The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled the winners of its prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. These captivating images offer a breathtaking glimpse into the diverse lives of creatures on Earth, capturing both their majesty and the harsh realities of their existence.
Wildlife photographers venture into the heart of nature, documenting animals both familiar and elusive in their natural habitats. They reveal the stunning beauty of the world around us and the multitude of life experiences beyond our human understanding. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. Explore previous winners and other top wildlife images from this year.
This selection showcases some of the winning images from a record-breaking 59,228 entries submitted from 117 countries and territories. An exhibition featuring these incredible photographs will open at the Natural History Museum on Friday.
The featured photographs capture a diverse range of subjects, including a leopard seal, a slime mold and springtail, an endangered Australian bilby, an anaconda constricting a caiman, lynxes in Canada and Russia, and ants devouring a beetle. These award-winning images highlight the complex tapestry of life on Earth – beautiful and serene at times, yet also unforgiving and brutal.
The competition not only celebrates the winning images but also recognizes the talented photographers behind the lens. Shane Gross earned the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his evocative image of tadpoles nestled amongst water lilies. The image at the top of this article, depicting a young peregrine falcon practicing its hunting skills on a butterfly in Los Angeles, California, won the Behavior: Birds category. Peregrine falcons are renowned for their incredible diving speeds, reaching up to 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) during hunts.
Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas was awarded the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title for his captivating shot of fruiting slime molds and a springtail, revealing a hidden world often unseen by the naked eye.
The exhibition opens at the Natural History Museum in London on Friday. For those interested in exploring UK wildlife, the British Wildlife Photography Awards announced its 2024 winners in March.
