Animals don’t do pretense. They live au naturel, and that, for most wildlife watchers, is way more than enough. Still, some species have been known to create quite a spectacle at certain times of the year. Seasonal, annual, or just brief events that, in a world full of incredi-nature, ratchet up the jaw-drop factor just a little more.

Think: love-addled fireflies that, for a short time, blink their bottoms in synch. Think: waddle-weary emperor penguins, fasting for months for the sake of one little egg that represents the survival of their future.

Think: A lake turned the color of Pepto Bismol — not an environmental disaster but a magical gathering of pink flamingos.

And think (you already are) of wildebeest, miles and miles and miles of them, trudging off to watering holes, barking dogs (hooves?) be damned. So get out your calendar, and start circling. Here are some of the coolest natural events — true animal spectacles you can witness somewhere in the world every year (fingers crossed). Some are remote, some remarkably close. No matter the effort required to see them, all are once-in-a-lifetime (for you, not them) experiences.