National Geographic: Patterns in Nature. Animals

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A wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) contracts its wings during a mating ritual on South Georgia Island, Antarctica. This arduous traveler has one of the greatest known wingspans of any bird, measuring up to 11.5 feet (3.5 meters), and has been recorded flying 500 miles (805 kilometers) in a single day.



A fan of black-chinned sparrow (Spizella atrogularis) feathers captures the light. When birds pull their feathers apart to clean them, the barb filaments simply zip back together by themselves.



Black-and-white stripes ripple across the hide of a Grant's zebra.



A map puffer fish's (Arothron mappa) eye appears like coral to casual observers in Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands.



A giraffe's spots form irregular patterns.



Intricate rings and dots mark the coat of a jaguar (Panthera onca).



A close view of a cheetah's wet coat.



Boa constrictors use their heat-sensitive scales to locate prey.



An African elephant's skin can be up to one inch (2.5 centimeters) thick.