Black Coral A diver explores an emerald kingdom in New Zealand's Wet Jacket Arm marine reserve. Black coral creates an undersea forest for colorful reef fish and can live for 300 years.

Immortalized Icon of ancient Egypt, King Tut's funerary mask immortalizes his features in gold, glass, and semiprecious stones. This and other treasures from his tomb, now in Cairo's Egyptian Museum, attract a constant swirl of visitors.

Butterfly and Trees, Madidi National Park, Bolivia Nature and Environment. The locals say palm treeshere grow legs and walk to find more sunlight. Standing on stilts, Madidi's "walking" trees, at right, appear to move as their shadyside roots wither. The palms may need strong root structures to quickly reach optimum height..

Agave, Arizona The pointed leaves of an agave plant form a jagged pattern in freshly fallen snow

Calakmul, Mexico Towering above the treetops, Calakmul's main pyramid catches the fading light. Calakmul is an abandoned Maya city of nearly 7,000 buildings – about 100 of them excavated – where banyan trees grow on palace steps, vines bore into rock foundations, and howler monkeys cavort in the canopy shading a ball court, plazas, and pyramids.

Cinque Torri, Italy The five rock formations of Cinque Torri rise majestically in Northern Italy's Dolomite mountain range. Photograph by Joe Petersburger