The Most Spectacular Pictures Of The Natural World

(Source: BBC)

An adorable dugong surrounded by curious snorkellers, a crocodile battling with a green turtle and rain-soaked bedraggled lions in the Serengeti – these are just some of the stunning images released from this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year. As the prestigious competition comes to a close – having attracted almost 43,000 entries from 96 countries – 100 of the best pictures are set to go display at the Natural History Museum in London.
 

This family portrait earned Diana Rebman a commendation in The Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Species category. This is only the fifth set of twins to be reported in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
 

Douglas Seifert was recognised for his photograph of tourists crowding around a dugong in the bay of Marsa Alam, Egypt. The animals are facing increasing pressure as their habitat is destroyed by urbanisation on the coast.
 

These bedraggled lions are among the images released as a preview of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards owned by the Natural History Museum, London and BBC Worldwide. Michael Nichols was commended for his shot, taken in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.
 

Lukasz Bozycki sat in icy cold water to capture this portrait of a toad in Warsaw, Poland. He waited for the amphibians to get used to his presence before finally taking this shot at sunset.
 
Valter Bernardeschi's action shot taken in the Russian Far East also earned recognition. The brown bear has caught a female sockeye salmon, the force of the catch spilling the fish's bright roe.
 
Alejandro Prieto was commended for capturing this scene of cold-blooded behaviour: a crocodile eating a green turtle in Corcovado National Park, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
 
Solvin Zankl earned a commendation in the Underwater Worlds category for his photograph titled Pearls of Spring. It shows toads swimming among freshly laid eggs in a pond in Solling, western Germany.
 
Marcos Sobral's skill was recognised in his photo showing rhesus macaques living on the rooftops of Varanasi in northern India, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities.
 
Agorastos Papatsanis captured a fairytale feel in this scene of parasol mushrooms growing in Greece. The best images of the competition, which attracted nearly 43,000 entries from 96 countries, will be exhibited at the Natural History Museum, London in October when an overall winner will be announced.
 
Etienne Francey was recognised in the 15-17 years category for his photograph of a harvest mouse nibbling wheat taken near his village in Switzerland in late July. He described it as a "brief but extraordinary" meeting.


More Interesting Pictures
 

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: