Juergen Freund / Gorgonian fan coral (Gorgonaceae) in the shallow mangroves, split level. North Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Second Place in the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competit...

Juergen Freund / Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) split level view, Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, Indonesia. Second Place in the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competition 2015.

Juergen Freund / Giant mottled fresh water eels (Anguilla marmorata) in shallows, split level view, Lissenung Island, Kavieng, New Guinea. Second Place in the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards...

Paul Williams / View from plane of eroded salt dome, Kavir Desert, Iran, December.

Jordi Chias / Juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas) reflected in the surface of the window with Snell's window affect, Fakarava atoll inside lagoon at sunset, Tuamotu archipelago, French Polynesia; Pacific Ocean

Willem Kolvoort / White waterlily (Nymphaea alba) in Naardermeer bog lake, Holland. May.

Alex Mustard / Split level view of shallow coral reef in the Red Sea at sunset. Gordon Reef, Sinai, Egypt. Strait of Tiran, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea.

David Pattyn / Western Red Cedar trees (Thuja plicata) in temperate rainforest. Cathedral grove in MacMillan provincial park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, August.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia,Enrique Lopez-Tapia / View looking up to the summit of K2 (8,611m), Central Karakoram National Park, Pakistan, June 2007

Enrique Lopez-Tapia,Enrique Lopez-Tapia / View of the Baltoro Glacier, with mountains in the background, Central Karakoram National Park, Pakistan, June 2007.

Juergen Freund / Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) mating over coral reef, Sipadan Island, Sabah, Malaysia, June, Endangered species

Juergen Freund / Box jellyfish {Chironex sp.} in mangroves, split level, Australia

Claudio Contreras / Grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) eye, Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico, February. Winner in the Ocean Views category of the 2018 Nature's Best Winland Smith Rice Awards.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Ferns growing beside Lamina waterfall, Lamina, Saja Besaya Natural Park, Cantabria, Spain, Europe. May 2015.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Cascade of Lamina waterfall, Lamina, Saja Besaya Natural Park, Cantabria, Spain, Europe. May 2015.

Edwin Giesbers / African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) at water's surface, captive, occurs in Africa.

Alex Mustard / Galapagos green turtle (Chelonia agassizii) surfaces to breathe. Floreana Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. East Pacific Ocean.

Alex Hyde / Close-up of Owl Butterfly (Caligo memnon) head showing compound eyes. Captive, originating from Central America.

Alex Hyde / Caterpillar of the Citrus Swallowtail butterfly (Papillio demodocus). The caterpillar is a bird dropping mimic. Captive, originating from Africa.

Nick Upton / Summer snowflake / Loddon lily (Leucojum aestivum) flowering in damp, riverside woodland, Wiltshire, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Common primroses (Primula vulgaris) flowering in woodland, Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Common primroses (Primula vulgaris) flowering in woodland, Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Carpet of Common primroses (Primula vulgaris) and Lesser celandines (Ranunculus ficaria) flowering on a woodland edge, Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Yellow corydalis / Yellow fumitory (Pseudofumaria lutea / Corydalis lutea), an Alpine species naturalised in the UK, flowering on a wall, Lacock, Wiltshire, UK, May.

Nick Upton / Wood spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides) flowering in a coppiced clearing in ancient woodland alongside Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta / Endymion non-scriptus), GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestersh...

Nick Upton / Group of Early purple orchids (Orchis mascula) flowering in ancient woodland, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, May.

Nick Upton / Common comfrey (Symphytum officinale) flowering on the banks of the River Avon, Lacock, Wiltshire, UK, May.

Nick Upton / Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) flowers, Wiltshire, UK, May.

Nick Upton / Common honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) flowering on woodland edge, Nottinghamshire, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Green alkanet / Evergreen bugloss (Pentaglottis sempervirens) flowering between a garden wall and a rough track, Bathwick, Bath and Northeast Somerset, UK, April.

Alex Hyde / Hairs on the foot pad of a tarantula shown on false-colour scanning electron micrograph (SEM. The hairs are finely divided and their large surface area enables the tarantula to grip smooth surfaces.

Wild Wonders of Europe / Lundgren / Pool Frog (Pelophylax lessonae) split level view, near Crisan village, Danube Delta, Romania, June. Highly commended in the Underwater Category of the GDT Awards Competition 2016.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) Idar-Oberstein, Hunsruck, Germany, January. Meetyourneighbours.net project

Jabruson / Low angle shot of a herd of Hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) feeding in the Rutshuru River, before the slaughter of the hippos in the region during the overthrow of President Mobutu Sese Seko i...

Jabruson / Low angle shot of a herd of Hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) in the Rutshuru River, before the slaughter of the hippos in the region during the overthrow of President Mobutu Sese Seko in the mi...

Juan Carlos Munoz / Iberian pig close-up of hind legs and tail, Sierra de Aracena Natural Park, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain, Europe. Breed used to produce Iberico ham / Jamon Iberico

Alex Mustard / A close up of the eye of a Tassled wobbegong shark (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon) illuminated with light from a snoot tube, Batanta Island, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia.

Alex Mustard / The skin of a Tassled wobbegong shark (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon), showing the rough placoid scales, commonly called denticles. These scales have the same structure as the shark's teeth and are as roug...

Alex Mustard / Portrait of a green iguana (Iguana iguana) amongst grass. Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Alex Mustard / A split level photo of group of Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) fighting their way upstream as they migrate back to the river of their birth to spawn, trees showing autumnal colours. Adams River,...

Alex Mustard / Portrait of Male Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) showing teeth. Adams River, British Columbia, Canada, October.

Konrad Wothe / Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) male in zoo, face portrait, West Africa

Claudio Contreras / California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) feather detail, IUCN Critically Endangered, captive.

Jan Hamrsky / Phantom midge larva (Chaoborus flavicans) head detail, Europe, October, controlled conditions

Jan Hamrsky / Great diving beetle (Dytiscus marginalis) female, Europe, September, controlled conditions

Jan Hamrsky / Great diving beetle (Dytiscus marginalis) refilling its air supply under the wing cases, Europe, September, controlled conditions

Jan Hamrsky / Darner dragonfly nymph (Aeshnidae) feeding on mayfly nymph, Europe, July, controlled conditions

Jan Hamrsky / Darner dragonfly nymph (Aeshnidae) feeding on mayfly nymph, Europe, July, controlled conditions

Franco Banfi / Detail of Bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean

Franco Banfi / Detail of Spirograph worm (Sabella spallanzani) Stupiste Out dive site, Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean

Franco Banfi / Detail of Bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean

Franco Banfi / Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) with eggs, Ischia Island, Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean

Franco Banfi / Eye detail of Tasselled wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon) Cendana Jetty, Waigeo island, Raja Ampat, Irian Jaya, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean

Franco Banfi / Eye detail of Vermicular coralcod (Plectropomus oligacanthus) Raja Ampat, Irian Jaya, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean

Franco Banfi / Vermicular coralcod (Plectropomus oligacanthus) Raja Ampat, Irian Jaya, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean

Franco Banfi / Beaked coralfish (Chelmon rostratus) Raja Ampat, Irian Jaya, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean

Theo Bosboom / Cladonia moss with Trailing azalea (Loiseleuria procumbens)and fungi, Asbyrgi, Iceland, June

Theo Bosboom / Water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) close-up, De Bruuk, the Netherlands, May

Theo Bosboom / Close up of leaves (probably of purple moor grass) and bubbles captured in the ice, Deeler Woud Nature Reserve, the Netherlands, January

Juergen Freund / Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeding on fish near a fishing device called ?Bagan?, a stationary outrigger boat, with a net between outriggers and strong light at night to attract anchovies and scad....

Aflo / Shiba inu dog close-up of tail, on grass in park. Property released.

Nick Upton / Close up views of Spiral / Flat wrack (Fucus spiralis) surrounded by Channelled wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata) on rocks high on the shoreline, exposed at low tide, Rhossili, The Gower Peninsula, UK, Ju...

David Fleetham / Close-up of white-eyed moray (Muraena thyrsoides), Malaysia.

Graham Eaton / Small breaking waves in the Caribbean sea at sunset, off Soufriere, St Lucia.

Espen Bergersen / Killer whales (Orcinus orca) at sea surface, dorsal fin close up. Troms, Norway. June.

Nick Upton / Garden snail (Cornu aspersum / Helix aspersa) crawling over an oak sleeper retaining a garden lawn, Wiltshire, UK, April.