Lose Yourself In These Colorful Photos Of Wildlife On The Move

Photographer Art Wolfe has traversed the globe to follow wildlife migration patterns. Here, caribou leave tracks in the mud at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

Art Wolfe

Amid the hustle and bustle of daily life, it's sometimes easy to forget the beauty of the world around us.

Art Wolfe is here to remind us. Throughout his decades-long career, the Seattle-based photographer and conservationist has captured some beautiful scenes of wildlife on the move in search of new homes, food sources and climates.

"I have flown in helicopters, microlights and airplanes, floated in boats and canoes, waded in murky caiman-infested waters, and snorkeled beneath the crystalline seas of the South Pacific -- always with the intention of gaining a perspective on the pattern that was being created by the wildlife passing before me," Wolfe writes in the preface to his new book, Migrations: Wildlife in Motion , published earlier this month.

In showcasing the commotion and serenity of animal migration, Wolfe also wants to highlight the importance of protecting the world's creatures. Wildlife is "at the mercy of humankind," Wolfe says, and he urges his readers to take action toward preservation.

Take a look at more of Wolfe's photos below.

Art Wolfe

Colorful batstars -- also called sea bats because of their webbed rays -- thrive in Haida Gwaii and Queen Charlotte, two archipelagos in British Columbia, Canada. "Never before had I seen such a remarkable combination of vibrant hues in the wild," Wolfe said.

Art Wolfe

Cape buffaloes stir up a cloud of dust as they race across a dry lake bed in search of water in Amboseli National Park, southern Kenya.

Art Wolfe

A Grant's zebra -- a small subspecies of the plains zebra -- stands out among white-bearded gnus, or wildebeests, in Kenya. "The lone Grant's zebra engulfed by a sea of moving wildebeests in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve caught my attention," Wolfe said. "I waited for the confused zebra to turn into the herd, and I framed it off-center to add a sense of tension."

Art Wolfe

Monarch butterflies are tightly packed in a winter roost, or a place where creatures settle to rest, in remote mountains near Mexico City, Mexico.

Art Wolfe

Emperor penguins congregate on frozen ice in Halley Bay, Antarctica.

Art Wolfe

Southern carmine bee-eaters rest in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.

Art Wolfe

Caribou leave tracks in the mud at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

Art Wolfe

Lesser flamingoes, which have been classified as "Near Threatened ," gather in Lake Naivasha, Kenya.

Art Wolfe

White-cheeked terns in flight in Mnemba Island, Tanzania. The creatures typically nest on islands and coral barrens and can be found in various parts of the Red Sea, the Horn of Africa and India.

Art Wolfe

Harbor seals congregate in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Earth Aware Editions

The cover of Art Wolfe's new book.

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