David Tipling / Person in purple coat photographing Emperor Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) at the Dawson-Lambton Glacier, Weddell Sea, Antarctica. No release available.

David Pattyn / Dalmatian pelicans (Pelecanus crispus) group on water in mist, Lake Kerkini, Greece, February

Alex Hyde / Colonies of King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) and Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) on beach. Digitally stitched panormaic image. Gold Harbour, South Georgia. November.

Juergen Freund / Banaue ancient rice terraces, Ifugao, Philippines, July 2008, composite panoramic image.

Jen Guyton / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) barely alive, with Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) quills through his abdomen. Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Gerrit Vyn / Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) on tundra. North Slope, Alaska, USA. September.

Roland Seitre / Baby Rothschild's Porcupine (Coendou rothschildi) on the palm of conservation volunteer. La Marinas Wildlife Rescue Centre, Costa Rica, 2008.

Roland Seitre / Baby Rothschild's Porcupine (Coendou rothschildi) being bottle-fed. La Marinas Wildlife Rescue Centre, Costa Rica, 2008.

Alex Mustard / Spotted porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix) swimming in open water above a coral reef, West Bay, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies, Caribbean Sea.

Tim Fitzharris / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) eating an apple, North America

Konrad Wothe / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), North America

Peter Blackwell / Back view of Crested porcupine {Hystrix cristata} walking away, Central Kenya

Tim Fitzharris / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) portrait, Montana

Gerry Ellis / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) climbing tree, North America

Tim Fitzharris / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) feeding on fruit, Montana

Matthias Breiter / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) in willow tree near the Denali highway, Alaska