The winner of this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is an image of a swarm of toad tadpoles the photographer spotted while snorkelling across a lake in Canada for hours on end.
In the 60th year of the Natural History Museum contest, the photo taken by Canadian photojournalist Shane Gross about marine conservation took first place out of an unprecedented 59,228 entries from 117 nations and territories.
While snorkelling through carpets of lily pads in Cedar Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, for several hours, he managed to get this picture of western toad tadpoles, which are classified as near threatened due to habitat destruction and predators. He took care not to disturb the lakebed silt and algae.
The Demolition Squad - Ingo Arndt, Germany
In the Behaviour: Invertebrates category, German wildlife photographer Ingo Arndt was recognised for his photograph The Demolition Squad, which showed red wood ants in Hessen, Germany, mutilating a blue ground beetle.
Wood ants cooperate to take down larger insects and invertebrates in order to meet their needs for protein, then they carve them into smaller pieces so they can fit into their underground homes.
Wetland Wrestle - Karine Aigner, USA
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While guiding a tour group in Mato Grosso, Brazil, American wildlife photographer Karine Aigner saw a peculiar pattern in the water.
Through her binoculars, she saw a golden anaconda wrapping its body around a caiman's snout. Uncertainty surrounds which predator launched the initial attack in Wetland Wrestle, which won the prize for Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles.
Tiger in Town - Robin Darius Conz, Germany
This image of a Bengal tiger against the background of a town in India's Western Ghats was taken by a drone.
The photograph, by German photographer Robin Darius Conz, is titled Tiger in Townby and won the Urban Wildlife award. In areas like this one, where human settlements border the great animals' habitat, tiger populations have decreased.
Free as a Bird - Alberto Román Gómez, Spain
The winner of the 10 Years and Under category places a heavy chain in contrast with a delicate stonechat bird. Alberto Román Gómez was observing this young bird near the edge of the Sierra de Grazalema National Park via the window of his father's car.
Gómez found it difficult to take a good picture of it since it was flying back and forth swiftly while collecting insects. The stonechat gave off an air of sovereignty to Gómez, like a youthful protector watching over its domain.
Under the Waterline - Matthew Smith, UK/Australia
A curious leopard seal in Antarctica's Paradise Harbour peers out from under the ice at photographer Matthew Smith. Under the waterline, Smith created a specially-built extension for the front of his underwater camera in order to obtain the split image.
An Evening Meal - Parham Pourahmad, USA
Parham Pourahmad observes a juvenile Cooper's hawk devouring a squirrel as the last of the sun's rays fall on it.
Pourahmad spent one summer going on weekend photo shoots at Ed R Levin County Park. He intended to demonstrate the diversity of wildlife that coexists with a bustling metropolis and to serve as a reminder that "nature will always be wild and unpredictable".
Dolphins of the Forest - Thomas Peschak, Germany/South Africa
Thomas Peschak, a National Geographic Explorer, spent years in the rainforest filming wildlife for his ambitious project into the Amazon, which the magazine published in October 2024.
German-born South African Peschak is fascinated with the nuanced interactions between the locals and the endangered Amazon river dolphins; some regard the mammals as sacred, while others think they should be put down for fish theft.
On Watch - John E Marriott, Canada
For weeks, Canadian photographer John E. Marriott used snowshoes and lightweight camera gear to track a family of Canada lynxes across snow-covered Yukon woodlands.
New footprints brought him to this mother, her fully grown child looking from behind while he took a respectful picture of them. On Watch took home the prize in the Animal Portraits category.
A Diet of Deadly Plastic - Justin Gilligan, Australia
This photograph by Australian photographer Justin Gilligan depicts more than 400 bits of plastic that were taken from the lifeless carcass of a single flesh-footed shearwater, creating a depressing mosaic.
Dusting for New Evidence - Britta Jaschinski, Germany/UK
An investigator from the police searches an elephant tusk that has been seized at London's Heathrow Airport for prints.
Britta Jaschinski, a German and British photojournalist, reported from the UK Border Force's CITES department, where specialists employ magnetic powder to extract fingerprints from ivory up to seven days after it was touched.
The Serengeti of the Sea - Sage Ono, USA
The Rising Star portfolio award winner investigates the plethora of life surrounding the enormous kelp forests in the National Marine Sanctuary of Monterey Bay.
Sage Ono decided to take up underwater photography after being inspired by his grandfather, a retired marine biologist, and by a picture of a cusk eel larva.
Recording by Hand - Liwia Pawłowska, Poland
This photo shows a bird ringer holding a common whitethroat gently. Since she was nine years old, Pawłowska has been taking pictures of bird ringing sessions because she finds it fascinating.
At bird ringing events, volunteers can help trained professionals record the length, sex, health, and age of birds. Data gathering supports conservation efforts by enabling scientists to follow migration patterns and populations.
The Artful Crow - Jiří Hřebíček, Czech Republic
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Jiří Hřebíček deliberately moved his camera while employing a lengthy shutter speed to produce an artistic shot of a carrion crow.
