Natural World & Wildlife | World Photography Organisation

Samuel Round

Untitled

A deer photographed at Charlecote in Warwickshire, United Kingdom.

Daichi Shimada

Are you Good Friends?

The stream brown frog is endemic to Japan, where it lives in the mountains until November, when it enters local rivers to hibernate and find a mate. In their eagerness to mate, ‘bachelor’ males will cling to anything drifting downstream, including unsuspecting yamame trout.

Wouter van Hofwegen

At the Edge

A polar bear stands at the edge of the frozen sea, a symbol of resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Stan Bouman

Waving Squirrel

It took the photographer more than 40 hours and 4000 exposures to get this photograph, but that patience was rewarded.

Scott Portelli

Layers

Weddell seals thrive in one of the planet’s harshest environments. These large mammals, distributed throughout Antarctica, have a thick layer of fur and blubber that act both as a food reserve and insulation. They haul out on the ice floe to rest for periods of time before hunting in the icy depths of Antarctica.

Tim Munsey

Untitled

A griffon vulture comes into conflict with a golden jackal in the mountains of Bulgaria.

Kevin Shi

Power Bite

Chile’s Torres Del Paine is famous for its stunning landscapes, but it’s also home to a fierce predator: the puma. These majestic creatures feed primarily on guanacos, although the hunting success rate is not very high, especially for female pumas. The photographer followed this female and her two cubs for several days, before witnessing her hunting.

Vishal Naveen

Horner Night Trail

The photographer waited patiently until this African buffalo was reflected in the dark water, the intense backlight transforming it into a glowing silhouette and highlighting the curve of its horns. The slow shutter speed also captured a bat fluttering across the scene, its flight appearing as a ghostly ribbon-like pattern.

Huajin Sun

Crowning of the King

At dawn, the newly victorious ‘milu king’ stands tall among a resting herd of does, roaring triumphantly. Behind him, the rising sun highlights his majestic silhouette — crowning his untamed power and glory.

Chung Cheong Wong

The Eye: Window to the Soul

Blakiston’s fish owl is a nocturnal bird of prey that relies on its keen hearing and sight for hunting. This carefully timed photograph captures one of the owl’s eyes, revealed through its flight feathers.

Giacomo Marchione

Green Eyes

A small green-eyed goby camouflages itself on a coral with numerous fluorescent green protrusions. It creates a pattern of tiny green lights, like many small glowing eyes.

Juan Jacobo Castillo Barrera

Atelopus seminiferus

The Upper Amazon Stubfoot Toad is one of the world’s most impressive amphibians. Having travelled thousands of kilometres and walked for several hours, the photographer encountered this male toad trying to attract a female in with his song, in San Martin, Peru.

Lisa Skelton

Rockpool Sanctuary

Young elephant seal pups or 'weaners' gather around natural rock pools on the Falkland Islands, using the protected waters to practise swimming and diving until they are ready to venture out to sea.

Elizabeth Yicheng Shen

Mischief at Her Side

Not long after the kittens’ morning play, the mother Pallas’s cat returned with a rodent. The first youngster to reach her claimed the prize, while the slower siblings lingered nearby. Whenever the mother paused to rest, their mischief shifted toward her instead. In this frame, the youngster’s bright, mischievous eyes reveal a personality beginning to emerge.

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