Can you spot the second coyote in the image above? It may look like this amber-eyed pup is peering out from beneath his own tail, but that’s actually his sister’s. The Natural History Museum in London released this illusionary photo in a sneak peek of some of the best submissions for this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The jaw-dropping images, selected from a record-breaking 60,636 entries, feature cheetahs, jellyfish, slime molds, and so much more. But let’s not forget the humans behind the lens. Some went to great lengths to get the perfect shot. For “A Tale of Two Coyotes,” California-based photographer Parham Pourahmad tracked this pair of siblings for hours across the rocky hillside of Bernal Heights Park, San Francisco, snapping a picture at the exact moment the sister’s black-tipped tail hung low over her brother’s face.
Judges will whittle the photos down to 100 for display in the museum’s exhibition, with the Grand Title, Young Grand Title, and category winners to be announced on October 14. Here are some of the most favored images so far. Scroll through to take a walk on the wild side without leaving your seat.
“Jelly Smack Summer” by Ralph Pace
A smack of Pacific sea nettle jellyfish in Monterey Bay © Ralph Pace
Speaking of doing anything to get the shot, Ralph Pace deserves some serious kudos for this one. The California-based underwater and environmental photographer slathered every inch of his exposed skin in petroleum jelly before swimming through this group—or “smack”—of Pacific sea nettle jellyfish in Monterey Bay.
This provided a layer of protection against the jellys’ sting. What feels like a bee sting to humans is deadly for the Pacific sea nettle jellyfish’s prey. This species hunts tiny drifting sea creatures by trailing its frilly, stinging-cell-laced tentacles, paralyzing any prey they touch.
“Inside the Pack” by Amit Eshel
A pack of Arctic wolves on Ellesmere Island in Canada © Amit Eshel
To create “Inside the Pack,” wildlife photographer Amit Eshel, from Israel, endured temperatures as low as -31 degrees Fahrenheit (-35 degrees Celsius) on Ellesmere Island in Canada, The Guardian reports. Eshel laid down on the frozen tundra and allowed an Arctic wolf pack to creep close enough to smell his breath before snapping the photo.
“Through this photograph, I wanted to highlight how the behavior of these stunning animals challenges the negative reputation and “Wolf Hate” culture that often arises from misunderstanding, myths, and folklore stories passed down through generations,” Eshel wrote in an Instagram post.
“No Place Like Home” by Emmanuel Tardy
A brown-throated three-toed sloth clings to a fence post in El Tanque, Costa Rica © Emmanuel Tardy
French wildlife photographer Emmanuel Tardy waited patiently for the crowds to disperse along a roadside in El Tanque, Costa Rica, before taking this photo. Traffic slowed to a crawl as a brown-throated three-toed sloth lumbered across the road and then clung to a fencepost—the first tree-like thing it saw.
Sloths usually keep to the lush canopy of the jungle, but as deforestation increasingly fragments their habitat, more of them are forced to move around at ground level. The Costa Rican government is working with conservation groups to establish aerial bridges that will help sloths navigate the thinning treeline.
“Rutting Call” by Jamie Smart
A red deer stag bellows in Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, U.K. © Jamie Smart
This photo by U.K.-based wildlife photographer Jaime Smart captures a red deer stag mid-mating call in Leicestershire’s Bradgate Park. At just 9 years old, Smart had to stretch and make herself tall to see over the high grasses and capture a clear view of the stag.
Each year, red deer stags gather in Bradgate Park to compete for females. Their rutting calls are deep and guttural, resonating across distances up to two miles. The frequency and intensity of their bellowing can indicate the stag’s size and strength, making it a critical part of the mating ritual.
“Slime Family Portrait” by Kutub Uddin
Slime molds grow on a tree in Slindon Wood, West Sussex, U.K. © Kutub Uddin
When photographed at macro scale, these creatures resemble bizarre, Seussian trees. They’re actually slime molds—amalgamations of single-celled amoeba-like organisms that come together to feed and reproduce.
The molds were growing on an actual tree in Slindon Wood, West Sussex, when they caught the eye of U.K.-based photographer Kutub Uddin. His photo shows their bulbous, blueberry-like reproductive parts perched atop stalks only a couple millimeters wide, next to a tiny yellow insect egg.
“Deadly Lesson” by Marina Cano
Three young cheetahs proudly display the dik-dik they captured in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve. © Marina Cano
When learning to hunt in the Kenyan Savannah, teamwork makes the dream work. Spanish wildlife photographer Marina Cano captured this image of three young cheetahs showing off their prize after catching a Günther’s dik-dik in Samburu national reserve.
The deadly cats wasted no time tearing into their meal, chowing down soon after Cano snapped the photo.
“Toxic Tip” by Lakshitha Karunarathna
A lone elephant walks across a waste-disposal site in Ampara, Sri Lanka © Lakshitha Karunarathna
Lakshitha Karunarathna, a wildlife photographer from Sri Lanka, has documented the conflict between people and the island’s roughly 7,500 elephants for years. In this heart-wrenching image, a lone Asian elephant crosses a waste-disposal site in Ampara.
Elephants are increasingly foraging for food among Sri Lanka’s open trash dumps. About 20 elephants died over the course of eight years from consuming plastic waste at the dump in Ampara’s Pallakkadu village, the Associated Press reported in 2022.
“Special Delivery” by Bidyut Kalita
A potter wasp carries a green caterpillar home to its larvae in Goalpara, Assam, India © Bidyut Kalita
Bidyut Kalita, a macro wildlife photographer from India, snapped this stunningly detailed photo of a potter wasp in his hometown of Goalpara, Assam. The wasp clutches a bright green caterpillar between its mouthparts and legs, carrying it home to its developing larvae.
Aptly named potter wasps build tiny, vase-shaped nests of clay and stock them with paralyzed prey to feed their young. When Kalita spotted this one, he wedged a door open to allow it to fly into the room, snapping a photo at the perfect time.
“Fragile River of Life” by Isaac Szabo
A female longnose gar spawns in a Florida river © Isaac Szabo
Check out the snouts on these longnose gars. This species of ray-finned fish has been around since the time of the dinosaurs and may have been present in North America for about 100 million years.
Isaac Szabo, an underwater photographer from Arkansas, specializes in documenting the freshwater ecosystems of North America. To snap this photo, he wrapped his feet around a downed tree in a Florida river, capturing the moment a female spawned in the crystal-clear waters.
