Wild Wonders of Europe / Préau / Common cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) perched on post with wings stretched, Northern France, May 2010

Andrew Parkinson / 2020VISION / Bearded tit / reedling / parrotbill (Panurus biarmicus) adult female with legs stretched between Bullrush (Typha latifolia) and reed stem, feeding on bullrush seeds, Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve, Lond...

Erlend Haarberg / Great skua (Catharacta / Stercorarius skua) with wings partially stretched, Iceland, August

Erlend Haarberg / Rear view of Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) with wings stretched, Varanger, Finnmark, Norway, July

Dave Watts / Five Black-faced cormorants (Phalacrocorax fuscescens) on coastal rocks, one with wings stretched out, Tasmania, Australia, February

Nick Upton / Greylag goose (Anser anser) swimming in courtship posture with its neck stretched out low to the water as it swims, Wiltshire lake, UK, October

David Tipling / 2020VISION / Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) with head stretched upwards in an alert posture, on a bare field, Norfolk, England, UK, April

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Adult Robin (Erithacus rubecula) in winter, perched on twig with frozen crab apples, with neck stretched out to look, Scotland, UK, December 2010

Bryan and Cherry Alexander / Ringed sealskins stretched on a frame to dry outside an Inuit hunter's home in Pangnirtung. Nunavut, Canada, April 2008.

Bryan and Cherry Alexander / Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) skin stretched on a drying frame outside an Inuit home in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, April 2008.

Bryan and Cherry Alexander / Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) skin stretched on a drying frame outside an Inuit home in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, April 2008.

Pete Oxford / Portrait of a Huaorani Indian woman. She has the typical stretched ear lobes common amoung the Huaorani. They often wear balsa ear plugs. Gabaro Community, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, June 2007. Mo...

Pete Oxford / Portrait of a Huaorani Indian woman. She has the typical stretched ear lobes common amoung the Huaorani. They often wear balsa ear plugs. Gabaro Community, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, June 2007. Mo...

Pete Oxford / Huaorani Indian woman with achiote face paint. She has the typical stretched ear lobes common amoung the Huaorani. They often wear balsa ear plugs. Gabaro Community, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, Jun...

Nature Production / Marsh Grassbird / Japanese Grass Warbler (Megalurus pryeri) perched on grass with legs stretched out, singing, Hotokenuma Marsh, Aomori, Japan, June

Mark Taylor / Bulldog puppy, 8 weeks, lying stretched out.

Mark Carwardine / Reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) one with legs stretched apart, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya, April

Bryan and Cherry Alexander / Skin from a Reindeer / Caribou leg being stretched and dried in Dolgan herder's home. It will be used to make boots. Taymyr, Northern Siberia, Russia, 2004.

Bryan and Cherry Alexander / Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) skin stretched for drying outside house. Savissivik, Northwest Greenland, 1991.

Michel Poinsignon / Black-and-white Cat lying stretched out on a road, France

Michel Poinsignon / Black-and-white Cat lying stretched out on a road, France

Bryan and Cherry Alexander / Cree hunter with beaver skins stretched onto frames to dry. Quebec, Canada, 1988.

Bryan and Cherry Alexander / Cree woman with Beaver (Castor canadensis) skin stretched out to dry. North Quebec, Canada, 1988.

Aflo / ic-00302 Domestic cat asleep on back under flower bush {Felis catus}

Chris Gomersall / Common snipe (Gallinago gallinago) with stretched wings on edge of reedbed, Norfolk, England, March

Andrew Walmsley / Rear view of Pied shag / Karuhiruhi (Phalacrocorax varius varius) with wings stretched out on rock, Kaikoura, New Zealand, November

Wild Wonders of Europe / Varesvuo / Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) holing wings stretched out, Extremadura, Spain, April 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Cairns / Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) perched on dead pine snag with wings stretched, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, July 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Widstrand / White-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) with wing stretched out, Flatanger, Norway, December 2008

Angelo Gandolfi / Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) with wings stretched out, sunning themselves in the Salto del Roldan canyon, Aragon, Spain.

Wild Wonders of Europe / Radisics / Whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) pair on nest, one with wings stretched, Lake Skadar, Lake Skadar National Park, Montengro, May 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Radisics / Whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) pair at nest, one with wings stretched, Lake Skadar, Lake Skadar National Park, Montenegro, May 2008

Mark Bowler / Peccary skin stretched out to dry, Nuevo Esperanza, Rio Yavari-Mirin, Peruvian Amazon Rainforest town, Peru, May 2008

Paul Hobson / Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) wading through water with wings stretched, Camargue, France

Mark Taylor / Maine Coon kitten, 8 weeks, standing up, with paws stretched.

Mark Taylor / Maine Coon kitten, 8 weeks, standing up, with paws stretched

Wild Wonders of Europe / Damschen / Rear view of Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) with wings stretched open, Elbe Biosphere Reserve, Lower Saxony, Germany, September 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Widstra / Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) with wings out stretched in snow, Flatanger, Norway, November 2008

Will Watson / Two white-necked Cormormants (Phalacrocorax carbo) with out stretched wings on guano covered rock on Lake Malawi (Lake Niassa), Mozambique, February 2008

Jeff Rotman / Wunderpus Octopus (Octopodidae sp) stretched out on seabed, Lembeh Strait, Celebes Sea, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Wild Wonders of Europe / Peltomäki / Pygmy cormorant (Microcarbo pygmeus) with wings stretched, Lake Kastoria, Macedonia, Greece, February 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Peltomäki / Pygmy cormorant (Microcarbo pygmeus) with wings stretched, Lake Kastoria, Macedonia, Greece, February 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Peltomäki / Pygmy cormorant (Microcarbo pygmeus) with wings stretched, Lake Kastoria, Macedonia, Greece, February 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Elander / Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) group feeding, one with wings stretched, Cebollar, Torla, Aragon, Spain, November 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Elander / Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) with wings stretched and two Griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) Cebollar, Torla, Aragon, Spain, November 2008

Carol Walker / Purebred bay Andalusian stallion with head stretched down, Ojai, California, USA,

Pete Oxford / Nazca / Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra granti) with wings stretched, Punta Cevallos, Española / Hood Island, South America

Paul Hobson / Common buzzard {Buteo buteo} wings stretched showing aggression, perched on telegraph post, Oystercatcher {Haematopus ostralegus} flying past, UK

Paul Hobson / Common buzzard {Buteo buteo} wings stretched showing aggression, perched on telegraph post, UK

John Cancalosi / Crested / Common caracara (Caracara plancus) with wings stretched, Texas, USA

Tim Laman / Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) with head stretched up and beak open, La Jolla, California.

Thomas Lazar / Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) cub stretched out in sun near to den, Wisconsin, USA

GEORGETTE DOUWMA / Long-armed octopus / Wonderpus (Octopus sp.) Unplaced species, with tentacles stretched out on seabed, Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Heidi & Hans-Juergen Koch / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) with out-stretched tongue licking drop of sugar liquid, Bee Station at the Bavarian Julius-Maximilians-University of Wurzburg, Germany

Jane Burton / Baby domestic Ferret {Mustela putorius furo} stretched out asleep 3 weeks old, captive

Pete Oxford / Stretched walrus skin for boats (Umiaks) St Lawrence Island, Bering Sea, Alaska USA

Klaus Echle / Pine marten {Martes martes} climbing tree with legs stretched between two trunks, Germany

Jane Burton / Domestic Cat {Felis catus} 6-month silver tabby male kitten 'Butterfly' lying stretched out

Jim Brandenburg / Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) skin stretched to dry, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

Konrad Wothe / Lemur Frog (Phyllomedusa lemur) top view of frog on leaf with back leg stretched out, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

Mitsuaki Iwago / Domestic Cat (Felis catus) relaxing on its back on a bench in a garden with its paws stretched up over its head

Anup Shah / Rodriguez flying fox with wings stretched. Native to Mauritius

David Fleetham / Undulated moray eel (Gymnothorax undulatus) with mouth open and gullet stretched as it feeds on a surgeonfish, Hawaii.

David Fleetham / Undulated moray eel (Gymnothorax undulatus) with mouth open and gullet stretched as it feeds on a surgeonfish, Hawaii.

Onne van der Wal / Tern standing on a 'slow' signpost with wings stretched.

Mark Taylor / West Highland White Terrier lying stretched out with her chin on the floor.

Tom Vezo / Snowy egret {Egretta thula} fishing with wings stretched, Everglades NP, Florida, USA.

Premaphotos / Bush-cricket / katydid (Diyllus sp) in perfectly camouflaged daytime pose stretched out along a leaf midrib, in rainforest, Peru

Nature Production / White tailed sea eagle {Haliaeetus albicilla} perched with wings stretched, Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan, May

Andres M. Dominguez / Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) male perched on a branch, preening its feathers, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Spain. October.

Andres M. Dominguez / Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) male perched on a rock, with flies around it. The bird scratches its head with its foot and preens its feathers. Then the animal takes off and leaves the frame. Sierr...

Andres M. Dominguez / Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) male perched on a branch, preening its feathers, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Spain. October.

Andres M. Dominguez / Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) perched on a rock in a lake, on a foggy day. The bird has its wings stretched out to dry its feathers. Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Spain. May.

Andres M. Dominguez / Two Great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) perched on rocks with their wings stretched out to try and dry their feathers. Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Spain. May.

Doug Allan / Inuit children standing beside stretched skin of Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) as others walk down road, Arctic Bay, Baffin Island, Nunavut, May 2004.

Tui De Roy / Flightless cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi) drying stretched out stunted wings. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

Tui De Roy / Two Flightless cormorants (Phalacrocorax harrisi) drying stretched out stunted wings. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / East- American long-eared owl (Asio otus wilsonianus) standing and looking around. One of its wings is stretched out. Raptor Conservation Alliance, Elmwood, Nebraska, USA. Controlled Conditions.

Michael Hutchinson / Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) pup in white lanugo coat with flippers out-stretched. Donna Nook, Lincolnshire, UK. November.

Michael Hutchinson / Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) pup in white lanugo coat with flippers out-stretched. Donna Nook, Lincolnshire, UK. November.

Charlie Hamilton-James / Female coffee plantation worker walking to work at the Gorongosa Coffee Project, past large stretched sheets that are used to dry coffee beans after processing in the open air, Gorongosa National Park...

Doug Gimesy / Little pied cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos), wings stretched to dry or warm wings in sun, standing on intertidal rocks covered with Intertidal tubeworms (Galeolaria caespitosa) and molluscs, Victo...

Doug Gimesy / Little pied cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos), wings stretched to dry or warm wings in sun, standing on intertidal rocks covered with Intertidal tubeworms (Galeolaria caespitosa) and molluscs, Victo...

Robin Chittenden / Garganey (Anas querquedula) pair resting on tree stump, wing stretched, Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk, UK. October.

Eric Baccega / Head portrait of a Kayan Lahwi woman with brass neck coils and traditional clothing. The Long Neck Kayan (also called Padaung in Burmese) are a sub-group of the Karen ethnic people from Burma. They we...

Nick Upton / Mute swan (Cygnus olor) cob swimming on flooded pastureland with one foot stretched out, Catcott Lows National Nature Reserve, Somerset, UK, January.

Nick Upton / Great white egret (Egretta alba) hunting for fish in a marshland pool with its neck stretched to its full extent Somerset Levels, UK, October.

Erwan Quéméré / Craftsman building a curragh, a traditional sailing boat native to Ireland. Curraghs are made of leather or tarred canvas stretched over a wooden framework.

Erwan Quéméré / Craftsman building a curragh, a traditional sailing boat native to Ireland. Curraghs are made of leather or tarred canvas stretched over a wooden framework.