Franco Banfi / Pod of Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) Dominica, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean. Vulnerable species.

Franco Banfi / Mother with young calf Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Dominica, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean.

Franco Banfi / Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) with mouth open, Dominica, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean. Vulnerable species.

Sam Hobson / Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) vixen in front of Clifton Suspension Bridge at night. Avon Gorge, Bristol, UK. March 2016.

Markus Varesvuo / Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) swallowing perch prey, Hungary, January

Markus Varesvuo / Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) with caught fish in beak, Hungary January

Tony Wu / Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) female with a single young cub, only a few months old, northern Svalbard, Norway, June

Markus Varesvuo / Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) juvenile flying, Norway November

Markus Varesvuo / Great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) close up of face, Kuusamo, Finland, March

Markus Varesvuo / Great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) head portrait, Kuusamo, Finland, March

Markus Varesvuo / Great white egret (Egretta alba) head portrait, Hungary January

Markus Varesvuo / Hawk owl (Surnia ulula) takingn off from powder snow, possibly with prey in talons, Kuusamo Finland February

Markus Varesvuo / Hoopoe (Upupa epops) male giving mating gift to female, Hungary May

Markus Varesvuo / Japanese / Red-crowned crane (Grus japonicus) two calling and dancing, part of bonding and courtship display, Hokkaido Japan February

Markus Varesvuo / Japanese / Red-crowned crane (Grus japonicus) two calling, part of bonding and courtship display, Hokkaido Japan February

Markus Varesvuo / Snowy owl (Bubo scandiaca) female face close up, Canada February

Markus Varesvuo / Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) fighting over food with White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) Hokkaido Japan February

Markus Varesvuo / Whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) three coming into land, Hokkaido, Japan, February

David Tipling / Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) adult swallowing leg bone along with hoof, Spanish Pyrenees, July. This bird swallowed five of these leg bones whole, they have the ability to dissolve the bone in...

David Tipling / Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) female asleep on beach, close up of head, St Andrews Bay, South Georgia January

David Tipling / Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) pair displaying at dusk in ritual bonding behaviour, Albatross Island in Bay of Isles, South Georgia January

David Tipling / King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) pair interacting, part of courtship, Gold Harbour South Georgia, January

Yashpal Rathore / Deccan ground gecko (Cyrtodactylus albofasciatus) , backlit on leaf. Amboli, Maharashtra, India. Endemic to Western Ghats.

Yashpal Rathore / Jayarami Bush frog (Raorchestes jayarami), inflating vocal sac, calling to attract mate, Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Endemic to Western Ghats.

Benjamin Barthelemy / Domestic cat kittens, age 3 weeks, playing in garden, France

Benjamin Barthelemy / Mute swan (Cygnus olor) cygnets on water, Lac de Saint Point, Franche Comte, France, May

Tony Wu / Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) with hatchlings in mout, one of only two known fish species whose babies return to the parents at night, Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Tony Wu / Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) wide angle view of large colony hauled up on a sandy beach area to rest, Svalbard, Norway, June

Tony Wu / Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) young animal swimming underwater, Svalbard, Norway, June

Tony Wu / Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) hanging out in shallow water in Svalbard,, Norway, June

Mark Carwardine / Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)~Aerial - with whale watching boat - Endangered Species~Skjalfandi Bay, northern Iceland

Mark Carwardine / Munk's mobula ray / devilray (Mobula munkiana) leaping out of the water, Sea of Cortez, Gulf of California, Baja California, Mexico, Pacific Ocean, April

Mark Carwardine / Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) close up portrait of pup with snotty nose resting in shallow water, Gold Harbour, South Georgia, November

John Abbott / Glorious scarab (Chrysina gloriosa) flying, Brewster County, Texas, USA. Controlled conditions. August

John Abbott / Paper wasp (Polistes metricus) flying from flower, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, USA Controlled conditions. September

Anup Shah / African elephant (Loxodonta africana) sensing with it's trunk - remote camera perspective. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

Claudio Contreras / American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) extreme close up with jaws open, Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, Caribbean region, Mexico

Claudio Contreras / Common spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) climbing Green iguana (Iguana iguana), Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, Caribbean region, Mexico

Claudio Contreras / American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) portrait over seagrass bed in shallow ater, Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, Caribbean region, Mexico, May.

Claudio Contreras / American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) rear view of animal swimming away over seagrass bed, Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, Caribbean region, Mexico

Solvin Zankl / Juvenile deep-sea pelagic snail (Limacina helicoides) captive specimen from off the coast of Cape Verde

Tony Heald / Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) female head portrait, Bandhavgarh National Park India.

David Pattyn / Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) male in deep snow on a ridge during heavy snowfall, Gran Paradiso National Park, the Alps, Italy. January Highly commended in the Portfolio category of the Terre Sauvage Natur...

David Pattyn / Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra) in winter landscape with snow covered trees, Valsavarenche, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. January

Franco Banfi / Bighead sculpin (Batrachocottus baicalensis), Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia.