"Wildlife Photographer of the Year" These are the best wildlife images of the year
Ants cut a beetle into bite-sized pieces and a lynx stretches: the best nature photos were honored in the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" competition.
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- The winners of the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024" competition have been announced.
- With the picture "The Swarm of Life", photojournalist Shane Gross secures the title of "Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024".
- The second main winner was Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas from Germany, who is 17 years old.
This year's winners of the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" competition, organized by the Natural History Museum in London, have been announced. Take a look at a selection of the pictures here:
"The Swarm of Life": Shane Gross wins the main title of the competition with this image. Gross captured the image in Cedar Lake in Canada. Gross snorkeled in the lake for several hours - so that the fine layer on the lake bed was not stirred up and visibility was not impaired. "The jury was fascinated by the mixture of light, energy and the connection between the environment and the tadpoles," explains Kathy Moran, photo editor and chair of the jury for the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year".
Image: Shane Gross / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Life Under Dead Wood": The second main winner was Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas from Germany, as "Young Wildlife Photographer". The category honors 15 to 17-year-old photographers. His photo demonstrates his skill, as the threadfin shrew shown here moves quickly and can jump the length of its body in a second. Tinker-Tsavalas used the focus stacking technique to capture it. This involves combining several images with a different focus.
Image: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"A Tranquil Moment": Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod was resting in Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka, having already photographed birds and leopards that morning. Then, according to the press release, he realized that he was not alone. A group of toque macaques were moving through the trees. He also spotted the young monkey sleeping peacefully in the arms of an adult.
Image: Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Frontier of the Lynx": Igor Metelskiy waited six months for the perfect photo. The location is in Primorsky, Russia, and is remote. It was not easy to get there with the equipment, according to a press release. In the end, Metelskiy positioned a camera trap near footprints in the snow - and was lucky.
Image: Igor Metelskiy / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Practice Makes Perfect": On the day the picture was taken, it was particularly challenging - because the birds were traveling so fast. But it worked out: Jack Zhi got a young falcon hunting a butterfly in front of his lens.
Image: Jack Zhi / Wildlife Photographer of The Year
"Wetland Wrestle": Karine Aigner recognized the skin of the yellow anaconda wrapped around a caiman. As anacondas grow, they also include reptiles in their diet, making it difficult to tell who the attacker is.
Image: Karine Aigner / Wildlife Photographer of The Year
"Under the Waterline": Curious, the leopard seal glides along under the Antarctic ice. In order to take the picture, photographer Matthew Smith used a specially made extension for the underwater housing of his camera. The young animal came close several times during the photo session.
Image: Matthew Smith / Wildlife Photographer of The Year
"The Demolition Squad": Photographer Ingo Arndt observed how a red wood ant cuts a dead beetle into pieces so that they fit into the entrance of its nest. He took the picture in Hesse.
Image: Ingo Arndt / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Rubies and Gold": glowing fish eggs. Sage Ono was inspired to take the picture by his grandfather. He was a retired marine biologist, according to a press release. Ono himself then decided to devote himself to underwater photography. He took the picture in California.
Image: Sage Ono / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"On Guard": The picture shows a lynx and its two adult cubs resting after a hunt. John had been following the family for almost a week, wearing snowshoes and carrying light camera equipment.
Image: John Marriott / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Old Man of the Glen": Fortuna Gatto often visits the ancient pine forests in Glen Affric, Scotland, according to a press release. For this photo, he photographed an old birch tree covered in lichen.
Image: Fortunato Gatto / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Among the trees": Thomas Peschak documents the relationship between the endangered Amazon dolphins, also known as botos, and humans.
Image: Thomas Peschak / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"The Artful Crow": To create this painterly effect of a perched carrion crow in the park, Jiří deliberately moved his camera in different directions and used a slow shutter speed.
Image: Jiří Hřebíček / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"The Swarm of Life": Shane Gross wins the main title of the competition with this image. Gross captured the image in Cedar Lake in Canada. Gross snorkeled in the lake for several hours - so that the fine layer on the lake bed was not stirred up and visibility was not impaired. "The jury was fascinated by the mixture of light, energy and the connection between the environment and the tadpoles," explains Kathy Moran, photo editor and chair of the jury for the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year".
Image: Shane Gross / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Life Under Dead Wood": The second main winner was Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas from Germany, as "Young Wildlife Photographer". The category honors 15 to 17-year-old photographers. His photo demonstrates his skill, as the threadfin shrew shown here moves quickly and can jump the length of its body in a second. Tinker-Tsavalas used the focus stacking technique to capture it. This involves combining several images with a different focus.
Image: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"A Tranquil Moment": Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod was resting in Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka, having already photographed birds and leopards that morning. Then, according to the press release, he realized that he was not alone. A group of toque macaques were moving through the trees. He also spotted the young monkey sleeping peacefully in the arms of an adult.
Image: Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Frontier of the Lynx": Igor Metelskiy waited six months for the perfect photo. The location is in Primorsky, Russia, and is remote. It was not easy to get there with the equipment, according to a press release. In the end, Metelskiy positioned a camera trap near footprints in the snow - and was lucky.
Image: Igor Metelskiy / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Practice Makes Perfect": On the day the picture was taken, it was particularly challenging - because the birds were traveling so fast. But it worked out: Jack Zhi got a young falcon hunting a butterfly in front of his lens.
Image: Jack Zhi / Wildlife Photographer of The Year
"Wetland Wrestle": Karine Aigner recognized the skin of the yellow anaconda wrapped around a caiman. As anacondas grow, they also include reptiles in their diet, making it difficult to tell who the attacker is.
Image: Karine Aigner / Wildlife Photographer of The Year
"Under the Waterline": Curious, the leopard seal glides along under the Antarctic ice. In order to take the picture, photographer Matthew Smith used a specially made extension for the underwater housing of his camera. The young animal came close several times during the photo session.
Image: Matthew Smith / Wildlife Photographer of The Year
"The Demolition Squad": Photographer Ingo Arndt observed how a red wood ant cuts a dead beetle into pieces so that they fit into the entrance of its nest. He took the picture in Hesse.
Image: Ingo Arndt / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Rubies and Gold": glowing fish eggs. Sage Ono was inspired to take the picture by his grandfather. He was a retired marine biologist, according to a press release. Ono himself then decided to devote himself to underwater photography. He took the picture in California.
Image: Sage Ono / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"On Guard": The picture shows a lynx and its two adult cubs resting after a hunt. John had been following the family for almost a week, wearing snowshoes and carrying light camera equipment.
Image: John Marriott / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Old Man of the Glen": Fortuna Gatto often visits the ancient pine forests in Glen Affric, Scotland, according to a press release. For this photo, he photographed an old birch tree covered in lichen.
Image: Fortunato Gatto / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Among the trees": Thomas Peschak documents the relationship between the endangered Amazon dolphins, also known as botos, and humans.
Image: Thomas Peschak / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"The Artful Crow": To create this painterly effect of a perched carrion crow in the park, Jiří deliberately moved his camera in different directions and used a slow shutter speed.
Image: Jiří Hřebíček / Wildlife Photographer of the Year