Muskox with newborn in the central Arctic coastal plain of Alaska
© Steven Kazlowski/Danita Delimon
The cycle begins anew
Today marks the start of festivities celebrating the Lunar New Year (aka Chinese New Year), which continues through February 26. Because the holiday goes by the lunar calendar, the date of the Lunar New Year on our solar/Gregorian calendar changes each year. The Lunar New Year also comes with a turn of the zodiac, which is divided into 12 parts, with each part represented by a different animal. The zodiac system assigns a single animal and its attributes to represent each year, and 2021 is the Year of the Ox. The others are Rat, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Rothschild's giraffe in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya
Bald eagle pair with a chick in their nest near the Yukon River, Yukon, Canada
Springboks near a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia
Whooping cranes taking off during spring migration in South Dakota
Burchell's zebra stallions, Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
Mountain hare running across snow-covered upland, Scotland
Great blue herons in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida
Arctic wolf family in Canada
