Giri Cavale / Melanistic leopard / Black panther (Panthera pardus) on territorial patrol on track, Nagarahole National Park, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Karnataka, India.

Jack Dykinga / Sand verbena (Abronia) flowering in a dried up bush, Anza-Borrego State Park, California, USA, March 2017. These plants are flowering during on largest 'super-bloom in years' caused by increased winte...

John Cancalosi / Cross-Section of Utah Septarian Nodule, Utah. A type of geode, Utah Septarian Nodules are found about 15 miles east of Zion National park. They were formed in an ancient sea floor during the Cretaceou...

Alex Mustard / A fisherman swims down to touch the statue of Christ Of The Abyss (Cristo degli abissi) for good fortune, in the Marine Protected Area of Portofino (Area Marina Protetta, Portofino), Liguria, Italy. M...

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of island with steep limestone cliffs, birds' nests amongst the caves are highly protected or guarded for their commercial value in the Chinese market, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009.

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Pine marten (Martes martes) adult female portrait, standing, in caledonian forest, The Black Isle, Highlands, Scotland, UK, July. Photographer quote: "Sitting alone in my hide for hours on end, you be...

Terry Whittaker / 2020VISION / Pine marten (Martes martes) two 4-5 month kits running along branch of tree in caledonian forest, The Black Isle, Highlands, Scotland, UK, July. Photographer quote: 'Watching a family of young pine ma...

Alex Mustard / Portrait of Morgan's coral hermit crab (Paguritta morgani) looking out of its burrow in a hard coral colony. These hermit crabs are sedentary, remaining in their burrows, rather than carrying arou...

Yashpal Rathore / Barasingha (Rucervus duvauelii branderi) meaning 12 tine, a mature stag usually have 10 to 14 tines, they are recovered well from verge of extinction, Kanha National Park, India.

JIM CLARE / Nests of Guanay cormorants, (Phalacrocorax bougainvilliiorum) after breeding has finished, shows build-up of guano around the nest. The colonies are strictly protected and the guano will be harvested...

JIM CLARE / Nest of Guanay cormorants, (Phalacrocorax bougainvilliiorum), after breeding has finished, shows build-up of guano around the nest. The colonies are strictly protected and the guano will be harvested...

JIM CLARE / Nests of Guanay cormorants, (Phalacrocorax bougainvilliiorum), after breeding has finished, shows build-up of guano around the nest. The colonies are strictly protected and the guano will be harvested...

JIM CLARE / Nests of Guanay cormorants, (Phalacrocorax bougainvilliiorum), after breeding has finished, shows build-up of guano around the nest. The colonies are strictly protected and the guano will be harvested...

Magnus Lundgren / Wild Wonders of China / Green turtle, Chelonia mydas, also known as green sea turtle, is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. Green turtles are listed as endangered by the IUCN and CITES and is protected from exploi...

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Coffee shop with Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) on counter. Many civets are drugged to sleep quietly and not escape. Coffee beans are fed to civets, ferment in the gut, excreted and use...

Staffan Widstrand / African Wild Dog / Painted Dog, (Lycaon pictus) standing alert whilst other are rest, Zimanga Private Nature Reserve, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

John Shaw / Trona Pinnacles, tufa towers that are a USA National Natural Landmark, near Trona, California, USA, January.

Steven David Miller / An Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea) dangling upside down from a tree branch, Cania Gorge National Park, Queensland, Australia. Others from the group are on the ground. September.

Steven David Miller / An Agile wallaby (Macropus agilis) chewing on a seed pod washed up on the beach. The wallabies are drawn to the beach at dawn and dusk in search of mangrove seed pods washed ashore and plants growing...

Neil Aldridge / A sign on a fence of a game reserve bordering South Africa's Kruger National Park warns poachers that the horns of the reserve's rhinos have been treated and are unfit for human consumption. September...

David Pattyn / Group of snowshoe hikers passing snow covered mountain refuges in spring. These refuges are used in summer by herders to sleep while watching for their cattle, Gran Paradiso National Park, Aosta Valle...

Nick Hawkins / Fish sheltering below fish aggregating device. The rafts, which are illegal in many areas, are used in commercial fishery to attract larger species towards the sheltering fish. Cocos Island National P...

Erlend Haarberg / Wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in August. Antlers are covered in velvet. Forollhogna, Norway, August.

Erlend Haarberg / Wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in the rutting season. Antlers are fully developed and are not covered by velvet any more. Forollhogna, Norway. September.

Sandesh Kadur / Dead Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). During the monsoon floods the rhinoceroses move out from the flooded grasslands and the protection of Kaziranga National Park. Out of their protected are...

Alex Hyde / Tailless Whipscorpion (Heterophrynus elephas) hunting invertebrate prey at night on tree butress root. The raptorial pedipalps are extended, with which it grabs its prey much like a praying mantis. Ma...

Alex Hyde / Tailless whipscorpion (Heterophrynus elephas) hunting invertebrate prey at night on tree butress root. The raptorial pedipalps are extended, with which it grabs its prey much like a praying mantis. Ma...

Giri Cavale / Melanistic leopard / Black panther (Panthera pardus) on territorial patrol on track, Nagarahole National Park, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Karnataka, India.

Giri Cavale / Melanistic leopard / Black panther (Panthera pardus) male in tree, Nagarahole National Park, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Karnataka, India.

Giri Cavale / Leopard (Panthera pardus) male chasing away a melanistic leopard / black panther, Nagarahole National Park, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Karnataka, India.

Eladio Fernandez / View from one of the fortresses windows into the backyard where all the cannon and mortar balls are stored. La Citadelle, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Haiti, August 2016.

Francisco Marquez / Close up of branded mark on horse. Mares and foals are caught into corrals where each yeguero (owner of the mares) identifies their animals, separates the foals from their mothers, worm them, cut the...

Francisco Marquez / Branding irons heating in fire. Mares and foals are caught into corrals where each yeguero (owner of the mares) identifies their animals, separates the foals from their mothers, worm them, cut their...

Francisco Marquez / Man cutting foal's mane. During the round up of mares and foals are caught into corrals where each yeguero (owner of the mares) identifies their animals, separates the foals from their mothers, worm t...

Francisco Marquez / Man cutting foal's mane. During the round up of mares and foals are caught into corrals where each yeguero (owner of the mares) identifies their animals, separates the foals from their mothers, worm t...

Francisco Marquez / Man with scissors for cutting foal's mane. During the round up of mares and foal's are caught into corrals where each yeguero (owner of the mares) identifies their animals, separates the foals from t...

Francisco Marquez / Foals are driven into corrals where each yeguero (owner of the mares) i identifies their animals, separates the foals from their mothers, worm them, cut their mane and brand them before sale. Donana N...

Matthew Maran / Triassic sandstone cliffs of East Devon, formed 250-260 million years ago and are the oldest on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, Devon, England, UK, November 2016.

Jen Guyton / Young Mozambican scientist Diolinda Mundoza admires a juvenile bateleur eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus) that she just captured at a goat carcass in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. These and other b...

Jen Guyton / Scientist Dr. Greg Kaltenecker holding a White-backed vulture (Gyps africanus) caught to attach GPS transmitter, Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. The researchers temporarily put a sock over its he...

Doug Perrine / Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) adult female with acorn barnacles are attached to her lower jaw. Image showing throat pleats, and pectoral fin, near Lahaina, in the A'u A'u Channel, off West M...

Rhonda Klevansky / White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum),iSimangaliso Wetland Park UNESCO World Heritage Site, and RAMSAR Wetland. South Africa, August 2017. They are dehorned to prevent poaching.

Rhonda Klevansky / White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) which has had its horn removed, Isimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, August. They are dehorned to prevent poaching.

Rhonda Klevansky / White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) which has had its horn removed, Isimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, August. They are dehorned to prevent poaching.

Jen Guyton / Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) with great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) prey, whilst over birds are on the shore, including great egrets (Ardea alba), grey herons (Ardea cinerea), marab...

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Aerial view of the Bungle Bungles. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kimberley, Western Australia. August 2016.

Juergen Freund / Dry river bed leading to the extraordinary array of banded, beehive-shaped cone towers comprising the Bungle Bungle Range. The rock formations are caused by erosion of karst sandstone, Purnululu Natio...

Orsolya Haarberg / Aerial view oof snow-covered Rapa delta. The river channels are bordered by narrow strips of Mountain birch (Betula pubescens) forest. Laponia UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lapland, Sweden. Highly com...

Igor Shpilenok / Landscape of the Virgin Komi Forests UNESCO World Heritage site at sunrise. These are the largest virgin forests in Europe. Ural Mountains, Komi Republic, Russia. August 2016

Jiri Lochman / Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) returning to the sea. Shark Bay UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, Western Australia. Shark Bay islands are the southermost known nesting sites of this species in...

Alex Mustard / Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) portrait, resting on the sand in shallow water. Its barbels are clearly visible on its top lip. South Bimini, Bahamas. The Bahamas National Shark Sanctuary. Gulf S...

Connor Stefanison / Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, January. The colours are from coloured cyanobacteria and algae that survive in the hot geothermal waters.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr, temporarily stunned before measurements are taken, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, September 2015.

Christophe Courteau / Lioness (Panthera leo) resting up a tree - only three populations of lions are known to do this habitually, Ishasha Sector, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda

Christophe Courteau / Lion (Panthera leo) cub up a tree - only three populations of lions are known to do this habitually, Ishasha Sector, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda

Christophe Courteau / Lioness (Panthera leo) resting up a tree - only three populations of lions are known to do this habitually, Ishasha Sector, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda

Christophe Courteau / Lioness (Panthera leo) resting up a tree - only three populations of lions are known to do this habitually, Ishasha Sector, Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda

Laurent Geslin / Sign for Ile aux Aigrettes, guided visits. Visitors are only allowed to visit the island with a guide and permission from the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation. Mauritus, July 2012.

Cyril Ruoso / Twisted trees near the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage path, pilgrims are mostly Shugendo devotees, Yoshino-Kumano National Park, Kansai Region, Japan, November 2008.

Alex Mustard / Bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo) circling a pair of Foxface rabbitfish (Siganus vulpinus) which are protected by their venomous spines. Long Beach Aquarium, California, USA. North East Pacific Ocean....

Christophe Courteau / Gases from the crater of Nyiragongo volcano, with mosses which are adapted to these harsh conditions growing on the rocks. North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. September 2015.

Christophe Courteau / Gases from the crater of Nyiragongo volcano, with mosses which are adapted to these harsh conditions growing on the rocks. North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. September 2015.

Brent Stephenson / Ranger restocking a poison bait station with bait used to control rodents and Brush-tailed possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in an intensively managed sanctuary where native bird species are being reint...

Eric Baccega / Marienfluss valley during dry season, Kaokoland, at the frontier, the mountains are Angola, Kunene region, Namibia, Africa

Alex Hyde / Four-spot Orb Weaver Spider male (Araneus quadratus) at edge of female's web, waiting for an opportunity ot mate. The male's pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) that are used to transfer...

Constantinos Petrinos / The Holy Monastery of Varlaam. This is the second largest monastery in the Meteora complex. It was built in 1541 and embellished in 1548. The old refectory is used as a museum. It is among the 6 out o...

Constantinos Petrinos / The Holy Monastery of Varlaam. This is the second largest monastery in the Meteora complex. It was built in 1541 and embellished in 1548. The old refectory is used as a museum. It is among the 6 out o...

Constantinos Petrinos / Two Greek Orthodox rock Monasteries in Meteora. The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron (on the right - erected in the mid-14th century) The building serves as the main museum for tourists. The Holy Mon...

Constantinos Petrinos / Two Greek Orthodox rock Monasteries in Meteora. The Holy Monastery of Rousanou/St. Barbara (foreground right) which was founded in the middle of 16th century and in the background the Holy Monastery...

Anup Shah / Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurtheii) infant male 'Gizmo' watching curiously while the rest of the 'G' family are grooming, resting and playing. Gombe National Park, Tanzania.

Cyril Ruoso / Thai man training Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Due to deforestation there is over population of elephants in the remaining forest. Therefore the Indonesian government are capturing and domestic...

Richard Du Toit / Bats flying to roost in artificial bat house at night. Bat houses are built near camps to prevent them forming colonies in buidligns, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Ann & Steve Toon / Ground squirrel (Xerus inuaris) foraging, watched by Cape glossy starlings (Lamprotornis nitens) which are waiting for insects to be thrown up by digging, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, n...

Mike Potts / Buller's albatrosses (Thalassarche bulleri) nesting on cliff. There are over 8,000 breeding pairs on these islands which are strictly protected, landings are not permitted. Snares Islands, New Zealand...

Mike Potts / Buller's albatross (Thalassarche bulleri) nesting on cliff. There are over 8,000 breeding pairs on these islands which are strictly protected, landings are not permitted. Snares Islands, New Zealand.

Mike Potts / Buller's albatrosses (Thalassarche bulleri) nesting on cliff. There are over 8,000 breeding pairs on these islands which are strictly protected, landings are not permitted. Snares Islands, New Zealand...

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Neotropical mound building termite (Cornitermes cumulans) mound with scars made by Giant anteater which climbs the mound to eat the queen termites when they are flying out of the termite mound to foun...

Angelo Gandolfi / Manu Aguilera, from 'Fondo Amigos del Buitre' association feeding Griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) gathering at Santa Cilia de Panzano feeding station, Sierra de Guara Natural Park, Aragon, Spain, July....

Kirkendall-Spring / Hidden Falls, Hanging Rock State Park. The Falls are part of the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail. North Carolina, USA, October 2013.

Kirkendall-Spring / Hidden Falls, Hanging Rock State Park. The Falls are part of the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail. North Carolina, USA, October 2013.

Kirkendall-Spring / Hidden Falls, Hanging Rock State Park. The Falls are part of the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail. North Carolina, USA, October 2013.

Dong Lei / Herders moving yaks which are carrying wood, Ruoergai National Nature Reserve, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China, June 2008.

Alex Mustard / The statue of Christ Of The Abyss (Cristo degli abissi) in the Marine Protected Area of Portofino (Area Marina Protetta, Portofino), Liguria, Italy. Mediterranean Sea. This was the world's first under...

Jabruson / Grey cheeked mangabey (Lophocebus albigena) captive youngster about to be picked up by gloved hand, to be taken indoors for the night. It's mother was shot by hunters so now this animal is kept as a p...

Jabruson / Grey Cheeked Managabey (Lophocebus albigena) young being held captive by child within village, its mother was shot by a hunter, meaning it will be kept as a pet and play-thing until old enough to be e...

Roland Seitre / Barry Baker, herpatologist, identifying reptile skin of Texan boots at the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, Ashland, Oregon, USA, to discover whether they are made from animals that ar...

Ross Hoddinott / 2020VISION / Children and mothers pond dipping and enjoying pond environment at Little Bradley Ponds, Bovey Tracy, Devon, UK. July 2011. Model released. Did you know? Newt populations went through decline over the...