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© Leana Kuster / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Pink Pose. Highly Commended, 15–17 Years. Leana Kuster 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 mollusks and crustaceans.
© Emmanuel Tardy / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
No Place Like Home. Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife. Emmanuel Tardy spotted 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. Location: El Tanque, San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
© Ralph Pace / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Jelly Smack Summer. Highly Commended, Underwater. Ralph Pace found 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. Location: Monterey Bay, California.
© Amit Eshel / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Inside the Pack. Highly Commended, Animal Portraits. Amit Eshel got eye level with an inquisitive pack of Arctic wolves. In temperatures of –31 degrees Fahrenheit (–35 Celsius), Amit struggled to fulfill his dream of photographing the elusive Arctic wolves of Ellesmere Island. But then, on the 12th day of his second trip, they came closer than he had ever imagined, so close that he could smell their breath.
© Lakshitha Karunarathna / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Toxic Tip. Highly Commended, Photojournalism. Lakshitha Karunarathna reveals a solitary Asian elephant navigating a waste-disposal site in Sri Lanka. For more than 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.
© Marina Cano / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Deadly Lessons. Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals. Marina Cano stumbled upon a group of cheetahs after they’d 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.
© Parham Pourahmad / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A Tale of Two Coyotes. Highly Commended, 11–14 Years. Parham Pourahmad used 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 hours across the rocky hillside, quickly framing his image before the male turned to nuzzle the female. Location: Bernal Heights Park, California.
© Kutub Uddin / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Slime Family Portrait. Highly Commended, Natural Artistry. Kutub Uddin spotted a line of alien-like slime molds on a fallen tree. Kutub found these blueberry-like spheres—the reproductive parts of a slime mold—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.
© Kesshav Vikram / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Essence of Kamchatka. Highly Commended, 11–14 Years. Kesshav Vikram expressed 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 Ilyinsky volcano emerged from the clouds. A slaty-backed gull flew past, aligned with the volcano’s summit.
© Gabriella Comi / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Wake-up Call. Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals. Gabriella Comi witnessed 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 toward two sleeping lions. Within seconds, the eldest of the pair was facing down the venomous intruder. Location: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.
© Bertie Gregory / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Ice Edge Journey. Highly Commended, Animals in their Environment. Bertie Gregory freeze-framed the moment that 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 49-foot (15-meter) leap into the water. Location: Ekström Ice Shelf, Atka Bay, Antarctica
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London. Captions are provided by the photographers and WPY organizers, and are lightly edited for style.
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