Yukihiro Fukuda / Feral domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) standing on hind legs on coast, Okunojima Island, also known as Rabbit Island, Hiroshima, Japan.

Staffan Widstrand / Southern Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) two, with one in foreground, Zimanga Private Nature Reserve, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Jordi Chias / Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) walking in line, returning to nesting area, Port Charcot, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

Guy Edwardes / Great peacock anemone (Anemone pavonia), Meteora, Greece.

Theo Bosboom / Close up of Banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) wings, Roosendaal, the Netherlands, July.

Theo Bosboom / Common blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) trapped in Sundew plant (Drosera), Hondenven, Tubbergen, the Netherlands, August ,

Ross Hoddinott / Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) growing, Marsland Mouth, Devon Wildlife Trust, Devon, UK. April 2017.

Ross Hoddinott / Wood anemone flower (Anemone nemorosa), RHS Rosemoor, near Great Torrington, Devon, UK. April 2017.

Ingo Arndt / Great Bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis) male at courting bower, Litchfield National Park, Australia.

Ingo Arndt / Magnetic Termite (Amitermes meridionalis) mounds in grassland, Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.

Bence Mate / Great egrets (Ardea alba) fighting with necks intertwined, Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Hungary. January.

Bence Mate / Great egret (Ardea alba) group of five at water's edge, with very out of focus egret in foreground. Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Pusztaszer, Hungary, February.

Ann & Steve Toon / Spring wildflowers, Papkuilsfontein farm, Nieuwoudtville, Northern Cape, South Africa, September 2015

Bence Mate / Satiny Parrot snake (Leptophis depressirostris) Santa Rita, Costa Rica.

Bence Mate / Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) with Great egret (Ardea alba) in the background, Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Pusztaszer, Hungary.

Bence Mate / Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) in rain with another heron behind, Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Pusztaszer, Hungary. January.

Niall Benvie / Leaves emerging on European beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) Angus, Scotland, UK. May.

Andres M. Dominguez / Dew on spiderweb with Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) in the background, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, El Bosque, southern Spain, April.

Andres M. Dominguez / Dew on spiderweb with Grey-leaved cistus (Cistus albidus) Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, El Bosque, southern Spain, April.

Andres M. Dominguez / Dark-red helleborine (Epipactis atrorubens) Linares, Cantabria, Spain, August.

Andres M. Dominguez / Orchid (Orchis langei) in sunset light, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, southern Spain, May.

Andres M. Dominguez / Hawthorn berries (Crataegus monogyna) in Poplar woodland (Populus) Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, southern Spain. October.

Wim van den Heever / Leopard (Panthera pardus) cub looking up at birds (out of frame) with mother in background, Khwai River, Botswana. Highly commended in the Mammals category of the Asferico Photography Competition 201...

Wim van den Heever / Blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) Hemis National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Solvin Zankl / Springtail (Dicyrtomina ornata) on oak tree leaf. Niedersechsische Elbtalaue Biosphere Reserve, Elbe Valley, Lower Saxony, Germany, December.

Markus Varesvuo / Four Grey partridges (Perdix perdix) on snow, Kauhajoki, Finland, January.

Ben Hall / Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) peering from behind tree with bluebells in foreground, Cheshire, June.

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / African lioness (Panthera leo) sitting patiently in the long grass, watching herd of Common eland (Tragelaphus oryx). Focus on lion. Grumeti Reserve, Northern Tanzania.

Wim van den Heever / Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco) portrait, Pantanal Brazil.

Wim van den Heever / African wilddog (Lycaon pictus) portrait, with another dog in the background. Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Ernie Janes / Cowslips (Primula veris) in flower, Norfolk, England, UK, April.

Loic Poidevin / Aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) Breton Marsh, Vendee, France, May.

Sven Zacek / Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis) white morph and normal blue morph, Southern Estonia, April.

Juergen Freund / Little red flying fox (Pteropus scapulatus) roosting with baby, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia. May. Second Place in the Man and Nature portfolio category of the Terre Sauvage Nature Image...

Bence Mate / White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) flying, with Great egret (Ardea alba) in the foreground, Lake Csaj, Pusztaszer, Hungary. February. Winner of the Portfolio category of the Terre Sauvage Natur...

Bence Mate / Two Great egrets (Ardea alba) standing opposite each other with Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) in between. Lake Csaj, Pusztaszer, Hungary, January. Winner of the Portfolio category of the Terre Sauvage Na...

Fiona Rogers / Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurtheii) female 'Gremlin' aged 40 years calling while holding her baby granddaughter aged 2 months and her own infant son aged 2 years. Gombe National Park,...

Cyril Ruoso / Ringed-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) foraging in sisal field looking for flowers during a poor year without much fruit. Berenty reserve, Madagascar, September.

Alex Hyde / House spider female (Tegenaria sp.) in garden shed. Derbyshire, UK, March. Highly Commended in the Urban Wildlife category of the 2015 British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA) Competition.

Edwin Giesbers / Banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) group of four on plant stems, River Leijgraaf, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, August 2013. Finalist in the Invertebrate category of the Wildlife Photographer of th...

Angelo Gandolfi / Gannets (Morus bassanus) courtship behavior on nest on abandoned boat, La Spezia Gulf, Italy. Mediterranean Sea. July.

Kristel Richard / Headshot of two rare black Kladruber stallions, harnessed for driving, at the Great Riding festival, in Slatinany national stud, Pardubice Region, Czech Republic. June 2015.

Sven Zacek / Arctic tern (Sterna paradisea) sitting on its nest surrounded by various coastal colors. Harjumaa, Estonia. June.

Sven Zacek / Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) males reflected in a small pond, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway. June.

Sven Zacek / Four Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) bucks with velvet antlers and the shadow of a fifth buck, Tartumaa, Estonia, March.

Bruno D'Amicis / Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) pups playing outside of den, Grand Erg Oriental, Kebili Governorate. Tunisia.

Bruno D'Amicis / Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) pup, aged a few weeks, caught in the wild and shown at a famous camel trekking site for tourists in the hope of either selling it or being paid for photos, Kebili Governorate...

Bruno D'Amicis / Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) few-weeks old pup caught in the wild and shown at a famous camel trekking site for tourists in the hope of either selling it or being paid for photos, Kebili Governorate. Tun...

Michael Hutchinson / Dandelion (Taraxacum) seed head in grass meadow, Ashton Court, North Somerset, UK, May.

Peter Cairns / Bison (Bison bison) pair standing on road in winter, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, March.

Espen Bergersen / Razorbills (Alca torda) in flight, with Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) behind, Hornoya, Norway. March

Alex Hyde / Orange Tip Butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines) male resting on Bluebell (Endymion / Hyacinthoides nonscriptus). Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK. April.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Karo boys with decorative skin painting, close up portrait, Karo tribe, Omo river, Ethiopia, November 2014

Cyril Ruoso / Harlequin grasshopper (Zonocerus variegatus) Democratic Republic of the Congo. Non-ex

Cyril Ruoso / Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) female resting under tree, Kanha National Park, India. Non-ex

David Pattyn / Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), portrait of young male. Alps, Aosta Valley, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. September.

David Pattyn / Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) two adult males in mountain landscape. Alps, Aosta Valley, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. September.

David Pattyn / Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), portrait of adult male though horns of another resting Ibex. Alps, Aosta Valley, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. September.

Ole Jorgen Liodden / L'Hoest's monkey (Cercopithecus lhoesti) feeding on leaves, Rwanda.

Ole Jorgen Liodden / Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) with out of focus Lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) standing behind, Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Ole Jorgen Liodden / Landscape of Lillehooksbreen glacier at Svalbard, Norway, July 2008.

Markus Varesvuo / Black kite (Milvus migrans) flying and red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) on snow, Hokkaido, Japan, February.

Tony Phelps / Parachute daisies (Ursinia anthemoides) flowering, Vergelegen, Little Karoo, Western Cape, South Africa, July.

Alex Hyde / Wildflowers and hut in alpine meadow, Nordtirol, Austrian Alps, July.

Alex Hyde / Cable cars at Fiss, Nordtirol, Austrian Alps, June 2014.

David Pattyn / Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) adult running over the water surface during the courtship. The Netherlands. April 2014.Second place in the Species Story category of the Terre Sauvage Nature I...

Dong Lei / Golden bush-robin (Tarsiger chrysaeus) with insect prey, Kawakarpo Mountain, Meri Snow Mountain National Park, Yunnan Province, China.

Markus Varesvuo / Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) displaying and calling in snow, Hokkaido, Japan, February

Markus Varesvuo / Great White Egret (Egretta alba) with water splashing from beak, Hungary January

Markus Varesvuo / Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) male calling with female, Jalasjarvi, Finland, April

Wild Wonders of Europe / Bartocha / Early purple orchid (Orchis mascula) on the Forca Canapine, Monti Sibillini National Park, Italy, May.

Sven Zacek / Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in the snow, two running away towards a third facing the camera, Vorumaa, Estonia, January. Winner of the Animal stories portfolio in the Melvita Nature Images Awards co...

Axel Gomille / Demoiselle cranes (Anthropoides virgo) flock, India.

Ross Hoddinott / Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) diving for fish with the Athala II boat in the background, Espumilla beach, Galapagos, Ecuador. April.

Sam Hobson / Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) fledgling perched on gravestone in urban cemetery. Berlin, Germany. July.

Clay Bolt / Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus) in undergrowth, Southern Appalachians, South Carolina, USA, North America, June.

Matthew Maran / Great created grebe (Podiceps cristatus) with chick following, and person swimming in pond, Hampstead Heath, London, July 2014.

Bence Mate / Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) mobbing Euasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) Pusztaszer, Hungary, June.

Andy Trowbridge / Puffin (Fratercula arctica) standing on Sea thrift (Armeria maritima) with wings out stretched with a beak full of sand eels. Close-up portrait. Fair Island, Shetland Islands, Scotland, July.

Dong Lei / Blood pheasants (Ithaginis cruentus) foraging in habitat, one looking at the camera, Meli Snow Mountain National Park, Yunnan Province, China, January. Endemic. Taken with remote camera.

Andy Trowbridge / Arctic Fox (Alopex / Vulpes lagopus) portrait in early morning light, during moult from grey summer fur to winter white. Dovrefjell National Park, Norway, September.

Robin Chittenden / Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) flying past spire, Norwich Cathedral, Norfolk, UK, June.

Alex Hyde / Alpine meadow in flower including Scabious flowers. Austrian Alps at 1700 metres altitude, North Tyrol, Austria, June

Ernie Janes / Small Tortoisehell Butterfly (Aglais urticae) on cone flowers (Echinacea) in garden with greenhouse in background England, UK, August.

David Pattyn / Flowering Thrift (Armeria maritima) photographed on Great Saltee with a view of the island behind. Great Saltee, Saltee Islands, Co. Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June.

Jabruson / 'Kith' / 'Kin' Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) captive animal in walled enclosure, Perth Zoo, Western Australia, August 2001.

Jussi Murtosaari / Grey Birch butterfly (Aethalura punctulata) resting on tree trunk in woodland habitat, Pirkanmaa, Finland, May.

Gary K. Smith / Marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) adult female circling over Oilseed rape crop, Norfolk, England, May. Digital composite.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Domestic Asian elephants (Elephas maximas) used for riding safaris with their keepers, Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal.

Jabruson / Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in cage, confiscated from poachers, housed in Epulu, Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Orientale Province, North-East, Democratic Republic of Congo

Fergus Gill / Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) adult bird in afternoon light. Perthshire, Scotland, March.

Chris & Monique Fallows / Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pussilus) portrait, at water surface, Seal Island, False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.

Chris & Monique Fallows / Split level shot of Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) fin above the water and leisure boat in the background, with Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa.

Kim Taylor / Redpoll (Carduelis flammea) male landing on Alder (Alnus glutinosa) Surrey, England. February