two common toads mating in a shallow of the Lez River
FranceWith the mating season under way, two common toads get intimately acquainted in a shallow of the Lez River. Their reproductive embrace—in which the smaller male clasps the female beneath her forelegs—is called axillary amplexus.
Photograph by Mathieu Foulquié, Biosphoto
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See phenomenal photos of the world's wonders from the August 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine.

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thawing ice in Andalusia’s Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park
SpainOn a frigid winter day in Andalusia’s Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, a rain-fed pond ripples with color and life. Geranium leaves, frozen oxygen bubbles, and nutrient-rich algae share space beneath a thin sheet of ice scored with thaw lines.
Photograph by Andrés Miguel Domínguez
a harvest mouse grooming itself on a hogweed flower head near Moulton, England
United KingdomA harvest mouse—Europe’s smallest rodent—grooms itself on a hogweed flower head in a meadow near Moulton, England. This adult was raised in captivity, microchipped, and released as part of a study on how the elusive species survives.
Photograph by Nick Upton, Nature Picture Library
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