Boneyard Waltz

Wallpaper Description:

Boneyard Waltz: Terrestrial Wildlife Finalist. A trio of polar bears lumbers past a forbidding pile of whale bones along the coast of Barter Island in northern Alaska, their bloodstained noses hinting at a recent, fresher meal. As top predators, polar bears rule the Arctic ecosystem and are typically solitary hunters, except when learning from Mom, like the siblings pictured here. Eventually, the cubs will venture out on their own to patrol the nearby Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a wilderness area encompassing more than 30,000 square miles. But these epic hunting grounds may not stay pristine forever: The region holds an estimated 7.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Moreover, climate change is forcing the bears to travel much longer distances in search of food. For this trio, however, there’s a more imminent threat. The smallest in the trio turns to catch a glimpse of a large male following the group before all three slip into the still chilly, though warming, waters of the Beaufort Sea.

Daniel Dietrich / BigPicture Photography Competition