Wildlife Photographer of the Year sneak peek

The Natural History Museum, London, has released 16 "sneak peek" images from this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. These highly commended images include photos from several competition categories, including Animals in their Environment, Natural Artistry, Invertebrates, Mammals, Underwater, Urban Wildlife, Photojournalism, and age-specific categories for young photographers.

Celebrating its 61st year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. This year's competition drew 60,636 images from photographers in 113 countries. The final categories, along with Grand Title and Young Grand Title awards, will be announced on October 14th, and will go on exhibit at the Natural History Museum starting October 17th, followed by international locations worldwide.

A tale of two coyotes

A Tale of Two Coyotes by Parham Pourahmad, USA
Highly Commended, 11 – 14 Years

Parham Pourahmad (USA) uses the morning light to frame the amber eyes
of a male coyote within the black-tipped tail of a female.

Parham followed this pair – a female and possibly her brother – for a couple of hours across the rocky hillside, quickly framing his image before the male turned to nuzzle the female. Coyotes can adapt to almost any habitat and are abundant across North America and into Central America. Once common in San Francisco, they had disappeared from the city but are now beginning to return. While they do scavenge food waste, their diet also includes rodents and other small mammals.

Location: Bernal Heights Park, California, USA

Technical details: Nikon Z8 + 180–600mm f5.6–6.3 lens at 600mm; 1/1250 at f6.3; ISO 800

© Copyright Parham Pourahmad / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Inside the pack

Inside the Pack by Amit Eshel, Israel
Highly Commended, Animal Portraits

Amit Eshel (Israel) gets eye-level with an inquisitive pack of Arctic wolves.

In temperatures of -35°C (-31°F), Amit struggled to fulfill his dream of photographing the elusive Arctic wolves of Ellesmere Island. But then, on the twelfth day of his second trip, they came closer than he had ever imagined, so close that he could smell their breath. Restricted to Canada's most northern territories and northern Greenland, Arctic wolves are curious of humans due to a lack of interaction. They're a snow-white subspecies of the grey wolf, pack animals that hunt hares and musk oxen.

Location: Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

Technical details: Canon EOS R5 + 24–105mm F4 lens; 1/1250 at F11; ISO 2000

© Copyright Amit Eshel / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Pink pose

Pink Pose by Leana Kuster, Switzerland
Highly Commended, 15 – 17 Years

Leana Kuster (Switzerland) shows a greater flamingo in the act of scratching its head with one of its unmistakably long legs.

While on holiday in southern France, Leana had been watching flamingos in the Camargue. She was fascinated by their foraging behavior as they moved gracefully through the shallow, saline wetlands, filter feeding for molluscs and crustaceans. Flamingos use their tongues to force water through their specially adapted bills, which are lined with many rows of fine, comb-like plates. These help trap a species of brine shrimp called Artemia salina that gives the birds their famous pink hue.

Location: Pont de Gau, Camargue, France

Technical details: Nikon D810 + Tamron 150–600mm F5.6 lens; 1/500 at F6.3; ISO 250

© Copyright Leana Kuster / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Rutting call

Rutting Call by Jamie Smart, UK
Highly Commended, 10 Years and Under

Jamie Smart (UK) portrays a red deer stag as it gives a mighty bellow during the autumn rut in Bradgate Park, UK.

Jamie walked up and down a path in the park at a safe distance from the stag. She stretched herself up tall to avoid any long grass in the foreground spoiling her view. The stag's antlers have regrown since their annual shedding in spring. The 'velvet' – the soft skin that covered them during their growth – has now rubbed off, exposing the bone beneath. Each new set grows larger and more complex as the stag matures, with more intricate points called tines crowning the heads of older males.

Location: Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England, UK

Technical details: Nikon Z9 + 800mm F6.3 lens; 1/800 at F6.3; ISO 450

© Copyright Jamie Smart / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Ice edge journey

Ice Edge Journey by Bertie Gregory, UK
Highly Commended, Animals in their Environment

Bertie Gregory (UK) freeze-frames the moment fledgling emperor penguin chicks walk along the edge of an ice shelf.

Bertie spent two months with the penguin colony and witnessed most chicks using ice ramps to descend to sea level for food. But this group missed the easy way down. Keeping his drone at a safe distance, he watched as they took a 15-meter (49 ft) leap into the water. Left to fend for themselves, emperor penguin chicks must find a way to make their first dip into the icy ocean to find food. Scientists believe the continued decline of sea ice in Antarctica may force more penguins to breed on ice shelves, making this behavior increasingly common in the future.

Location: Ekström Ice Shelf, Atka Bay, Antarctica

Technical details: DJI Mavic 3 Pro + Hasselblad L2D-20c 24mm F2.8 lens; 1/50 at F3.5; ISO 100

© Copyright Bertie Gregory / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Deadly lessons

Deadly Lessons by Marina Cano, Spain
Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals

Marina Cano (Spain) stumbles upon a group of cheetahs after they've caught a Günther's dik-dik in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya.

Marina watched the three young cheetahs practice their hunting skills while their mother looked on – a crucial stage in their journey to independence. The dik-dik was tossed into the air and killed just seconds after Marina took the photograph. Cheetah cubs spend their first two months hidden in a lair while their mother hunts. At around a year old, they begin joining her, learning how to stalk and which prey to pursue.

Location: Samburu National Park, Samburu County, Kenya

Technical details: Canon EOS R3 + 600mm F4 lens; 1/1250 at F8; ISO 6400

© Copyright Marina Cano / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Slime family portrait

Slime Family Portrait by Kutub Uddin, Bangladesh/UK
Highly Commended, Natural Artistry

Kutub Uddin (Bangladesh/UK) spots a line of alien-like slime moulds on a fallen tree.

Kutub found these blueberry-like spheres – the reproductive parts of a slime mould, each just 1-2 millimeters in diameter – in a nearby forest. His image resembles a fantasy landscape, though he describes the scene as a "bizarre family portrait," complete with a tiny yellow insect egg. A slime mold is a community of mobile single-celled, ameba-like organisms that live independently until they come together and work as one to find food and reproduce.

Location: Slindon Wood, West Sussex, England, UK

Technical details: Canon EOS R5 + 65mm F2.8 1–5x macro lens; 0.6 at F5.6; ISO 200; focus stack of 78 images

© Copyright Kutub Uddin / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Jelly smack summer

Jelly Smack Summer by Ralph Pace, USA
Highly Commended, Underwater

Ralph Pace (USA) finds himself in the middle of a mass or 'smack' of Pacific sea nettles.

To try to protect himself from stings while taking this photograph, Ralph smeared petroleum jelly on any skin not covered by his wetsuit. The trailing tentacles can deliver a painful sting, which Ralph says feels more like that of a bee than a nettle. Highly adaptable to warming seas, jellyfish are appearing in larger numbers. Some biologists argue that more frequent smacks are a sign of rising ocean temperatures. The removal of predators and competitors through overfishing is another contributing factor.

Location: Monterey Bay, California, USA

Technical details: Nikon D850 + 28–70mm F3.5–4.5 lens; 1/5 at F13; ISO 125; Nauticam housing; 2x Sea & Sea strobes

© Copyright Ralph Pace / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Wake-up call

Wake-up Call by Gabriella Comi, Italy
Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals

Gabriella Comi (Italy) witnesses a dramatic stand-off between a lion and a cobra.

Energy levels among the lions were low in the scorching midday sun. Gabriella and her guide, David, were about to move on when David spotted movement – a cobra was slithering towards two sleeping lions. Within seconds, the eldest of the pair was facing down the venomous intruder. Tanzania's Serengeti National Park is renowned for its large population of lions, with around 3,000 individuals living there. Lions are estimated to sleep for up to 20 hours a day to conserve energy.

Location: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Technical details: Fujifilm X-S10 + Tamron 150–500mm F5–6.7 lens at 288mm; 1/1600 at F5.6; ISO 250

© Copyright Gabriella Comi / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Nature reclaims its space

Nature Reclaims Its Space by Sitaram Raul, India
Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife

Sitaram Raul (India) is among the chaos as fruit bats leave their roost in the ruins of a historical monument.

Working in total darkness, Sitaram manually focused his lens at the distance where he guessed the bats might appear, relying on his flash to illuminate the scene. All the while, bats were, in his words, "randomly pooping on me and the camera." Old World fruit bats are common across southern Asia. During the day, they roost in cavities such as hollow trees, caves and deserted buildings. Sitaram says that no matter how big our urban structures are, once we leave them, "eventually nature reclaims its space."

Location: Banda, Maharashtra, India

Technical details: Nikon D750 + 24–120mm F4 lens; 1/250 at F8; ISO 800; Godox TT685 flash

© Copyright Sitaram Raul / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

No place like home

No Place Like Home by Emmanuel Tardy, France
Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife

Emmanuel Tardy (France) spots a brown-throated three-toed sloth clinging tightly to a barbed wire fence post.

Traffic slowed to a crawl as this sloth crossed the road, eventually reaching a fence post and gripping firmly. Concerned about not adding to the animal's stress, Emmanuel patiently waited for people to leave the area before quickly taking this photo. As their habitats become increasingly fragmented, sloths are forced to make more ground crossings to reach the safety of the next tree. In response, the Costa Rican government is working with local NGOs to establish biological corridors, including aerial bridges that reconnect their forest homes.

Location: El Tanque, San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Technical details: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV + Sigma 24mm F1.4 lens; 1/1600 at F7.1 (+0.33 e/v); ISO 800

© Copyright Emmanuel Tardy / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Toxic tip

Toxic Tip by Lakshitha Karunarathna, Sri Lanka
Highly Commended, Photojournalism

Lakshitha Karunarathna (Sri Lanka) reveals a solitary Asian elephant navigating a waste disposal site in Sri Lanka.

For over three years, Lakshitha has documented human–elephant conflict in Sri Lanka. This image is the result of months of meticulous observation at two open rubbish tips, where herds regularly forage. Around 20 elephants died over an eight-year period at a single site in Ampara after consuming indigestible food wrappers and other plastic waste. Alongside global efforts to reduce plastic use, conservationists stress the urgent need to secure landfills and prevent wildlife from accessing harmful materials.

Location: Ampara, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka

Technical details: DJI Mavic 3 Pro + Hasselblad L2D-20c 24mm F2.8 lens; 1/320 at F4 (0 e/v); ISO 200

© Copyright Lakshitha Karunarathna / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Clouds of gold

Clouds of Gold by Jassen Todorov, USA
Highly Commended, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture

Jassen Todorov (USA) depicts the clouds reflected in salt ponds that span San Francisco Bay.

Flying his single-engine Piper Warrior into San Francisco International Airport, Jassen never tires of the changing colors of the ponds. On this occasion, he says, "the light during the golden hour, at sunset, was magnificent." The process of salt collection in the bay was industrialized in the 1800s. Since 2003, the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project has acquired 6,000 hectares (nearly 15,000 acres). By removing artificial dykes, the project is recreating tidal marsh habitat, allowing salt-tolerant plants and wildlife to flourish once more.

Location: San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Technical details: Nikon D810 + 70–200mm F2.8 lens at 70mm; 1/400 at F2.8; ISO 280

© Copyright Jassen Todorov / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Fragile river of life

Fragile River of Life by Isaac Szabo, USA
Highly Commended, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture

Isaac Szabo (USA) watches longnose gars spawn in a crystal-clear Florida river.

Wrapping his feet around a drowned tree, Isaac photographed this female longnose gar with several males during the mating season. The presence of the turtle was, for Isaac, the "icing on the cake," as it "gives a sense of the whole ecosystem." This river is one of more than 1,000 waterways fed by freshwater springs renowned for their clarity. Maintaining the aquifers that supply these springs is vital not only for iconic wildlife such as manatees, but also for providing drinking water to nearly half of Florida.

Location: Columbia County, Florida, USA

Technical details: Sony α7R II + Nikonos RS 13mm F2.8 lens;
1/30 at F8; ISO 200; Inon Z-240 strobes

© Copyright Isaac Szabo / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Special delivery

Special Delivery by Bidyut Kalita, India
Highly Commended, behavior: Invertebrates

Bidyut Kalita (India) photographs a hard-working potter wasp mid-flight with caterpillar prey for its young.

Bidyut spotted this potter wasp building a mud chamber on a picture frame in his home in Goalpara, northeast India. Noticing it coming and going several times a day, he wedged the door open to allow it access until he finally saw it returning with prey gripped in its jaws. Once the chamber is complete, the wasp sets about packing it with caterpillars paralyzed by a sting, to provide live food for the developing larvae within.

Location: Goalpara, Assam, India

Technical details: Canon EOS R6 + 85mm F2 macro lens; 1/125 at F10; ISO 500; Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI flash + Beetle macro diffuser

© Copyright Bidyut Kalita / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Essence of Kamchatka

Essence of Kamchatka by Kesshav Vikram, India
Highly Commended, 11–14 Years

Kesshav Vikram (India) expresses the character of the remote wilderness of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East.

Kesshav waited days for this image to come together: a brown bear strolling along the shore of Kurile Lake as the Iliinsky volcano emerged from the clouds. A slaty-backed gull flew past, aligned with the volcano's summit. Generally solitary, the bear was heading to feast with others on the glut of sockeye salmon migrating upriver to their origin lake to spawn. This caldera lake, formed in the crater made by a volcanic eruption, is the largest sockeye salmon spawning ground in Eurasia.

Location: Kurile Lake, Kamchatka Krai, Russia

Technical details: Nikon Z8 + 100–400mm F4.5–5.6 lens at 100mm; 1/4000 at F4.5 (+0.3 e/v); ISO 1000; beanbag

© Copyright Kesshav Vikram / Wildlife Photographer of the Year