Pictures of the Year from National Geographic include stunning shark encounter

The cover of National Geographic’s December 2025 edition features its annual “Photo of the Year.” (Anand Varma/National Geographic)

Photographer Anand Varma has been trying for years to document when the yolk of the egg is still visible but the shape of the bird is clearly visible. He experimented with cultivating embryos in artificial shells and finally captured changes in the embryos at day 12. Varma also raised some embryos into chicks and donated them to local people. (Anand Varma)

In the evening, the sunflower chimney bees resting on their velvety ocher pillows, probably dozing off after a long day’s work pollinating the plants. These bees often nest at the base of sunflowers and travel with commercial farmers when they rotate their crops. (Karine Aigner)

Photographer Brian Skelly has been documenting marine life for decades, but this image is his first encounter with a great white shark in the Gulf of Maine, and from a place he never expected to see it, especially from 4 feet away. Sightings of this 10-foot shark are increasing from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, likely due in part to changing weather patterns. (Brian Skelly)

This two-day-old piglet was bred to save its life. Scientists genetically modified the kidneys to harvest them for human transplantation. These pigs offer new hope to tens of thousands of Americans in desperate need of a kidney, 66% of whom have been on the waiting list for more than a year. (Craig Cutler)