COOL!: The Best DRONE Images of 2016 (20 Photos)

From one of our favourite sites, Dronestagram, comes these 20 amazing captures of drone images - the best of 2016. Which ones are your favs??

Authors' descriptions included where possible.

And the Winning Photo of National Geographic's 2016 'Nature Photographer of the Year' Contest is...

There were thousands, of course, but only one stood out among the many photos in this year's National Geographic's 'Nature Photographer of the Year' competition - the 'Sardine Run', by French photographer Greg Lecoeur. 

Lecoeur won the grand prize of a 10-day trip for two to the Galápagos with the National Geographic Expedition team. Congrats to you!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

GREG LECOEUR/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

I captured this image during the migration of the sardines along the wild coast of South Africa. Natural predation, sardines are preyed upon by cape gannet birds and common dolphins. The hunt begins with common dolphins that have developed special hunting techniques. With remarkable eyesight, the gannets follow the dolphins before diving in a free fall from 30 to 40 meters high, piercing the surface of the water head first at a speed of 80km/h to get their fill of sardines.

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NATURE: JEREMY WADE'S GOLIATH FISH!

Now that's one huge fish!  And teeth! WOW!

From the Animal Planet:

When your name is Goliath, you'd better be one humongous, ferocious creature, and the Goliath tigerfish (Hydrocynus goliath) definitely lives up to its moniker. A native of the Congo River basin, the Lualaba River, Lake Upemba and Lake Tanganyika in Africa, it's the largest member of the tigerfish clan, a genus of fierce predators with protruding, daggerlike teeth. The biggest one on record was nearly 5 feet long and weighed 154 pounds, the equivalent of a super-welterweight prizefighter. And it outclasses other African game fish in speed and power.

Locals say it's the only fish that doesn't fear the crocodile and that it actually eats smaller ones. It's also been known to attack humans in rare instances. It's so lightning quick and forceful that not only will it snap an angler's line, but it will sometimes make off with his or her tackle. No wonder one fishing safari promoter requires clients read a cautionary treatise on the Goliath before agreeing to a fishing trip.

And they say this fish is hard to catch.  We wonder why?

ANIMALS: THE 'GOLDEN HORSES' OF TURKMENISTAN

The Akhal-Teke is a horse breed from Turkmenistan, where they are a national emblem. They are noted for their speed and for endurance on long marches. These "golden-horses" are adapted to severe climatic conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest surviving horse breeds. There are currently about 3,500 Akhal-Tekes in the world, mostly in Turkmenistan and Russia, although they are also found throughout Europe, Australia, and North America. WOW!

COOL! LAVA SKULL

The site claims this to be the real deal so we'll just have to take their word for it!  Cool isn't it?
Wished we had more details... COOL!

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NATURE: THE COCONUT CRAB

Now this is one HUGE crab if we may say so ourselves! WOW!

The coconut crab is a species of terrestrial hermit crab, also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest land-living arthropod in the world, and is probably at the upper size limit for terrestrial animals with exoskeletons in recent Earth atmosphere, with a weight of up to 4.1 kg (9.0 lb). It can grow to up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length from leg to leg.

Remember this famous picture of a coconut crab clinging to a garbage can?

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