Andy Rouse / Maasai Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) silhouetted by beams of light from setting sun, Maasai Mara, Kenya, Africa. Winner of the African section of the Natures Best Windland Smith Rice...

John Chan / Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) chick watching for parents to return with food, Southern California, USA, June.

Marion Vollborn/ BIA / Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) waiting at breathing hole for seals, Svalbard, Norway

Stefan Christmann / Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) group clambering up slope during journey to bring back food for young. Atka Bay, Antarctica. September.

Tony Wu / Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) female, stationary with calf heading to surface for breath of air. Vava'u, Tonga, South Pacific.

Emanuele Biggi / Predatory bush cricket (Saga pedo) waiting for prey on Eryngium, Italy. June. Vulnerable species.

David Pattyn / Black necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) adult bird spreading its wings and waiting for the submerged partner to appear in front and perform the courtship dance. This is early in the breeding season,...

Ingo Arndt / American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swimming in open ocean, Pacific Coast, Ostional, Costa Rica

Ingo Arndt / Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) waiting for salmon under moonlit sky, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska, USA, August

Ingo Arndt / Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) waiting for salmon at full moon, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska, USA, August

Neil Aldridge / Black-backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas) pups waiting at their den on Mashatu Game Reserve, Tuli, Botswana.

Alex Hyde / Fishing spider (Trechalea) waiting to catch a Killifish (Cyprinodontiformes) in a rainforest stream at night, Central Caribbean foothills, Costa Rica.