Wildlife Mothers

1. Lion and cub, Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa By Gabriela Staebler. "This once over-grazed farmland has turned into a true conservation success story. Under Operation Genesis, more than 7,000 animals have been trans-located to the newly established reserve. Here a cub nuzzles his mother, begging for milk. (Gabriela Staebler, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

2. Whitetail Deer, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Whitetail deer fawn jumps up on mothers back for a better view of who is coming down the hill.(Wil Hershberger, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

3. Bald Eagles, Katmai, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska. "I was perched tenuously on the cliff of a nearby island to get this tender shot of a mother feeding its chicks." (John Hunter, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

4. Great Horned Owl, Richland, Wash. By Kirk J. Cantrell. By returning this nest every night for several weeks, I was able to catch this amusing image of a young owl peeking through the feathers of its mother. (Kirk Cantrell, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

5. Great-Crested Grebes, Bristol, England. "Grebes are shy and it is difficult to get images of a female with a newborn chick. I hid in a blind every morning before dawn for three weeks in freezing cold water up to my neck to get the shots I wanted." (Andy Rouse, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

6. Sumatran Orangutans, Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia. "I try to do my part to show the world how important it is to protect this amazing species and its habitat." (D. Robert Franz, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

7. Giraffes, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania By Howard G. Buffett. While on safari in Tanzania, Buffett spotted this giraffe female as her two young calves nuzzled her. (Howard G. Buffett, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

8. Cheetah Mom and Cubs, Masai Mara, Kenya. Austrian photographer Brunner waited patiently while on a safari to Kenya and captured this photo of a mother cheetah guarding her young cubs. (Eberhard Brunner, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

9. Polar bears, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. "I had traveled to Wapusk to photograph cubs emerging from dens with their mothers. This one was catching a ride with its head buried in her mother's fur, but when mom stopped at this tree the baby lifted its head and turned in my direction." (Linda Drake, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

11. Baboons, Selinda Reserve, Botswana. By Adrian Bailey. "I found this baboon family blissfully grooming each other on Palm Island. I underexposed the shot by one frame to get a golden glow with back light." (Adrian Bailey, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

12. Lion Cubs, Gol Kopjes, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. By Dee Ann Pederson. Mischeveous lion cubs taunt their mother by tugging at her tail. (Dee Ann Pederson, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

13. False Killer Whale and Calf, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Hawaii. By Doug Perrine. "Diving with a pod of these small porpoises named for their resemblance to the larger mammals, I turned around to see these two staring at me as if I was the strangest thing they ever saw." (Doug Perrine, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

14. Red-Tailed Hawks, Long Island, New York. By Emily Pfeifer; age 15 . "Amazingly, I was able to view this nest from a hillside above. and shot the image through an opening in the tree limbs. I will never forget the experience of watching this mother and her nine-day-old chicks." (Emily Pfeifer, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

15. Elephants, Corbett National Park, India. By Jagdeep Rajput. "It is heartening to see how an animal as large as an elephant cares and protects its young. It is almost impossible for a predator to target a young calf while it is secured a barricaade of adults' trunks and legs." (Jagdeep Rajput, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

16. Mountain Gorillas, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. By Rita Summers. This image of a mountain gorilla baby sucking on its mother thumb suggests both vulnerability and comfort. The fate of this remarkable animal is in our hands. (Rita Summers, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

17. Polar Bears, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. By Howard Ruby. "One of the reasons polar bears are so beloved by humans is because of the special, nurturing bond between mother and cub." (Howard Ruby, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

18. Brown Bears, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. By Rick Rasmussen. (Rick Rasnussen, Nature's Best Photography Awards)

20. American Robin, Berkshire Mountains, Becket, Mass. By H. David Stein. Stein was wandering through his backyard when he found this nest filled with eggs. After a few weeks, he found this newly-hatched chick waiting for his mother. (H. David Stein, Nature's Best Photography Awards)