I figured the macaroni and cheese would be the safest bet of the meals I took home, and nothing about how it looked changed my mind.

It was bright yellow and seemed amply portioned. My kids usually love mac and cheese.

The prep was straightforward, as I covered the tray in foil and threw it in the oven for 45 minutes.

In my opinion, the mac and cheese was way too rich. There was a lot of cheese and a lot of sauce, and it was unpleasantly gooey and thick.

I ate a few bites before the grease started working on my stomach. Even my kids turned it away, deeming it "too cheesy."

It was the only Kirkland Signature meal we didn't eat to completion, and the sauce was so thick that I practically had to chisel out the refrigerated leftovers to recycle the tray. 

The Tuscan chicken wraps with sauce looked like something I might pack for an on-the-go lunch. The wraps, which came with a sun-dried-tomato spread, seemed like reasonably sized alternatives to similar options at a deli.  

There were a lot of different elements inside the yellow tortillas — Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken, spinach, bell peppers, olives, cream cheese, and red-pepper pesto — but I was disappointed in how little chicken I found in the wraps I brought home.

The most prominent flavors in this wrap were the salty olives and oily red peppers. My first bite contained almost entirely olives, which turned me off slightly.

I thought the cream cheese and red-pepper pesto made the wrap a bit too soggy on the outside and goopy on the inside. The spinach inside the wrap was also wilted, so it didn't offer any crunch.

Though I ate the wraps the day I bought them, I thought they tasted like the flavors had started to meld together — like a meal that had been sitting in the refrigerator for a while. 

Still, I liked that the wrap was pleasantly sweet and didn't fall apart under the weight of its ingredients. The sun-dried-tomato spread also had a nice, almost cheesy tang and worked well when I repurposed it for other sandwiches. But overall, I'd skip this meal the next time I'm at Costco.

I'd seen raw, seasoned wings on previous Costco trips, but this was the first time I'd noticed a precooked version. The Kirkland Signature garlic-seasoned party wings came with a mix of 25 drums and flats and two containers of ranch dressing.

The instructions on the packaging said to heat the wings in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees or in the microwave for 10 to 20 minutes. Still, I found that my air fryer was the best method for heating them.

I experimented with temperatures, but even at the hottest settings, the chicken skin didn't crisp up the way I like it to when I make my own wings at home.

The garlic seasoning, though visible, didn't add much more than a touch of salt and a vague aroma to the wings.

On the bright side, the wings weren't spicy at all, so my kids were able to eat them. But I found myself constantly reaching for hot sauce.

The air-fried chicken was fairly moist, but the wings weren't quite tasty or convenient enough for me to buy them again. With only slightly more effort, I can make better wings myself.

This massive beef-and-pork meatball sandwich with marinara sauce was elegantly displayed in a long, narrow container.

I'm somewhat particular about meatballs, but this meal looked appealingly enormous. However, when I took it out of the container, I didn't think the bread looked thick or wide enough to hold the sandwich together while eating.

It was also difficult to transfer the sandwich to a baking sheet without the bread falling apart under the weight of its contents.

After 30 minutes in the oven, the meatballs were hot, the cheese was melted, and the bread was toasty. I also heated some of the included marinara sauce and poured it over the meatballs to serve. 

Just as I feared, the sandwich was a mess. The bottom half of the bread basically disappeared under the grease that seeped in while it heated in the oven.

Still, a messy sandwich isn't necessarily a bad thing. The provolone cheese gave the sandwich a hint of nuttiness that distinguished it from the meatball subs available at my local pizzerias, which all use mozzarella.

However, I thought the meatballs were bland. They were also so densely packed into the sandwich that they were more likely to fall out of the bread than scrunch inside when I squeezed it. Overall, I wouldn't buy this meal again.

The shepherd's pie was filled with meat and vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes. My family already loves pie, so the novelty of mashed potatoes and pastry immediately appealed to my kids.

I removed the pie from its plastic container, placed it onto a baking sheet, and put it in the oven for about 45 minutes until golden. Individual pieces of pie fell apart as I served them, which wasn't surprising.

I thought the mashed potatoes were mealy and dry, the vegetables were mushy, and the filling was overseasoned and too sweet.

The filling was stew-like, but the ground beef was dry and crumbly. I thought I noticed pieces of steak, but these were just hunks of ground beef resembling burger meat.

Overall, my family wasn't a fan of the meal.

The Kirkland Signature Southwest wraps were the only meal that required no prep whatsoever, making it a good option for on-the-go eating.

They came with a pinkish chipotle sauce. When I unwrapped a wrap to put the sauce inside, I saw that the employee who made the meal sealed the wrap with a tangy, creamy spread.

I thought the wraps were good because they tasted fresh, and the spread that glued them together helped prevent dryness.

There was ample chicken, and the seasoned mix of corn and beans reminded me of a burrito from Chipotle. The pinkish chipotle sauce tasted like a Buffalo sauce to me, but that's not something I'd ever complain about.

Each wrap made for a viable lunch, and at less than $4 each, they're way less expensive than takeout. I could imagine buying them again when I need a lunch that saves time and money.

At nearly 6 pounds, I thought the Kirkland Signature chicken pot pie was huge and surprisingly heavy.

Some of the latticework on top of the pie broke in transit, but it was only cosmetic damage.

The instructions called for at least an hour of baking time, which I thought sort of defeated the purpose of making it as a quick weeknight meal.

Nevertheless, I baked the pie until it was golden brown, which took about an hour and 10 minutes.

The first bite of the pie was great.

The pie crust was sweet, flaky, and crisp, the hunks of rotisserie chicken were huge, and the pea-heavy cream and vegetables were rich and salty without being mushy or overcooked, as they sometimes are in pot pie.

But in subsequent bites, the initial richness became a goopy sort of heaviness that didn't sit well, and the whole pot pie started to taste a little too salty.

At the very least, the crust was good enough to make me want to try one of Costco's dessert pies.

The Kirkland Signature beef bulgogi Korean BBQ is one of the more bare-bones options among the meal selections at my local Costco. The container had a large portion of thinly sliced raw beef and white onions drenched in brown bulgogi sauce.

My kids don't have much experience with Korean-inspired food, but I thought the meal would appeal to them because it's sweet, tender, and gooey.

I figured I'd cook the meal in a skillet over medium-high heat until the beef was browned. However, I quickly realized it was difficult to tell when the beef was cooked through because all sides of the meat were covered in a dark-brown sauce.

I went by instinct, stirring frequently to make sure it cooked evenly. Some slices fell apart due to the constant stirring, but the dish seemed fully cooked after five minutes.

Unfortunately, the small pieces of meat made the bulgogi look more like a stew, and its appearance alone turned off my kids.

We thought the meal was tasty but too sweet, as the sauce's flavor overwhelmed the beef. I'd prefer this dish if the beef came in thicker pieces that I could remove from the sauce before cooking.

This meal, which included rigatoni and six enormous meatballs, cost $20 and was enough to feed my entire family twice.

The meatballs were a little spongy in texture, and something about how the ground-beef-and-pork mixture was seasoned tasted more like sausage than I expected (though that's hardly a bad thing).

The rigatoni held up surprisingly well after 50 minutes in the oven — not quite al dente but not at all mushy. However, the sauce was a bit too sweet and seasoned for me.

My kids liked the pasta but not the meatballs. I also thought the shredded cheese on top seemed like an afterthought, and I could've gone for more.

The Kirkland Signature udon-noodle salad was extremely easy to assemble — it already came with a shredded-vegetable slaw, peanuts, lime wedges, and a miso sauce.

I tossed all the ingredients into a bowl and served the finished salad alongside some chicken wings. 

The dressing was sweet and tangy with a strong miso flavor, but I thought the udon noodles were a bit mushy. I also wished the vegetable mix of shredded bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, and carrots was crisper to balance out the noodles' softness.

Overall, the salad wasn't too heavy or saucy, so it would likely be a nice, no-cook option for a quick meal or picnic.

The Kirkland Signature butter chicken with naan came in a tray filled with a generous portion of meat, sauce, and bread. In total, I got eight pieces of naan with the meal. 

The butter sauce lived up to its name — it was thick, rich, and creamy. Still, it didn't have a ton of flavor, with garlic and tomato paste being its most prominent elements.

It got a lot better when I added jalapeño and Trader Joe's Green Dragon hot sauce to amplify the warm notes of spice.

However, I didn't love the texture of the chicken, which seemed a bit different than the meat I've had in other Kirkland Signature meals. In my opinion, it was moist in a way that almost felt unnatural. I don't see myself buying this meal again.

The Kirkland Signature quesadillas came with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

The instructions on the packaging called for heating them up in a frying pan with some oil, so my first batch got a chimichanga-esque crunchiness I don't always expect from quesadillas.

I thought it was a big portion, as there were eight wedges, and two of them felt like more than enough for an adult-sized meal.

It was sort of the perfect meal to suit my family's quesadilla needs.

The chicken was seasoned but not spicy, and there was tons of cheese without being too greasy.

The salsa, a sweet, fresh, restaurant-style dip with jalapeño, was the surprise star for me. The Kirkland Signature quesadillas were my wife's favorite of all the meals. 

The Kirkland Signature yakisoba stir fry was a fun and easy-to-prepare dinner.

I heated the meal in a Dutch oven because I didn't have a wok or a large enough frying pan. Per the instructions, I heated up oil and first added the vegetables, then chicken, then noodles, and then sauce.

It was ready in less than 10 minutes. And because there were plenty of vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, onions, peppers, and snow peas, I didn't have to prep a side or a salad.

We thought the yakisoba noodles were warm, comforting, and satisfying, with tender hunks of chicken and some nice texture from the fresh vegetables.

It was a bit sweeter than I usually like, but a hit of hot sauce helped balance out the sweetness.

If I bought this again (and I would buy this again) I'd use only one container of sauce. My kids liked the noodles, and we finished most of the portion in a single sitting.

I figured — correctly — that something called ravioli lasagna would appeal to my kids, who love a novelty.

The ravioli were stacked in twos and topped with a meaty Bolognese sauce and mozzarella. It was easy to prepare, as all I needed to do was cover it with foil and bake it for an hour.

At the end of the hour, I deviated from the instructions and gave it five more minutes uncovered in the oven to get the cheese nice and bubbly on top.

The lasagna was good. The Bolognese sauce was hearty and sweet and my kids appreciated that the ravioli were glued together with melted mozzarella.

It was about a dinner and a half's worth of food for my family, though it felt like a smaller portion than a traditional lasagna made in an equivalent pan size.

The Kirkland Signature chipotle-chicken bowl with cilantro-lime rice — nearly 3-½ pounds of food in a casserole tray — came with chicken pieces, cilantro-lime rice, fire-roasted corn, beans, shredded cheese, lime wedges, salsa, and Kirkland Signature guacamole.

The packaging had heating instructions for both the oven and the microwave, but I chose to prepare it in the former because I thought it seemed like the best way to judge the meal's quality. Still, it was nice to know I had Costco's blessing to quickly heat it in the microwave.

I removed the lid, lime wedges, salsa, and guacamole, mixed the rice, beans, cheese, and chicken, and heated the tray in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

When it was ready, the shredded cheese had fully melted, and the chicken, rice, and beans were piping hot. I squeezed the lime wedges over the whole dish and served it with the salsa and guacamole. 

I liked this meal a lot. Not surprisingly, the combination of rice, beans, cheese, and chipotle chicken reminded me of meals from fast-casual Mexican-food chains. The melted cheese gave the whole dish a pleasant creaminess. 

There was plenty of chicken, though some pieces seemed a little dry. The lime's lively citrus flavor amplified the rice and beans' heartiness. The guacamole helped make the dish extra creamy, and the salsa added sweetness and a spicy kick. 

My kids enjoyed the guacamole but thought the rest of the meal was too spicy. This meant my wife and I had plenty of leftovers for satisfying lunches.

This dish came with many components, which made me appreciate Costco's attention to detail and how much goes into prepping a gyro.

Only the gyro meat and the pitas needed to be heated, but the meal also came with a cucumber and tomato salad, red onions, feta cheese, and tzatziki.

Unfortunately, I needed to find my own hot sauce.

I thought the gyros were delicious. If there was a weak link in the sandwich, it was probably the gyro meat itself, which was a little heavy on the onion powder and heated up to a scrapple-like consistency.

That being said, the assertive seasoning on the meat was mellowed by the sweetness and crunch of the veggies and the tangy creaminess of the tzatziki and feta.

It wasn't better than a gyro I might get from a street cart, but the price was right, and there's no street cart inside my apartment.

My first impression of the chicken Alfredo was that it was heavy. The label said it was a little over 4 pounds, and though it might not sound like much, it was a lot of food for my family.

There was an impressive amount of chicken but I expected a higher ratio of noodle-to-meat. Like the macaroni and cheese, the whole tray was covered with foil and baked in the oven.

The chicken Alfredo was better than I expected.

Alfredo sauce is often a bit too indulgent for my tastes, but I thought Kirkland Signature's version of the creamy, cheesy sauce wasn't overwhelmingly heavy. The chicken was also moist and flavorful.

My kids liked it even though they normally prefer their chicken and their pasta separated. Alongside some steamed broccoli, the chicken Alfredo stretched to two full meals for my family with little effort on my part. 

The Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken is a popular item at my local store. When staff members display a new batch of birds, customers veer their shopping carts toward the shelves to get the freshest roast chicken.

I'd been meaning to try it for a while, but I wanted to make sure I bought it when my whole family could eat it the same day, and our schedules never lined up until recently. 

The price was hard to believe — $5 for a large chicken — and it came in a microwave-safe bag, which seemed convenient even though I didn't use it. The chicken was still warm when I brought it home, so I reheated it in the oven for only a few minutes.

The skin was lightly seasoned, but it wasn't nearly as tasty as other grocery-store rotisserie chickens I've tried. The chicken itself was less salty than I expected, and despite its size, it was fairly moist, even in white-meat portions.

It had a noticeable poultry flavor but was otherwise neutral-tasting, making it easy to use the leftovers in other meals (like the store does for many of its prepared Kirkland Signature meals).

My family loves chicken, and one bird provided two full meals' worth of meat. Considering its price and versatility, we'll likely continue to buy rotisserie chicken on most Costco trips. 

For whatever reason, the chicken street tacos came in a longer container than the other meals.

I thought it was vaguely festive but difficult to fit into a shopping bag or a refrigerator. Like the gyros, the street tacos came as a kit.

I heated the chicken and tortillas and topped them with cheese, shredded veggies, salsa, cilantro-lime crema, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

The chicken street tacos were excellent. The chicken was smoky with a chipotle flavor but not too spicy for my kids, the veggies were fresh and crunchy, and the sauces were tasty. I think the salsa was the same kind that came with the quesadillas.

If I were at a restaurant and got these tacos, I'd be more than satisfied with my purchase. 

I'm normally not a big fan of meatloaf, and my kids' exposure to it has been limited. It's often grayish and covered in a dark red goo that looks like ketchup.

I'm also not much of a mashed potato guy and, in my experience, they never keep well.

By the time I put the Kirkland Signature meatloaf and mashed potatoes in the oven, they had been sitting in my fridge for a few days so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Like almost every one of these meals, the meatloaf and mashed Yukon potatoes were surprisingly good.

It was heavy (but of course, most meatloaf is), and I don't think I'd usually choose it over tacos. But my family ate the meatloaf on an unseasonably cold day when I was hungry, and the sweet, juicy, and beefy dinner hit the spot.

My son, who's normally hesitant about unfamiliar foods, took to it like he was a paid spokesperson. "I'm very happy with this," he said.

I thought the mashed potatoes were just a touch mealy, but overall, they weren't bad.

I normally cook for my family and, for whatever reason, prepared meals like those from Kirkland Signature have never been part of our dinner rotation.

But aside from the mac and cheese and rigatoni with meatballs, every one of the meals we tried was better than I expected it to be, and my kids enjoyed them more than I would've guessed.

Now, I'll likely regularly buy some of the Kirkland Signature meals when I don't have much time for meal prep.

This story was originally published on October 27, 2023, and most recently updated on December 11, 2024.

"After a nap, the mother brown bear wanted to go for a walk, but the cubs wanted a ride," Fine wrote.

Fine photographed a blenny fish peeking out from a hole in a coral reef.

"It was hard to take this image because of the fast-moving ant, but with a little help from a flashlight, I was able to freeze the motion," Pansier wrote.

Rosado photographed two bears embracing in Sitka, Alaska.

"I took this photo of a dancing sifaka in Madagascar," Rouse wrote. "As it ran toward us, it created all sorts of funny shapes, but this one was the best. It looks to me like it is practicing its bowling action ready for an England call-up!"

"In a kayak with my camera balanced precariously on the gunnel, I stayed very still while floating by this resting sea otter," Janson wrote. "It stayed relaxed (you can tell because it is still floating on its back) and kept on grooming its fur. With its peaceful face and upturned paws, it reminded me of a Guru meditating."

"Otters hold their food with their paws, making it appear like they are praying," Haines wrote.

"I photographed this nutria directly from the canoe," Arnold wrote. "It was busy grooming itself."

"This doe got up on her hind legs to grab some leaves from the tree to eat, but when she got back up on all fours, she suddenly let go of the branch and took a cold shower on the head," Revel wrote.

"This area has always been a nesting place for burrowing owls, so I visit frequently," Amico wrote." When I saw this image on the computer, it just looked like this little owl was singing his heart out."

"These multi-ton giants fight to keep their harem of females," Rojo wrote.

Godínez's photo shows razorbills watching as one of their peers attempts a wobbly landing.

"This newborn seal seems to be laughing at a good joke," Hamann wrote.

"This picture was taken in 2015 during my first visit to the Farne Islands in the UK," Clausen wrote. "The islands were full of puffins, kittiwakes, shags, guillemots, and razorbills, and I never before and never since have taken so many photos in such a short time."

Aggiss photographed a ground squirrel, also known as a zeisel, calling to its family that it had found food.

Meth-Cohn photographed a Steller's sea eagle on ice off the coast of Rausu, Japan.

"As we walked on the sands of the Namib Desert, a gecko suddenly appeared, emerging out of nowhere with a smile on its face," Bordoli wrote. "It positioned itself perfectly, posing for a portrait worthy of a National Geographic cover. It seemed to say: 'Take my picture, I'm ready for my cover!'"

"'Hajime!' This is the term used by the referee in judo to invite opponents to start fighting," Ricordel wrote. "Here, the standing bear seems to be saying this to the other two, adopting the gesture that referees use when they say this word."

"I was expecting them to interact, nuzzle, or maybe fight, but they coincidentally got aligned in a way that caused this beautiful optical illusion," Lodhi wrote of the zebras in the photo.

Frier took this photo on a safari in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

"I have this image printed and hung on a wall of my home, and everybody who sees it laughs at it," Frier wrote.

"I saw this parrotfish with two other fish cleaning him," Bellemans wrote. "The smile on his face shows that he really loves it."

"An Adelie penguin stands over its chick as it lays flat on the rock to cool off," Teo wrote. "Due to their high level of insulation, penguin chicks can sometimes overheat and lay on the rocks with their feet out to lower their body temperature."

"A tiny raccoon is telling a secret to its mom while whispering in her ear," Piecha wrote.

Phillips photographed two cape fur seals having a laugh.

Mohandas photographed a chimpanzee in Uganda who was "obviously contemplating an important issue."

"On the penguin highway, these rockhoppers are moving into town, and this town ain't big enough for all of them!" Robinson wrote.

Stankiewicz wrote that it looked like the hippo "just got out of the hairdresser with a big smile on his face."

Kubo wrote that this flying squirrel looked like it was "sucking a cigar" like a mafia boss.

"Here is a female lizard standing upright to escape the summer heat," Patil wrote.

"This female red-bellied woodpecker had been investigating this screech owl nest for a couple of days — perhaps it was her nest last year?" Herman wrote. "This little owlet was definitely startled and didn't seem to know what to make of this intruder."

"This image was taken in South Georgia," Rouse wrote. "It really does show a male king penguin trying to make a move on a female who has already paired up with her male. The body position and wing posture make the message clear — 'back off!'"

Rouse's image was also highly commended in the 2006 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

"We were on safari in Kenya and happened upon this beautiful female who was looking for a mate," McLeod wrote. "A group of topi were also keeping a pretty close eye on her as she left messages for a potential partner on various trees. This shot makes me think that the cheetah is just about to shout out, 'Ready or not, here I come!'"

"In the picture, a white-tailed eagle is ruffling its feathers," Linnanmäki wrote.

"My goal for my images is to bring attention to our scaly or moist friends, showing that not only fluffy animals can be cute and beautiful," Tam said.

"Our parents always find a way to embarrass us — I guess that's also true in the case of spotted owlets," Ranganadhan wrote. "It was truly a funny sight to see two owlets trying to get some privacy as their little offspring stood next to them with a grin and shut eyes."

"Every annoyed and overtired fish needs to destress by hunting for a bald eagle," Jakubczyk wrote.

Petkov photographed a whiskered tern crash-landing on a rock in Bulgaria.

"During a photo shoot at the pond, I discovered this frog with its head in a bubble," Ehmke wrote.

Molina lay down on the side of the road to take this photo of a Flemish mantis with its front legs in the air.

Marchetti's photo shows a squirrel with its feet sticking out of a hole in a tree. It won first place in the Mammals category and the contest's grand prize.

"I have taken many, many photographs of squirrels in many situations over the years in Italy, but this one struck me as really funny and such a strange position because it is that exact moment when the squirrel is detaching its back legs from the trunk to enter its hide," Marchetti said of the photo. "Whenever I show this image at the nature seminars at my local photography club, the audience always explodes with raucous laughter, so I had to enter it!"

Correction: September 26, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misspelled the surname of the photographer who took the photo titled "Wait … Which Zebra Is In Front?" He's Sarosh Lodhi, not Sarosh Iodhi.

Milligan was trekking through the Loango National Park forest in Gabon when she saw this chimpanzee.

Her group "heard the call of a chimp first, then the leaves around them started to rustle, and a group of chimpanzees appeared," the Natural History Museum wrote on its website.

"As she [Milligan] peered through her viewfinder, a large male paused and looked down at the group, craning its neck forward, and its eyes seemed to widen as if to get a better look," the museum added.

Photographer Jess Findlay spent several nights observing an owl's behavior near Vancouver, Canada, to plan this shot.

The museum described how he used an invisible beam to trigger a flash when the bird left the barn, while a slow shutter speed captured the "ambient light cast on the clouds and barn."

"It was a complicated setup but, to Jess's amazement, it worked the first time," the museum wrote.

Locals in St Leonards-on-Sea in England had been leaving out food scraps for foxes, "but Ian [Wood] noticed that badgers from a nearby sett were also coming to forage," wrote the museum.

"After seeing a badger walking along the pavement by this wall late one night, he decided to photograph it."

He relied on the glow of a lamppost to light the scene.

"Sue [Flood] watched this Weddell seal from aboard a rigid inflatable boat in Neko Harbour of the Antarctic Peninsula," read the museum caption.

"So as not to disturb its peaceful slumber, Sue used a long lens to record this serene portrait."

Photographer Piotr Naskrecki watched this sengi for weeks at Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, and noticed it took the same path every day as it searched for food.

Since sengis are "extremely shy and skittish," the museum wrote, Naskrecki used a remote camera to capture this image.

The Natural History Museum wrote that Michel d'Oultremont had hoped for years to take a photo of a stoat camouflaged in the snow — eventually, he got the opportunity in his home country of Belgium.

"He lay in the snow with a white camouflage net covering all but his lens," the museum wrote. "This curious stoat came out of its snowy hole and sat up from time to time, observing its territory just before setting off to hunt."

Photographer Francisco Negroni regularly visits the Villarrica Volcano, one of Chile's most active, in Pucón. Every visit is "quite an adventure — never knowing what the volcano might surprise you with," he told the museum.

In this photo, which was taken during a 10-day trip to the area, he captured the powerful moment the volcano's lava illuminated a stack of lenticular clouds.

Arvind Ramamurthy was taking photos of a wolf pack playing in fields in Bhigwan, India, when "one of them came and sat down at the edge of the agricultural crop, and one by one, four others joined it. They paused for a few seconds before they ran off again, playing and chasing one another." the museum's caption read.

The museum touted this image by Aaron Baggenstos as "a symbol of hope," showcasing how wild animals and humans — in this case, gauchos, or sheep farmers — can co-exist. It was taken in the Torres del Paine National Park, which has promoted ecotourism in the region.

"The gauchos view pumas more positively because they're attracting tourists, which is good for income," the museum wrote.

Meanwhile, the farmers' sheepdogs scare pumas away, forcing them to prey on wild animals, rather than the sheep.

"There is hope that humans and pumas can live alongside one another," the museum wrote.

Red-shanked douc langurs — critically endangered primates only found in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia — are known for their red "stockings."

Photographer Ivan Ivanek found a small group of the monkeys after surveying the area for several days.

Then, one evening, "he saw these two mating. Compared to other species of monkey he'd seen mating, it was an unexpectedly gradual and graceful affair!" wrote the museum.

Leue was in a helicopter when he witnessed a striking scene: floodwaters surging towards Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, Australia's largest inland lake, against a backdrop of a dust storm and rain.

The floodwaters had traveled over 1,600 miles from Queensland toward South Australia.

"Timing was imperative to photograph this once-in-a-decade natural event," the caption read.

Little owls and European rollers come into contact with each other at Kiskunság National Park in Hungary because their nesting areas and food sources are similar.

Máté spent 27 days watching from a hide to capture this interaction.

"During the short mating season, the male roller makes a sport of annoying other birds that stray into its breeding area. It makes a surprise ambush, flying at full speed behind them," the museum wrote, adding, "The little owl seemed nonplussed by the spectacle."

When D'Aurizio visited the San Bartolomeo Valley in the Majella National Park in Italy — where he's been many times — he thought he'd see butterflies and dragonflies.

What he didn't expect, though, was what the museum called "a sad collage of dead insects calmly floating in the water."

"To this day, Carlo has no explanation of why the insects died," its caption read.

Pradhuman watched a pack of wolves on the prowl for something to eat in Yellowstone National Park. Seeing them head for the aspens, he thought it would make a striking image.

"The wolves walked right past these trees and then continued to follow the tree line, eventually disappearing over the hillside," the Natural History Museum wrote.

Williams captured this image of a beluga whale rubbing its body on a river bottom along the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic. It was taken in an inlet, where the waters are shallow and belugas gather to exfoliate their skin, hide from predators, and socialize with each other, according to the museum.

"Nicknamed 'the canaries of the sea,' they produce a series of chirps, clicks, whistles, and squeals that Mark found otherworldly," the museum wrote.

Forsberg, a biologist, approached a whopping crane in Louisiana and moved with "cat-like quickness" to check the bird's health, quickly replacing a faulty transmitter that helps scientists keep track of the birds, per the Natural History Museum.

"This experimental population was reintroduced in Bayou Country in 2011. In the 1940s there were roughly 20 whooping cranes in the region. Since then, numbers have climbed to over 800," the museum wrote.

"In the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, a walrus carcass had attracted a female polar bear and her two cubs," wrote the museum.

"But one of the cubs was more interested in playing in the water than eating. The cub was having fun diving under the water and resurfacing, playing with the seaweed and kelp."

Haarberg watched the bear cub attempt to ambush a northern fulmar several times, without success.

Rose captured a beaver's tail smack after years of attempts. She finally found success in a pond in Jackson, Wyoming.

"As she approached the shoreline, a beaver cautiously cruised by after emerging from its lodge," the museum wrote in its caption, adding, "It cocked its tail up and brought it down with a resounding crack."

The tail smacks are a way for the creatures to warn their family members about a newcomer to the area, the museum wrote.

In this photo, Willie Burger van Schalkwyk captured a brave giant ground gecko taking on a southern pale chanting goshawk that was attacking it in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa.

"Unfortunately, there was no hope of survival, but Willie was impressed by the gecko's bravery," the Natural History Museum wrote.

"Northern giant petrels are large seabirds. They're used to flying above the waves for weeks without encountering land," the Natural History Museum wrote in its caption of the photo.

"Samuel [Bloch] was surprised to find this seabird in such a woody environment. Like many other seabirds, it breeds on islands where there are fewer predators."

To avoid disturbing the bird, the photographer clicked this image swiftly from afar.

This photograph shows the moment a honey badger — covered in blood and quills, but undeterred — returned to finish off its prey, a Cape porcupine, in Botswana.

"Honey badgers are famously ferocious," reads the caption.

In the end, the honey badger won the battle, dragging the porcupine to its den, the museum wrote.

Kortler was on a night dive near Komodo Island in Indonesia when he saw a decorator crab on top of a sea squirt.

"The sea squirt provided the crab the perfect stage to feed on drifting plankton," the museum wrote in its caption.

Kortler used flash photography, creating the effect of spotlighting the crab.

Premel captured a Surinam golden-eyed tree frog puffing out its cheeks as it prepared to call for a mate in French Guiana's first rains.

"The call of the Surinam golden-eyed tree frog is so powerful it can be heard hundreds of meters away," the museum wrote.

Brinkmann captured this striking image of a songbird against fairground lights in Münster, Germany.

"During a popular fair in Münster called the Send, an interesting atmosphere arose behind the castle," the museum wrote. "The evening mood was gentle, and Christian [Brinkmann] had singing birds on one side and party music on the other.

"In front of the fairground lights, this Eurasian blackbird posed for its song."

Farmers in the Somali Region capture cheetah cubs, accusing them of harming their livestock, and sell them to traffickers. If the traffickers are unable to sell them, the cheetahs are killed, and their parts are sold for Chinese bone wine and other products.

This cheetah cub "was captured from her home plains" and was then "transported for several days on the back of a camel to the northern coast of Somaliland," the museum wrote.

"After hissing at the camera, the cub started chirping, calling out for its mother," it added.

The December issue features pictures across various categories, from animals in the wild and cultural experiences to scientific advancements and stunning landscapes.

Arndt and researchers at the University of Konstanz in Germany built a see-through ant home that mimicked the insect's natural surroundings to observe how wood ants reproduce.

Through the nest, the photographer watched female colony workers clean eggs, larvae spin cocoons, and hatchlings open cocoons with their mandibles to capture this moment.

Macaws are social birds with a lifespan of 40 to 60 years. They often struggle in captivity, displaying stressed behaviors that make them tough pets. Many are cared for at The Oasis Sanctuary in Benson, Arizona, which is home to around 800 parrots, cockatoos, macaws, and other bird species.

When photographer Hemm Klok visited, the birds' loud noises proved challenging for her work until the sanctuary's director, Janet Trumbule, soothed them with their favorite treat: walnuts.

For the first time in 221 years, brood XIII, with a 17-year cycle, and brood XIX, with a 13-year cycle, emerged simultaneously in the Midwest and southeastern United States, respectively, last May and June. The cicadas only emerge from the ground to reproduce.

Here, Stanmeyer managed to capture the rare moment in Springfield, Illinois.

With only two northern white rhinoceroses left in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, scientists from an international project called BioRescue proposed a new solution: using in vitro fertilization to transfer a southern white rhino embryo into a southern white rhino surrogate.

While the pregnancy was a success, the moment was bittersweet — the surrogate mother had died from an unrelated bacterial infection.

Still, the project was an overall win since it meant that the in vitro technique worked on rhinos and could be replicated to potentially save the species from extinction.

In 2024, Gregory — who has been documenting penguins in Antarctica for eight years — witnessed a rarely seen spectacle: a line of young emperor penguins leaping off a tall ice shelf in Atka Iceport, otherwise known as Atka Bay.

Usually, the youngsters' first swim is on low-lying sea ice, where they normally breed.

However, Gregory used a drone to follow the penguins when he saw what was happening. He watched as they successfully jumped off the cliff, an occurrence that scientists claim could become a common sight as the ice melts.

Frio Bat Cave in southern Texas is the spring and summer home of about 10 million Mexican free-tailed bats.

Most nights around sunset, bats fly out in a coordinated stream to feed on moths. "You think maybe it'll finish in 10 minutes," said Tafreshi, but their takeoff "continues for two hours."

Tafreshi used a fish-eye lens and soft flashes to document the moment, creating this 30-second single-exposure image.

About half of the 27 tigers in Similipal Tiger Reserve have black stripes. Still, they've rarely been spotted, even by longtime residents of the village. Still, Yadav was determined to photograph them.

To get them in the frame, he set up camera traps with infrared triggers on 24 trails, three of which ultimately saw regular tiger activity.

After spending 60 days inside the reserve, Yadav finally got this image of a young female tiger, one of just a few photos captured of the black tigers.

To see all 20 of National Geographic's Pictures of the Year, visit NatGeo.com/Photos.