The most beautiful nature photos of October

Smiling seals sunbathing and herds of antelopes crossing rivers are among National Geographic's October photo highlights.

This moment a seal seems to be smiling and sunbathing in the morning sun in Skagen, Denmark was chosen by National Geographic as one of the most impressive photos of October.

In the town of Skagen, watching seals relax and play is a popular pastime for tourists.

A male orangutan hides behind a tree as he tries to cross a river in Tanjung Putting National Park, Indonesia. Orangutans typically avoid water, especially in situations where crocodiles might be present, explains photographer Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan.

"But the rapid expansion of palm oil farming has reduced their habitat. When pushed to the limit, these intelligent animals have learned to adapt to the changing environment," added Bojan, who had to immerse himself in chest-high water to capture this moment.

An elephant dust bathes in Chobe National Park, Botswana. It uses its trunk to spray dust all over its body to remove parasites and keep its skin healthy.

A herd of wildebeest migrating from Tanzania to Kenya, crossing the Mara River. "The wildebeest were a little hesitant to cross the river because there was a lion nearby. The water was deeper than usual and the crossing was more successful than the previous day," said photographer Matt Grimsley.

A duck hunter and his dog wait quietly on a quiet morning in Pakistan, near the Afghan border. Fake ducks are released on the lake to attract Siberian mallards as they migrate for the season.

The Eagle Creek forest fire in the US was started by a group of teenagers throwing fireworks into the middle of a dry valley. After more than a month of continuous burning, the fire destroyed nearly 200 km.²The land area belongs to Washington state and is only controlled about 46%.

Photographer Dylan Taylor captured the scene of devastation near Moffetts Hot Springs. The Columbia River Gorge looked like an apocalyptic scene, Taylor described.

An Italian lion trainer rests with one of her lions. "She treats the lions like her own children. She sleeps and plays with them every day," photographer Nader Saadallah shared.

The Meteora Monasteries are a complex of six Eastern Orthodox monasteries built on high rock pillars near Kalambaka, Greece. Pictured is Roussanou Monastery, which dates back to the mid-16th century. A small group of monks still live there today.

According to VNE