What photos won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest?

The London Museum of Natural History, after much thought, announced the winners of its 52nd annual Wildlife Photographer competition. It hosted nearly 50,000 photographs taken by photographers from 95 countries. It is worth saying that nature has never been depicted so well.

For the final round, only 100 photos were selected, but there could be only a few winners, and their choice was really a difficult task for the organizers.

Director of the London Museum Michael Dixon commented: "The winning images have touched our hearts, and they make us think differently about the natural world."

The exhibition opened on October 21. Do not worry if you can not visit it in London. The exhibition will show on all six continents, so you can catch it when it travels around the globe.

Do you think that you also make photos of wildlife that deserve victory? From October 24, you can register for participation in the contest next year.

"Interlacing of lives"

Tim Laman, USA - an absolute winner.

Orangutan, whose species is in a critical position (under the threat of extinction), holds onto the thick root of the strangler, which wrapped around a tree at a height of 30 meters. This particular creature was seen in the tropical forests of the National Park of Hanung-Palung - one of the few places in Indonesia where orang-utans are under real protection.

This primacy fell into the camera, which was left by the photographer at this place during his dangerous rise. Given the symbolism of the photo and technical flair, one can understand why it became the absolute winner of this contest.

"Moon and Crow"

Gideon Knight, Great Britain - winner in the Young Wildlife Photographer nomination.

The crow looks like a real supernatural being against the background of the full moon. The photo was taken by a 16-year-old photographer near his London home in Valentine's Park. This night scene was described by the photographer himself as "something from a fairy tale." Lewis Blackwell, the chairman of the jury, said that "if a photo could create a poem, it should have been that way."

"Attempt"

Ganesh Shankar, India - the winner in the nomination "Birds".

The Bengal lizard tries to get inside the nest of several pink ringed parrots in India. We can say with confidence that the owners of the nest are not happy with this. After they began to bite the swagger by the tail and hang on it, the mean lizard had to retreat. Although she could not abandon her idea completely, and the struggle for domination with lightning speed was repeated several times during the next two days.

"Wind"

Walter Binotto, India - winner of the nomination "Plants and mushrooms".

This is a magnificent and detailed close-up of hazel flowers. In the photo you can see incredible details, for example, male and female flowers. The latter are a small structure, similar to a bud with a red tuft. Each ear ring (the so-called these long structures) releases a huge amount of pollen at the beginning of the year, which is then carried by the wind, but new studies show that bees also play an important role in the pollination process.

"Cat on the Mall"

Nyan Khanolkar, India - winner in the category "City".

The leopard silently slips in the alleys of the suburbs of Mumbai. Despite several random attacks on people, these wild cats have been widely recognized, as they live here day after day and roam the streets in search of food, looking for mostly stray dogs.

Requiem for an Owl

Mats Andersson, Sweden - winner in the nomination "Black and White".

This photo was taken in the forests of Southern Sweden, when the photographer saw the charming Eurasian dwarf owls. Each of them barely reaches 19 centimeters. One night he noticed that one of the owls was lying dead on the ground, while her companion remained alone on the branches, illuminated by the first rays of dawn. Soon after this photo was taken, the surviving owl was also killed, probably by a larger bird that did not want to share its territory with someone.

"Party of perches"

Tony Wu, USA - winner of the nomination "Underwater World".

Thousands of perches gather to spawn in the western Pacific Ocean, near the island of Palau, for several days every month. It happens during every full moon. Their maelstrom seems fast and furious, but predators also join this fight in the hope of a delicious meal.

The photographer was very lucky, because after many unsuccessful attempts he managed to capture a dynamic arc of fish during spawning in the background of clouds of roe in the wrong morning light.

«Canvas of sand»

Rudy Sebastian, Germany - winner in the category "Details".

White sand in the Brazilian national park becomes a clean canvas for water, which falls on it from the most vivid and ephemeral lagoons painted by colorful bacteria. The photographer chose the ideal moment to take a photo for two years. He climbed the air above this incredible scene, and it helped him get incredible photos.

"Playing with a star"

Luis Sandoval, Mexico - winner in the nomination "Impressions".

Curious young California sea lions appeared in the waters of the island Espirito Santo. One of them discovered a starfish and decided to use it as a frisbee, moving back and forth and honing his methods of hunting.

"Prison for the Lizards"

Paul Hilton, UK and Australia - winner in the nomination enlarge Imagejournalist.

A horrifying scene of defrosting 4 thousand pangolins shocked this photographer. These zodiac lizards were sent to China and to Vietnam, where they are used in traditional medicine. They were discovered through a joint operation of the World Conservation Society and the Indonesian authorities.

Lizards were found in a transport container after a layer of frozen fish. The 96 pangolins that survived were rebuilt and released back into the rainforest. Not long ago, these lizards were given the highest level of protection, for which 182 countries voted. But as the photographer himself said, crimes against wildlife are a huge business that will stop only when demand disappears.