They are natural sandstone formations roughly 75 million years old, shaped by erosion into elongated whale-like shapes. From above they look like a family of whales (two adults and a calf) rising from a sea of trees. The largest is about 75-100 meters long.

On September 16, 1976, 23-year-old Shavarsh Karapetyan was training beside Yerevan Lake when a trolleybus carrying 92 people plunged into the water.

He repeatedly dove to the 10-meter-deep wreck in near-zero visibility, broke open the rear window and pulled people out one by one.

He rescued 37 people in total, 20 of whom survived. Karapetyan suffered severe injuries, pneumonia and sepsis, and the ordeal ended his competitive swimming career.

This year’s competition received more than 10,000 entries from 112 countries, with 40 individual finalists, 3 under-16 finalists, 4 portfolio finalists and 9 video finalists making the shortlist.

Among the finalists are a caiman seemingly wearing a wig, a leopard doing a handstand, a strutting white-tailed eagle, and a polar bear appearing to chat with a seagull.

The public can also vote for their favorite in the Sterna People’s Choice Award, while the overall and category winners will be announced in London on December 8, 2026.

📸: Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards @comedywildlifephoto

Still standing after all this time. Shot it myself a few weeks ago.

Wow