He who is born to crawl cannot fly. True. But at some point, even if only for a brief moment, all mammals find themselves in the air. Photographer Paul Goldstein created a series of photographs of animals jumping, flying, and falling. In a word, in the air. 
1. Emperor penguins, Snow Hill, Antarctica. “In Antarctica, on the eastern peninsula, I was stuck on the ice for a week with 100 people. From the stern of the ship, we watched the emperor penguins on their migration route. If one jumped out of the water, you can be sure the others will follow suit. But this is the only shot of them all jumping out of the water.” (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
2. “Ideally, there should be no animals on the tree/branch/ice or ground. Even if it’s just a millimeter from the ground, it’s not touching it.” Pictured: A male leopard in the Masai Mara, Kenya. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
3. Polar bear cubs in Svalbard. “What a morning! Seven polar bears in four hours, miles inland. These cubs were following their mother. Not a perfect shot, but it’ll do.” (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
4. A leopard kills a wildebeest at the Talek River in the Masai Mara, Kenya. “The female leopard waited for the right moment before jumping on one of her victims. The wildebeest ran away, but the predator jumped again and this time killed the prey. Brutal, but incredible. I waited by the river for three days to get this shot.” (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
5. A dolphin leaps in Sri Lanka. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
6. A mid-air fight between a leopard and a male baboon in the Masai Mara. “Primates? I don’t think so. They’re dangerous enemies, and a whole group of baboons cornered this young leopard up a tree in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Then they walked away—all except this male, who waited for the leopard to jump down from the tree and then pounced on him. It’s one of my favorite shots.” (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
7. Serval cubs playing in the Masai Mara. “The timid serval is hard to photograph, and cubs are almost impossible, but I was lucky one evening and saw these cubs playing. I waited until the light was soft. It’s my favorite photo of 2010.” (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
8. Leopard cub in the Masai Mara. “A 10-week-old leopard cub plays on granite rocks in the Masai Mara.” (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
9. A cheetah cub at dawn in the Masai Mara, Kenya. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
10. A lioness at the Talek River in the Masai Mara. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
11. A female leopard in the Masai Mara. “This leopard is called Zawadi, which means ‘gift’ in Swahili. I spent a little more time with her than with the other predators. She is now 16 years old, an advanced age for a leopard. This photo was taken while she was hunting in the Masai Mara in January.” (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
12. A polar bear in Svalbard. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
13. A polar bear in Svalbard. “They can swim better than almost any other mammal, but they prefer not to get their feet wet.” (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
14. Wildebeest in the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
15. Langurs in Madhya Pradesh National Park, India. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
16. Langur in Madhya Pradesh National Park, India. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
17. Arctic fox cubs in Svalbard. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
18. A male leopard in the Masai Mara, Kenya. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
19. Langur in Madhya Pradesh National Park, India. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
20. A male leopard in the Masai Mara. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features) 
21. A gentoo penguin in Antarctica. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
22. Cheetah in flight. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
23. Photographer Paul Goldstein. (Paul Goldstein/Exodus / Rex Features)
