In Animals

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, 2019

September 10, 2019

Nature is astounding, and it continually impresses us with sheer tenacity, survival, and beauty. The long-running Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition exemplifies this, with some stunning selections. Managed by the managed by the Natural History Museum in London, the contest is in its 55th year. Below are a collection of cute, fierce, and authentic images that show animals in their elements. Via Earther:

bcgrkqt2r0wq4vcphygh — “Lucky Break:” A raccoon pokes her head from the broken windshield of a 1970s Ford Pinto on a deserted farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Not visible in the photo are her five kits playing on the back seat.
Image: Jason Bantle, Canada

f7syyh3prhnu3sk0skxo — “Sleeping like a Weddell:” A sleeping Weddell seal, lying on a bed of ice off Larsen Harbour, South Georgia.
Image: Ralf Schneider

hkg5tyja8sbmac5at3z0 — “Big Cat and Dog Spat:” A lone cheetah fends off a pack of wild dogs in Zimanga Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The cheetah managed to flee the scene.
Image: Peter Haygarth, UK

iwwxofnbqrrecwb5qbif — “The Climbing Dead.”
Image: Frank Deschandol

lgnbxu1kirwrmnvyqstv — “Jelly Baby:” A juvenile jackfish seeks refuge inside a small jellyfish off Tahiti in French Polynesia. It’s not known if the jellyfish benefits from this odd arrangement.
Image: by Fabien Michenet, France

mv2kbzhcii6lj5vmkbzi — “Beach Waste:” Taken at Alabama’s Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, this photo shows a dead sea turtle still attached to the discarded lawn chair that choked it.
Image: Matthew Ware, USA

ofiudzry9ukudp3u1rfj — “If Penguins Could Fly:” A gentoo penguin flees for its life in response to an attacking leopard seal. The predator toyed with the penguin for around 15 minutes prior to finally ending its torment.
Image: by Eduardo Del Álamo, Spain

oxxaxhldqf1qh9pqnyqk — “Touching Trust:” An inquisitive young grey whale approaches a pair of human hands extending down from a tourist boat in the waters of Mexico’s Baja California.
Image: Thomas P Peschak, Germany/South Africa

pkhgif3jmiavabbk3doe — “Canopy Hangout:” A brown-throated three-toed sloth in Panama’s Soberanía National Park.
Image: Carlos Pérez Naval, Spain

qfpmt9ehb8kg6oikozfg — “Last Gasp”
Image: Adrian Hirschi, Switzerland

vqhnzbsuwuserjhz29a6 — “Cool Drink:” A long-tailed tit sips some water from a dangling icicle on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Image: Diana Rebman, USA

yrbs1tm9mxrfihbcyqha — “Circle of Life:” A shoal of bigeye fish circling in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Image: Alex Mustard, UK

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Author Ben VanderVeen

Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.