Get a sneak peek at this winter's photo exhibition

Below, we offer you a sneak peek at the amazing photos that will be displayed at the Natural History Museum Denmark from November 22, 2024. The images are from the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which annually selects the world's best nature photographs.

Ian Ford (UK) documents the moment a jaguar delivers a fatal bite to a caiman in the Pantanal

A call over the radio alerted Ian that a jaguar had been spotted prowling the banks of a São Lourenço River tributary. Kneeling in the boat, he was perfectly placed when the cat delivered the skull-crushing bite to the unsuspecting yacare caiman.

The South American Pantanal wetland supports the highest density of jaguars anywhere in the world. With prey being so abundant, there is no need to compete for food, and the usually solitary big cats have been seen fishing, travelling and playing together.

Photo
Deadly Bite
Highly Commended
Behaviour: Mammals
Location
Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil
Technical details
Sony α1 + 400mm f2.8 lens; 1/800 at f4 (-1 e/v); ISO 400
Follow
@ianhford
Image
Ian Ford (Storbritannien) dokumenterer øjeblikket, da en jaguar bider en kaiman ihjel i Pantanal.
Ian Ford © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Georgina Steytler (Australia) observes a ball of male Dawson’s burrowing bees vying for access to a female

Georgina has been studying these bees for a few years and knew she had to keep her distance. Lying on the hot, rocky, sun-baked ground with sand blowing in her face, her long lens enabled her to get the perfect image.

When female Dawson’s burrowing bees emerge in spring, they are surrounded by males competing to mate with them. After mating, the female bee will dig a new burrow filled with pollen and eggs, from which the hatched bees will emerge in spring.

Photo
Centre of Attention
Highly Commended
Behaviour: Invertebrates
Location
Near Carnarvon, Western Australia, Australia
Technical details
Nikon Z 8 + 800mm f6.3 lens + 1.4x teleconverter; 1/5000 at f11; ISO 640
Follow
@georgina_steytler
Image
Georgina har studeret bierne i flere år og vidste, hun skulle holde sig på afstand. Hun lå på den bagende varme, stenede og solbeskinnede jord, imens sandet piskede ind i hendes ansigt, men det lange objektiv gjorde det muligt at få det perfekte billede.  Når Dawsons gravebi-hunnerne kommer frem om foråret, bliver de omringet af hanner,  der konkurrerer om deres gunst. Efter parringen graver hunnen en ny hule fyldt med pollen  og æg, som nye bier forlader foråret efter.
Georgina Steytler © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Jason Gulley (USA) gazes through clear water at a manatee and a calf adrift among the eelgrass

Jason has photographed many manatee mother-and-calf pairs. The expression on this calf’s face and the bubbles trailing from its flippers, combined with the hopeful backstory, have made it one of Jason’s favourite images.

Here in the Crystal River, an algal bloom caused by agricultural runoff led to a decline in the eelgrass beds that the manatees eat. The local community acted, restoring the habitat and improving water quality, resulting in more manatees than ever being recorded in the winter of 2022/2023.

Photo
As Clear as Crystal
Highly Commended
Under Water
Location
Hunter Springs, Crystal River, Florida, USA
Technical details
Nikon Z 6 + 14–30mm f4 lens; 1/50 at f4; ISO 1000; Nauticam housing + WACP-2 wide-angle conversion port
Follow
@jason_gulley_science
Image
Jason Gulley (USA) portrætterer en vestatlantisk manat og dens kalv, der svømmer rundt på en bund af ålegræs
Jason Gulley © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Jose Manuel Grandío (Spain) braves below-zero temperatures to witness a stoat jumping high into the air above the snow

Winter is Jose’s favourite season for photography. When he spotted this stoat jumping mid-air on the last day of his trip, he saw this performance as an ‘expression of exuberance’ as the small mammal hurled itself about in a fresh fall of snow.

Scientists refer to this behaviour as dancing, although opinions are divided about what motivates it, from an attempt to confuse prey through to a parasitic infection. Stoats are usually active at night and prey on small mammals and birds.

Photo
Twist and Jump
Highly Commended
Behaviour: Mammals
Location
Athose, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
Technical details
Nikon D500 + 500mm f4 lens; 1/6000 at f4; ISO 800
Follow
@jm_grandio
Image
Jose Manuel Grandío (Spanien) trodser kulden for at fange en hermelin i flugten højt over sneen.
Jose Manuel Grandío © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Lam Soon Tak (Malaysia) spots a vibrantly coloured David Bowie spider carrying an egg sac

Lam was exploring the highlands of Malaysia when he came across this spider. Perched on broken branches beside a river, the bright white disc of eggs in the spider’s jaws and its orange body stood out against the lush green moss.

Found in Malaysia, Singapore and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, this spider was named in 2008 by arachnologist and Bowie fan Dr Peter Jäger. He thought the striking markings up to the spider’s head region resembled the make-up worn by the singer during the 1970s.

Photo
Ziggy Spider
Highly Commended
Behaviour: Invertebrates
Location
Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia
Technical details
Nikon Z 8 + 105mm f2.8 lens; 1/125 at f20; ISO 250; multiple flashes + DIY diffusers
Follow
@nobita_lam
Image
Lam Soon Tak (Malaysia) ser en farvestrålende kæmpekrabbeedderkop med ægsæk
Lam Soon Tak © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Randy Robbins (USA) is struck by the unusual beauty of the frosted form of this deer on the forest floor

On an early winter’s morning, Randy was checking the trail cameras near his home when he found the body of this deer. He photographed this poignant moment using his smartphone before the ice could melt.

You don’t have to travel far to find interesting stories – they can be right on your doorstep. Feel inspired? Smartphone images can be entered into every category of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Photo
The Last Resting Place
Highly Commended
Natural Artistry
Location
Near Susanville, California, USA
Technical details
Apple iPhone XR; 4.25mm built-in lens; 1/121 at f1.8
Follow
@randyrobbinsphotography
Image
Randy Robbins (USA) betages af det usædvanligt smukke syn af en rimfrostpudret hjort i skovbunden.
Randy Robbins © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Samual Stone (UK) watches as a jackdaw brings stones to its nest

Samual had been keeping an eye on the hole in the trunk of a half-fallen willow tree in London’s Bushy Park – he’d seen a pair of jackdaws visiting with their beaks full of hair taken from the coats of local deer.

Jackdaws are highly intelligent and adaptable. They build new nests each year, from all sorts of materials: twigs, branches, feathers, wool, moss, mud and animal dung. This pair kept adding rocks to theirs.

Photo
Precious Rocks
Highly Commended
Behaviour: Birds
Location
Bushy Park, London, England, UK
Technical details
Nikon D5500 + Sigma 150–600mm f5-6.3 lens; 1/500 at f6.3; ISO 800
Follow
@samualcstone_photo
Image
Samual Stone (Storbritannien) ser en allike samle sten til sin rede.
Samual Stone © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Sasha Jumanca (Germany/Romania) finds two tawny owlets curiously watching people walking by

Sasha had been watching these tawny owlets for several days in a park near his home. He had seen tawny owls in the neighbourhood before but was surprised to discover these so close to the heart of the city.

Owlets leave the nest before they can fly, in a phase known as ‘branching’. They will jump, flutter and climb around branches of nearby trees for several weeks while begging for food from their parents, before they eventually fledge and fly away.

Photo
Leaving the Nest
Highly Commended
Young Photographers: 10 Years and Under
Location
Maximiliansanlagen, Munich, Germany
Technical details
Nikon D7200 + 200–500mm f5.6 lens at 270mm; 1/500 at f6.3; ISO 2200
Image
Sasha Jumanca (Tyskland/Rumænien) har fundet to natugle-unger, der nysgerrigt betragter de forbipasserende.
Sasha Jumanca © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Shreyovi Mehta (India) finds two Indian peafowl ‘looking perfect for a picture’

Shreyovi was walking in the forest with her parents when she spotted this scene. She ran back to her dad, who was carrying the cameras, then got down on the ground to take her photograph from a low angle.

Renowned for its birdlife, Keoladeo attracts large numbers of water birds in winter. Peafowl are year-round residents that roost in large trees. They rest in the shade during the day and are more active in open areas at dawn and dusk.

Photo
In the Spotlight
Runner-Up
Young Photographers: 10 Years and Under
Location
Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, India
Technical details
Canon EOS R5 + 100–500mm f4.5–7.1 lens; 1/800 at f10; ISO 1600
Follow
@shreyovi_mehta
Image
Shreyovi Mehta (Indien) har fundet to påfugle, der udgør ’det perfekte foto’.
Shreyovi Mehta © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Tamara Stubbs (UK) spots these crabeater seals taking a nap among the sea ice

In a standout moment on her nine-week expedition for Atlantic Productions in the Weddell Sea, Tamara noticed that seals had fallen asleep alongside the ship, with the tips of their nostrils at the water’s surface. These two had bobbed up so they could take a deeper breath.

There are around four million crabeater seals in the Antarctic. Although they are not considered endangered or under threat, the seals are protected by international conservation agreements. More research is needed to understand the impact of climate change and tourism on their populations.

Photo
Going with the Floe
Highly Commended
Animals in their Environment
Location
Weddell Sea, Antarctica
Technical details
Sony α7R II + Canon 24–70mm f2.8 lens at 70mm; 1/320 at f7.1; ISO 100; polarising filter
Follow
@tamara_stubbs
Image
Tamara Stubbs (Storbritannien) fotograferer krillsæler, der tager en lur i havisen.
Tamara Stubbs © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Theo Bosboom (The Netherlands) shows how mussels bind together to avoid being washed away from the shoreline

Theo likes to take images of species that aren’t usually considered beautiful or important, to highlight their unappreciated significance. He took this image from above with a probe lens – a long, thin, macro wide-angle lens.

Mussels play an important role in creating dynamic ecosystems for other marine invertebrates such as crustaceans, worms and even small fish. They improve the water quality by filter-feeding, extracting plankton as well as bacteria and toxins, which prevents them from building up to dangerous levels.

Photo
Strength in Numbers
Highly Commended
Animals in their Environment
Location
Praia da Ursa, Sintra, Portugal
Technical details
Canon EOS R5 + Laowa 24mm Periprobe lens; 0.6 sec at f32; ISO 200; focus stack of 9 images
Follow
@theobosboom
Image
Theo Bosboom (Holland) viser, hvordan blåmuslinger holder sammen for at undgå at blive skyllet i havet.
Theo Bosboom © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Thomas Vijayan (Canada) utilises his drone to show the epic scale of the Bråsvellbreen glacier

Encapsulating the magnificence of the Austfonna ice cap required meticulous planning and favourable weather conditions. Thomas’s image, a stitched panorama of 26 individual frames, provides a spectacular summer view of meltwater plunging over the edge of the Bråsvellbreen glacier.

The Bråsvellbreen glacier is part of Austfonna, Europe’s third largest ice cap. This dome of ice is one of several that covers the land area of the Svalbard archipelago. Some scientific models suggest that Svalbard’s glaciers could disappear completely within 400 years due to climate change.

Photo
The Disappearing Ice Cap
Highly Commended
Oceans: The Bigger Picture
Location
Svalbard, Norway
Technical details
DJI Mavic Mini 2 + 24mm f2.8 lens; 26 individual exposures
Image
Thomas Vijayan (Canada) bruger sin drone til at vise Bråsvellbræens mægtige omfang
Thomas Vijayan © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Tommy Trenchard (South Africa) documents the bycatch of a requiem shark, its body arched in a final act of resistance

Tommy was travelling on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise. The ship’s research expedition aimed to document the bycatch or accidental capture of sharks by fishing boats targeting tuna and swordfish, and to highlight the lack of effective regulation of industrial-scale fishing in international waters.

Approximately 80 million sharks are taken from the world’s oceans every year. Because of fishing, numbers of sharks worldwide have dropped since 1970. Three quarters of all shark species are now at risk of extinction.

Photo
Hooked
Highly Commended
Oceans: The Bigger Picture
Location
International waters, South Atlantic Ocean
Technical details
Fujifilm X-T2 + 50–230mm f4.5–6.7 lens; 1/550 at f5.2; ISO 500
Follow
@tommy.trenchard
Image
Tommy Trenchard (Sydafrika) dokumenterer en blinkhindehaj, som kæmper for livet
Tommy Trenchard © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

William Fortescue (UK) uses a backdrop of storm clouds lit by the setting sun to show mating lions

It was the rainy season when William visited the Serengeti National Park. He watched the lions mate several times before the female broke it off. It wasn’t until William viewed an enlarged image that he noticed the saliva trails and the explosion of insects from the male’s mane.

Lions can mate throughout the year, but synchronising the births of cubs increases the reproductive success of a pride. Female pride members display cooperative behaviours, including raising cubs together to ensure their survival into adulthood.

Photo
Stormy Scene
Highly Commended
Behaviour: Mammals
Location
Namiri Plains, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Technical details
Nikon Z 9 + 70–200mm f2.8 lens; 1/1000 at f5; ISO 320
Follow
@willfortescue
Image
William Fortescue (Storbritannien) fotograferer løver i parringsleg mod en baggrund af stormskyer oplyst af den nedgående sol
William Fortescue © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Xingchao Zhu (China) comes face to face with a Pallas’s cat as the moon sets

Xingchao tracked a group of Pallas’s cats on the freezing plateau of Inner Mongolia for several days during the Chinese New Year in February 2023. Shortly before dawn, Xingchao managed to make eye contact with this cat, just as it had caught a small bird.

The thick winter coats of Pallas’s cats help them survive at altitudes up to 5,000 metres (16,400 feet). They avoid larger predators by stealth, and it’s thought that their low, rounded ears allow them to peer over obstacles while remaining hidden.

Photo
Moonlight Hunter
Highly Commended
Behaviour: Mammals
Technical details
Nikon Z 9 + 800mm f6.3 lens; 1/160 at f6.3; ISO 1400
Location
Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia, China
Image
Xingchao Zhu (Kina) står ansigt til ansigt med en manul i det svage månelys
Xingchao Zhu © / Wildlife Photographer of the Year