First Look: 15 Stunning Wildlife Shots

19 Sep 2024, 11:14 by REDIFF NEWS · Rediff

Calling all wildlife lovers! These breathtaking entries from countries around the world convey the utter splendour of a world where humans are not the focus.

The 60th annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will return to the Natural History Museum, London, in the second week of October, with 100 gorgeous images of animals in the wild.

Nine-year-old Shreyovi Mehta, from Faridabad, India, was named a runner-up in the prestigious competition.

Shreyovi's winning entry, titled In the Spotlight, is of two peafowls silhouetted against a hazy, dreamy canopy of trees at Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

Her photograph was chosen from among 60,000 entries sent in participants of all ages from 117 countries and territories.

If you can't get to London, go ahead and sneak a peek at a few of these extraordinary entries and prepare to be amazed by the beauty and diversity of our planet.

In the Spotlight
Shreyovi Mehta

'Surrounded by a tunnel of vegetation, two peahens are silhouetted against a peachy dawn sky in Keoladeo National Park, India.

'It was this perfect moment that inspired Shreyovi to crouch down low on the ground to snap this dream-like image of these iconic Indian birds.'

Photograph: © Shreyovi Mehta/Natural History Museum.

Twist and Jump
Jose Manuel Grandío

'When Jose spotted this stoat jumping mid-air on the last day of his trip, he saw this performance as an "expression of exuberance", although an alternative explanation may be a parasitic infection.'

Photograph: © Jose Manuel/Natural History Museum.

Strength in Numbers
Theo Bosboom

'Reminded of a marching army carrying shields, Theo took this image with a wide-angle lens to highlight the huge ecological role that mussels play in their marine environment.

'On the Atlantic coast of Portugal, these mussels form massive beds held together by byssal threads.

'Not merely a static mass, mats of mussels are considered ecosystem engineers as they filter the seawater and provide homes for countless other marine species.'

Photograph: © Theo Bosboom

Hooked
Tommy Trenchard

'While onboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, Tommy captured the final thrashes of a requiem shark as it was pulled out of the ocean.

'The picture is part of a project to document the bycatch by fishing boats that are targeting tuna and swordfish for human consumption.

'The goal is to highlight the lack of effective regulation of industrial-scale fishing in international waters.'

Photograph: ©Tommy Trenchard

Stormy Scene
William Fortescue

'With a backdrop of swirling storm clouds, William caught a fraught moment between two lions as they were mating.

'Sex between lions can be something of a frenetic affair, typically taking place multiple times over several days.

'In this case, the female had had enough and broke things off with an overeager male.'

Photograph: © William Fortescue

The Disappearing Ice Cap
Thomas Vijayan

'Capturing the epic scale of the Austfonna ice cap in Norway was a challenge for Thomas.

'He managed this by stitching together 26 frames taken from a drone to create this incredible panorama of the summer meltwater plunging over the edge of the Bråsvellbreen glacier.

'This is the third largest ice cap in the world, but as Thomas found out on this visit, the onset of its annual melting occurred much earlier than usual because of the unfolding climate crisis.'

Photograph: ©Thomas Vijayan

Leaving the Nest
Sasha Jumanca

'Two fuzzy tawny owls nuzzle each other on a branch in Munich.

'The couple were photographed by Sasha in Maximiliansanlagen Park in the centre of the city.

'He had seen owls in the neighbourhood before but was surprised to find them in such an urban setting.

'Sasha watched the owls for a few days, capturing one last cuddle before the fledglings went their own ways.'

Photograph: ©Sasha Jumanca

Ziggy Spider
Lam Soon Tak

'Named as an homage to Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Bowie's 70s alter ego and band, the David Bowie spider is found in the tropical rainforests of Malaysia.

'Spotting this individual guarding a white disc of eggs, Lam managed to snap this beautiful picture of the spider as it clung to a branch on the side of a river.'

Photograph: ©Lam Soon Tak

The Last Resting Place
Randy Robbins

'Over the past few years, Randy had been watching and photographing this mule deer doe as it raised fawns on his property in California.

'Then, while hiking one day in December, he came across its body in the frost and snow.

'With nothing more than the camera on his phone, Randy snapped this photo as a reminder of the fragility of life and the "grand design of it all"'

Photograph: ©Randy Robbins

Precious Rocks
Samual Stone

'After noticing a pair of jackdaws nesting in a hole in the trunk of a willow tree in London's Bushy Park, Samual started to watch what they were bringing back to the nest.

'At first this was beaks full of hair taken from the park's resident deer, but as highly adaptable and intelligent birds, jackdaws will use a whole range of building materials.

'Samual noticed that this included something rather unusual: clumps of dirt and rocks, which they carried in their beaks in size order.'

Photograph: ©Samual Stone

Moonlight Hunter
Xingchao Zhu

'High up on the Mongolian Plateau, in the light of the moon, a Pallas's cat had just caught its prey.

'Xingchao had tracked a group of the cats to this spot and braved the freezing nighttime conditions to be there just as this one had caught an unfortunate Mongolian lark shortly before dawn.'

Centre of Attention
Georgina Steytler

'These bees are battling it out for a mate.

'Every year, solitary female Dawon's burrowing bees emerge from nests in the hot, rocky ground.

'Already waiting are patrolling males that swarm the female in a bid to mate with it.

'Georgina has been studying these bees for a few years, and by using a long lens she managed to capture this extraordinary moment in exquisite detail.'

Going with the Floe
Tamara Stubbs

'Crabeater seals are the most numerous marine mammals in the world, with around seven million of them thought to live in the chilly waters that surround Antarctica.

'While on a nine-month expedition to the southern continent, Tamara noticed hundreds of the seals following the boat and eventually falling asleep among the ice floes, allowing her to snap this extraordinary picture.'

Deadly Bite
Ian Ford

'The Pantanal, (a tropical wetland) in Brazil supports the highest density of jaguars anywhere in the world. So there was no better place for Ian to be when a call over the radio alerted him to one prowling the banks of a river.

'Crouching down in the boat, he got in the perfect position to capture the moment a jaguar delivered a skull-crushing bite to a yacare caiman.'

As Clear as Crystal
Jason Gulley

'Decades of pollution put the future of the Florida manatee at risk. But after community organisations and biologists came together to clean up the Crystal river and restore its eelgrass meadows, the marine mammals have rebounded.

'This playful moment between a mother and its calf, with the amusing expression and trail of bubbles, made it one of Jason's favourites.'

Opening on Friday, October 11th, at the East Pavilion Gallery in South Kensington (external link), London, this year's exhibition promises to take you on a visual journey through diverse ecosystems and introduce you to the fascinating creatures that inhabit them.

Photographs curated by Rajesh Karkera/ Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com