Wildlife

Photo © Simon Heather

1st classified

Back to Adventure
by Qasim Al Farsi


Green turtle heading back to water after laying down eggs in her peaceful nest at Oman coastline between Ras Al Jinz and Rashad turtle reserve.

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Runner up

Fast Food
by Igor Altuna


This photo was taken in Zambia. Two male lion brothers killed a buffalo, and after eating for a day they left the remains to the others.

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Highly commended

Fairy Circles
by George Steinmetz


Zebra herd in the Namib Rand Nature Reserve in Namibia. The thin grasses here have a rare speckled pattern known as "fairy circles", a phenomena that is poorly understood. Grasses seem to grow higher on the inner rim of the circles due to less competition for water on the inside...

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Highly commended

Polar Bear Hunting
by Florian Ledoux


Polar bear hunting seal from an iceberg in Svalbard during the summer while the sea ice is gone all the way north to 83°N.

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Highly commended

Hippopotamus group from above
by Talib Almarri


Hippopotamus group from above creating an amazing pattern. All hippos are adults except one baby who is in the center.

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Commended

Giving Back to the Ocean
by Elizabeth Moreno


An adult male sperm whale died stranded in the shallow waters of Bahía de la Paz, Baja California Sur, on November 2020. The local marine mammals conservation team could not determine the death cause, but its skeleton was later retrieved to do more research and became part of the...

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Commended

Hideout
by Sujon Adikary


Some nocturnal animals, like this pair of Golden Jackal, have taken shelter in the wheat field because their home has been destroyed. Golden jackals are locally common in Bangladesh despite intensive cultivation and high human densities. It's quite difficult to find jackal in day...

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Commended

Sheep in Congress
by Yoel Robert Assiag


In the north of Israel, I documented during summer and winter a herd of 1500 sheep which became more than 1900 heads. I followed them when they moved from one location to another mainly for searching for fresh grass but also for preparing to give birth and cut their wool.

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Commended

Lake Rudolf Sprinkle
by Thomas Vijayan


During the rainy season, the beautiful flamingos adorn the Rift Valley with their long-legs, long-neck, black beak, and pink feathery coats. It is indeed feasting to our eyes. I was fortunate enough to spend some quality time observing them and clicking as many pictures as I coul...

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Commended

Shark Seeking the Salmon
by Jim Picôt


Capturing this was delight, as the light was beautiful, and the shark was in a great position, while in the hunt for the many hundreds of salmon.

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Commended

A Still Point in Time
by Jay Roode


At a still point in time, a flock of greater flamingo wades through the obsidian brine pans south of Walvis Bay with the dainty grace of ballerinas. This image was taken hand held from the fixed wing aircraft. Flamingo are incredibly noise and vibration sensitive and normally tak...

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Commended

Fast Track
by Thomas Vijayan


Whether the Zebra is black with white strips or if it is white with black strips it definitely stands out in the wild. I was on a photoshoot for some other species and that is when I spotted this beauty running in haste.

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Commended

Sleeping Beauty
by Martin Gregus


Working closely with the bears and getting them used to our behaviour meant that by day 5 we were well underway to documenting some truly unique behaviour. By this point we have gotten to know in detail the personalities of 27 different bears, and they in return welcomed us into...

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Commended

baby flamingos.
by Seyit Konyalı


Baby flamingos said hello to life. Salt lake is a good home for them. Their mother is feeding nearby. They will grow and migrate. The minerals in the salt lake are their food source. The weather is very hot this year but they are used to it. It is necessary to go to the salt lake...

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Commended

Statues
by Lakshitha Karunarathna


A flock of Greater Flamingos enjoys the food-rich salterns of Vankali Bird Sanctuary in Sri Lanka. They travel thousands of miles every year to reach Sri Lanka, which is their ideal residence during winters.

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Commended

Emus of the Salt Lake
by Gary Steer


Emus running in shallow water on Lake Gairdner, a salt lake in central Australia. The birds were foraging though they were many km from the shore of a 7000 sq km lake. There were no plants and the water too saline to drink. The normal diet of emus is seeds and fruit, but also ins...

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Commended

Seagulls
by Dhenesh Annamalai


The Yamuna Ghat in Delhi is the site of a majestic gathering of thousands of seagulls flocking to feed. One day early in the morning we visited Yamuna Ghat with my drone to capture this beauty of seagulls from above.

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Commended

Point of no return
by Joao Galamba


A 13-meters whale entered, disoriented, in the estuary of river Vouga in Aveiro, and got stuck in a sand bank. The efforts of the fishermen and of the authorities to keep it alive were not enough and ended up dying. The reason that led the whale to make such a journey is still un...

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