their arch nemeses.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Oceans of Plenty: South Africa's Teeming Seas," August 2002, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 124

Sardines and Sharks, South Africa, 2002

Photograph by David Doubilet

Copper sharks torment a frenzied school of sardines off South Africa's east coast. In winter, sardines migrate northward en masse, creating an aquatic extravaganza that draws sharks, seals, seabirds, dolphins, and gamefish to a roiling all-you-can-eat buffet.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Oceans of Plenty: South Africa's Teeming Seas," August 2002, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 102

Cape Fur Seal and Bull Kelp, South Africa, 2002

Photograph by David Doubilet

The sun silhouettes the sinuous form of a Cape fur seal plunging through a forest of bull kelp fronds off the coast of Gansbaai, South Africa. Though clumsy on land, Arctocephalus pusillus, or Cape fur seals, epitomize grace underwater. They patrol the coastal waters of South Africa and southeast Australia, feeding on fish, squid, cuttlefish, and octopus.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Oceans of Plenty: South Africa's Teeming Seas," August 2002, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 68

Humpback Whale, South Africa, 2002

Photograph by David Doubilet

Forty tons of gleaming muscle, a humpback whale blasts out of the water near South Africa. Found in coastal waters worldwide, humpbacks are known for their magical songs, haunting sequences of moans, howls, cries, and other noises that often continue for hours on end. Scientists believe they communicate and attract mates through song.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Oceans of Plenty," August 2002, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 44

Grazing Giraffe, South Africa, 1977

Photograph by James Blair

A giraffe samples foliage in South Africa's Mala Mala Game Reserve. Biologist and explorer Mike Fay calls Mala Mala the "Ferrari of game reserves" for its posh, safari-retro accommodations, lush grounds, top-notch management, and abundant wildlife, including lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, wildebeests, impalas, and giraffes.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "South Africa's Lonely Ordeal," June 1977, National Geographic Traveler magazine)

Photo of the Day 34

Great White Shark, Gansbaai, South Africa

Photograph by David Doubilet

On the prowl in Gansbaai, South Africa, a great white shark flashes rows of teeth sharper than daggers. With its numbers declining around the world, scientists warn that this species, the most feared of all sharks, may be in danger.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Great White: Deep Trouble," April 2000, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 31

Aerial View of African Elephants, Kenya, 1999

Photograph by George Steinmetz

A herd of elephants makes its way through swamp grass in Kenya's Amboseli National Park. Established as a national park in 1974, the 151-square-mile (392-square-kilometer) park at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in southwest Kenya is home to more than 450 animal species, including elephants, wildebeests, cranes, and egrets.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Riding the Wind: Photographing the Sahara from Aloft," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 24

Giant Quiver Trees, South Africa, 1995

Photograph by Chris Johns

Giant quiver trees rise from a rocky hill on the boundary of South Africa's Richtersveld National Park. These towering aloe plants, which can reach 33 feet (10 meters) in height, have suffered from heavy overharvesting and habitat loss and are considered critically endangered, with only a handful of specimens remaining.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "A Place for Parks in the New South Africa," July 1996, National Geographic magazine)