22 extraordinary photos from the Nat Geo archives: jazz in Japan, a flurry of flamingos, and a sluggish sloth

The underside of four white mushrooms in a forest.
Fascinating FungiPorcelain mushrooms "tower" from a beech tree on Mount Olympus. The fungi reach between one and three inches tall. As a result of climate change, many of these organisms are adapting to ecosystems that were previously too cold and dry, leading them to pop up in new and unexpected places.
AGORASTOS PAPATSANIS, National Geographic Image Collection
Photos curated byNational Geographic's Photography Department
Captions written byYasmine Maggio
Published April 3, 2026

A pampered tortoise relaxes at a home dedicated for exotic pets that have outlived their owners. A couple poses for photos in a surreal landscape that is actually a toxic wasteland. Gorgeous cherry blossoms bloom in Kyoto, Japan. Check out some of the pictures featured in our Photo of the Day.

Two reddish orange drooping peonies.
Pair of Peonies in PerilThis portrait of two drooping peonies is from photographer Tine Poppe's series portraying the carbon footprint of the global flower trade. Poppe shot them against a printed photo of a landscape from Malawi, a country that has experienced floods and drought linked to climate change. She then layered multiple images with different focal points to achieve this photo illustration's hyperrealistic effect.
Tine Poppe, National Geographic Image Collection
A close-up of two gloved hands extracting silk from a pinned-down black, yellow, and red spider.
Superhero SilkHu Wenbo, assistant professor at China's Southwestern University, pins down a Joro spider to extract its silk, in this photo from our March 2026 cover story. Spider silk is five times stronger than steel by weight but completely organic. If mass-produced, it could unlock everything from improved bulletproof vests to ultra-light jet planes to next-generation vaccine delivery.
Justin Jin, National Geographic Image Collection
Five Japanese men hover over a round table with drinks and snacks.
Jazz in JapanShoji "Swifty" Sugawara (center) holds court at his legendary Tokyo jazz club, Basie. Sugawara popularized the "kissa" in Japan, a café or bar dedicated to listening to music in the company of others with reverent focus—and minimal talking. Basie has been closed since the pandemic and is no longer open to the public, but Sugawara agreed to open it for a story in National Geographic's March 2026 issue.
Tim Davis, National Geographic Image Collection
Five caterpillars emitting a blue-green glow under ultraviolet light.
Glow in the LightHornworms fluorescing under ultraviolet light during a nocturnal field survey at Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. Their blue-green glow is likely produced by fluorescent compounds in the cuticle or epidermis that absorb UV and re-emit visible wavelengths. The adaptive function of this fluorescence is still uncertain, with hypotheses including enhanced shelter or host-plant detection, intraspecific communication, or predator deterrence via unexpected visual cues.
Javier Aznar González de Rueda, National Geographic Image Collection
A large black tortoise sits under a beach umbrella propped up on a sidewalk.
Pampered TortoiseA 10-year-old radiated tortoise named Mister escapes the heat in Pacifica, California. The photo was featured in a December 2024 story about exotic pets that outlive their owners. Radiated tortoises are originally from Madagascar and have been placed on critically endangered list. They can live for over 150 years. Reptile rescuer Kay Ross, 68, hasn't yet figured out who will care for Mister after she dies.
Christie Hemm Klok, National Geographic Image Collection
A woman pokes her head out of a large tent that's surrounded by a herd of yak.
One Woman's HerdJaina Koken, a herder in western Mongolia, pokes her head out of her kïiz üy—the Kazah word for a felt house—in the Altai district of the Bayan Ulgii province. For Koken and other herders, their livestock—which include sheep, horses, and yaks—provide both income and sustenance. But increasingly extreme temperatures wreak havoc on livestock, and weaker animals often perish when their rain-soaked coats freeze overnight.
Dimitri Staszewski, National Geographic Image Collection
A man in a suit stands in front of a woman in a red flowy dress that a photographer cascades in the air.
Winter WastelandAkhil Singhal, 30, and Avani Gupta, 29, pose during their pre-wedding shoot in Kishangarh, Rajasthan, India. What looks like an ice cap is actually a depository for waste from the region's marble industry. The toxic wasteland of marble ash, with its stunning landscape, is becoming a popular destination for social media influencers, pre-wedding photography, and tourists.
SMITA SHARMA, National Geographic Image Collection
Scaffolding encompassing a large gold Buddha statue.
Buddha in RepairScaffolding encompasses the Phra Buddha Dhammakaya Thep Mongkhon statue in Bangkok, Thailand. The 226-foot landmark is the largest Buddha statue in Bangkok. Photographer Andrei Kostromskikh took this photo in 2025 while the statue was under construction. "I love finding these quiet angles where everyday life sits right next to something monumental—scaffolding and rooftops, and then a Buddha watching over it all," he says.
Andrei Kostromskikh
A man wearing a medical mask, blue PPE, and blue medical gloves brushes powder over a large elephant tusk.
What the Tusks RevealLondon Metropolitan Police forensic photographer Mark Moseley used his crime scene expertise to develop a process for revealing human fingerprints on porous elephant tusks. The photo was featured in an August 2025 story about how new forensic technologies and crime-fighting techniques are helping stop the illegal wildlife trade.
Britta Jaschinski, National Geographic Image Collection
Multiple striped fish swimming through cloud-like algae.
Fish in BloomTiina Törmänen, who has spent years exploring and documenting lakes in remote northern Finland, captured European perch swimming through an algal bloom in Lapland. The bloom, likely caused by unusually warm summer waters linked to climate change, highlights small-scale shifts in the Arctic ecosystem. The photographer tells Nat Geo that the algal backdrop gave the scene a surreal feel, "almost like a painting."
Tiina Törmänen, National Geographic Image Collection
A sloth clings to a barbed wire fence post.
Clinging to a New HomeA brown-throated sloth clings to a barbed wire fence post in El Tanque, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica. As their habitats become increasingly fragmented, these slow and discreet mammals are forced more and more often to cross open ground and roads to survive. After this one caused a traffic jam while crossing a busy road, photographer Emmanuel Tardy followed it. "The moment is etched in my memory," he says, "watching this sloth moving slowly across land that was no longer truly its own."
Emmanuel Tardy, National Geographic Image Collection
A bat drinks nectar from a white flower.
Stopping for a DrinkA lesser long-nosed bat drinks sweet nectar from a saguaro flower in Arizona's Saguaro National Park. The flower, found atop the saguaro species of cacti, blooms only at night and closes the next day in order to protect itself from the intensity of the sun. There are more than 1,500 known species of cacti that live in some of the harshest climates on Earth. Despite climate change and human interference, the plants have been able to consistently adapt to new climate norms.
Christian Ziegler, National Geographic Image Collection
A crowd of people holding different textiles in a fabric market.
A Day in the MarketPeople shop at the busy Mangaldas fabric market in Mumbai, India. The market is more than a hundred years old and features more than 400 shops where buyers can find everything from silk and denim to corduroy and prints.
MATTHIEU PALEY, National Geographic Image Collection
A pair of legs in blue jeans standing on a bull gate in front of a ferris wheel.
Country Boom in BrazilRodeo workers tend to a holding pen in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil, while a Ferris wheel sits in the distance at the Expoagro fair. The photo is featured in a Februrary 2026 magazine story about how the agricultural boom in Brazil is sweeping the nation—and in turn, causing a country music boom. This particular event is one part agricultural fair and one part music festival.
Luisa Dörr, National Geographic Image Collection
Thousands of pink flamingos standing in a lake.
Flamingo FlurryA large population of flamingos gathers at Lake Bogoria in Kenya. The saline and alkaline lake is located in Africa's Great Rift Valley. Each year, the birds flock to the shores of this lake in the millions to feed on algae.
Kristina Makeeva
People walking over a bridge in front of blooming pink cherry blossoms.
Kyoto in BloomPassersby walk over a bridge framed by cherry blossoms in full bloom in Arashiyama, Kyoto. Known in the country as sakura, the trees were brought to the United States in 1902 by David Fairchild, a food hunter for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After a visit to Japan, he ordered 125 sakura trees for his own front yard in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The pink blossoms brought so many onlookers that Fairchild ordered 300 more as a gift to the city of Chevy Chase. In 1912, Japan gifted the trees to Washington, DC, where they were planted and have become a yearly attraction.
Rinko Kawauchi, National Geographic Image Collection
A man standing on top of a boulder holding a net.
In Search of the ButterfliesNational Geographic Explorer Gerard Talavera looks up at a painted lady butterfly near the Institut Botànic de Barcelona in Spain. Each year, painted ladies migrate between Africa and Europe, crossing deserts, seas, mountains, and numerous international borders. Talavera's research helped prove the longest butterfly migration—a journey of over 9,000 miles. The image is featured in Lucas Foglia's photo book, Constant Bloom.
Lucas Foglia
A group of muzzled greyhounds roaming a pen.
Off from the RacesA group of greyhounds stretch their legs between races in the turnout pen at Farmer Racing in St. Petersburg, Florida. This photo appeared in a March 2021 story about the continuing decline of greyhound racing in the United States. In 2020, Florida ended the racing amid concerns about how the animals are treated.
ERIKA LARSEN, National Geographic Image Collection
Overhead view of a person scuba diving in scuba gear in clear blue waters.
Underwater TreasuresPavle Dugonjić of the Department for Underwater Archaeology at the Croatian Conservation Institute takes images of the ancient harbor of Polače in Mljet, Croatia. The photo is from our April 2026 cover story about archaeologists exploring the remains of a ship that vanished more than a thousand years ago off the coast of modern-day Croatia. These underwater images will allow researchers to create a 3D rendering of the site and study the wreckage remotely. Many golden artifacts have been discovered at the site, giving historians new insight into the so-called Dark Ages.
Katja Bidovec, National Geographic Image Collection
A Black man with red hair wearing a red button down shirt with a floral blazer over it.
Dressed to the NinesPhotographer Alice Mann captured this South African student at a Matric Ball in 2018. The ball is held for grade 12 students before the year ends, and attendees go all out with lavish outfits and grand entrances. Many liken the ball to the Met Gala but for high schoolers; it's considered a milestone for these students, since many drop out before the event or don't have the grades to attend.
Alice Mann
Taxidermied birds, foxes, a wolf, a hare, and a squirrel displayed in a museum exhibit.
Fascinating CreaturesThis menagerie of taxidermied animals—which includes birds, foxes, a wolf, a hare, and a squirrel—is destined for the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi's Our World biome. The museum will be the first of its scale in the Middle East. “What we want to accomplish is that little light in the eye of every single child," says Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, the chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, during an exclusive National Geographic visit to the museum.
Craig Cutler, National Geographic Image Collection
Madison Tessler curated this selection of images for Photo of the Day, a daily look at photography from National Geographic's archives. Yasmine Maggio writes and researches the captions. Check out today's photo here.