The London Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the year contest celebrates the fragility and diversity of life.
The contest attracted more than 50,000 entries this year from 95 countries.
Photos of the frontrunners show wild cats fighting great odds, narwhal shrimps lounging in coral, and an abandoned bat recovering from surgery.
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The Iberian lynx was almost extinct from the face of the Earth.
The Iberian peninsula was decimated by poaching, hunting, and habitat loss. In Spain, less than 100 Iberian Lynx were left by 2002. They were also completely extinct in Portugal.
They have been saved from certain death by conservation efforts. Even humans have begun to mix with these elusive animals.
The photo of the young lynx above was taken in a hayloft that had been abandoned in Spain's Sierra Morena Mountains. Sergio Marijun, a photographer, set up his camera in the hay, and waited months for the shot. The shot shows the lynx standing at the doorway with its back legs extended, looking directly into the camera.
This image is the frontrunner in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. It is produced and developed by the Natural History Museum, London. This competition is designed to highlight the fragility and diversity of wildlife on the planet.
The contest attracted more entries than ever, more than 50,000 photos from 95 countries.
Doug Gurr, the director of the Natural History Museum, stated in a press release that "these extraordinary images showcase the rich diversity and life on Earth" and that they spark curiosity and wonder. The Wildlife Photographer of the year exhibition tells the story of a planet in crisis. It also highlights the urgent issues we face and the collective action that we must take.
Although the museum will announce the winners in October, it released just a few of its top picks on Tuesday. Here are nine "highly recommended" frontrunners.
Numerous photos show predators struggling
Buddhilini de Soyza/Wildlife Photographer Award
These male cheetahs braved the rough waters of Kenya to reach new hunting areas on the other bank of Kenya's Talek River in January 2020. Buddhilini de Soyza, a photographer, followed the pair for hours along the opposite bank as they selected their crossing point.
De Soyza stated that the photo showed the lead cheetah wading into the river a few times, and then turned around."
They avoided calmer areas of water because they were afraid of crocodiles. The animals then jumped in and paddled across the river. De Soyza was concerned that they would not survive the river's raging waters, which were unusually high due to heavy rains. All five cheetahs, one of which didn't fit in the photo, made it through.
The gecko tried to save its life, but ended up in a death spiral
Wei Fu/Wildlife Photographer Award
Wei Fu, a photographer in Bangkok, Thailand was taking photos of birds when he heard loud hissing and croaking. The ruckus led him to a red-spotted Tokay Gecko, perched in a tree. He heard warning sounds from a golden tree snake, who was slowly falling towards it.
The snake attacked the gecko by biting and injecting venom. In self-defense, the lizard wrapped its jaws around serpent's head.
After a while, they wrestled. But the snake wrapped itself around the gecko and began the slow process to swallow it whole.
A young, white-tailed kite pilot made a mistake and landed on the wrong side of the pass
Jack Zhi/Wildlife Photographer Of The Year
According to Jack Zhi, the California bird was hovering in midair trying to grab a mouse from its father's claws. This is how the juvenile has to eat until it can hunt on its own. This exchange can also be used to practice future courtship when a male bird gives prey to a woman.
The youngster, with its gold-speckled eyes, had only been flying for two day. The youngster tried to grab the mouse with its claws, but it failed to land the prize. The bird quickly learned and circled to grab the mouse from behind.
Others predators were more successful
Lara Jackson/Wildlife Photographer Of The Year
In Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, this young lioness began to eat wildebeest prey while the animal was still alive. Lara Jackson captured her looking straight into the camera.
This parakeet was photographed by a 10-year-old as it feeds its young
Gagana Mendis Wickramasinghe/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Gagana Mendis Wickramasinghe remained at home after Sri Lanka was put under lockdown in spring 2020. He spent his time watching his brother and older brother raise their children while he sat on the balcony of his parents' home.
The parakeets chose a dead palm tree from the areca-nut palm family that Gagana's parents left to attract wildlife. Gagana and his brother had plenty of time to play with their cameras, trade lenses and snap photos of the bright green parakeets. Their hole was at eye level with their balcony.
A red fox finds dead salmon on an island within an islands.
Jonny Armstrong/Wildlife Photographer Award
This fox is one of two that live on Karluk Lake's small island. It is nestled in Alaska's Kodiak Island. Jonny Armstrong, photographer, followed the fox over several days as it pounced on birds and ate berries. She even bit at the heels a young brown bear.
A storm began to move in, creating a dark backdrop. Armstrong sat on his stomach at water's edge, focusing her gaze as the vixen searched the shallows looking for sockeye salmon who had died after spawning.
The antennae of the Narwhal Shrimp may allow them to communicate with each other
Laurent Ballesta/Wildlife Photographer Award
Laurent Ballesta was diving off the French Mediterranean coast with his camera when he came across this bizarre scene. Tausendes of narwhal shrimp were suspended in coral at more than 250 feet beneath the surface. Their thick, wirey antennae touched the coral and may have played a role in mating or social behavior.
Some photos depict animals outside their natural habitats, such as this bat orphaned by its owner
Douglas Gimesy/Wildlife Photographer Award
The grey-headed flying-fox pup was only three weeks old when she was found on the ground in Melbourne.
Caretakers gave her special formula and placed her on a "mumma" roll, which mimics a mother bat. She can wrap her legs around the roll and use it to wrap her wings. They even gave her a dummy for her to chew on. Douglas Gimesy, a photographer, captured her portrait.
After a few months, an orphan can be weaned to fruit and flowering Eucalyptus and then released into a nearby wild bat colony.
Grey-headed flying-foxes are found only in eastern Australia. Their numbers are declining due to extreme heat, deforestation and human infrastructure such as power lines and barbedwire, where they are often caught.
The Apollo butterfly is also at risk from climate change
Emelin Dupieux/Wildlife Photographer Award
Emelin Dupieux spent a summer vacation at the Haut-Jura Regional Natural Park near the border of France & Switzerland. He enjoyed the mountain meadows bursting with butterflies and flowers. Emelin Dupieux' favorite, the Apollo is one of Europe's most endangered species, as its mountain habitats are becoming warmer due to climate change.
The black-and-white butterfly has wings up to 3.5 inches. However, it was not difficult to capture the oxeye daisies it perches on and sway in the wind. Dupieux took this tranquil photo, "Apollo landing", after fiddling with the settings and focus of his camera.
