While hiking in the dense forests of Uganda, wildlife photographer Federica Cordero came across a young male chimp resting on a twisted vine. His furrowed brows hinted at some irritation at having his nap interrupted, but it gave Cordero’s portrait an attractive air of teenage angst. Teenagers, am I right?
image, title canopy watcherwon the Animal Portrait category of this year’s Nature InFocus Photography Awards. This annual competition celebrates photographers who document extraordinary moments in natural history and shed light on important conservation issues. This year’s winners were announced on November 15 At the Nature InFocus festival in Bengaluru, India.
We encourage you to take a page from this laid-back chimp’s book. Sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the breathtaking winning photos below.
ancient rival, Animal Behavior Category Winner
When an Arctic wolf is on the hunt, the Muskoxen know what to do. The herd in the background of this photo has formed a defensive circle to protect its calves, with its horns facing outwards toward the advancing hunters.
Unfortunately for the herd, this wolf and his pack managed to capture some young musk oxen, and turn them into a quick snack before continuing on their way. Wildlife photographer Amit Eshel caught this hunter with red hands or, uh, red face, acting out the drama of life in the desolate tundra of Ellesmere Island, Canada.
Nautilus is underwayYoung Photographer Category Winner
Tinnapat Netcharusaeng, a 16-year-old underwater wildlife photographer and aspiring marine biologist, captured this ethereal image while diving into the black water at night off the coast of Anilao, Philippines.
This alien-looking creature is a female paper nautilus, which despite its name is not a nautilus at all. It is actually an octopus with a thin, nautilus-like shell, making it look similar to a sea mollusk. This female is clinging to a leaf, riding it like a raft as if she is drifting in the open ocean.
The edge of two worlds, Conservation Photography Award Winners
Urban life collides with wildlife in Udaipur, a city in Rajasthan, India. Wildlife photographer and cinematographer Rajat Chordia captured the blend of these two worlds with this striking image of a young leopard eating a cow carcass on the side of a busy road surrounded by garbage.
This photo is a reminder of the challenges that Udaipur’s leopard population faces today despite expanding conservation efforts. Destruction of their forest habitat causes these predators to come into conflict with human communities, sometimes with fatal consequences.
urban oasis, Coexistence Category Winner
At Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, wildlife photographer Sarthak Agarwal watches a flock of flamingos feeding against the backdrop of the Dubai skyline. This protected urban wetland thrives amid rapid urban development, filtering water, storing carbon and sustaining a diverse array of wildlife.
Ras Al Khor provides shelter to 25,000 migratory birds each winter, including great flamingos. Even without their distinctive pink color, the birds are striking in this black and white photo, with their long necks, curved beaks and stalked legs.
blue auraCreative Nature Photography Category Winner
This photo may look like an abstract art work, but it is an actual crane fly sitting on a leaf in Goalpara, a city in Assam, India. These long-legged, winged insects resemble giant mosquitoes, but they do not bite or sting.
Macro wildlife photographer Bidyut Kalita used a stationary mobile light to track the fly’s movements and a speed light to freeze its body, capturing the insect in sharp focus as well as a ghostly blue glow that reveals the movement of its legs.
Thief in the headlines, Wildscape and Animals in Habitat Category Winner
Amidst a group of unusually shaped trees in Georgia’s Vashlovni National Park, wildlife photographer Sergei Bystritsky captured an eerie nighttime scene. He used soft light to illuminate the area and flash and cloth to guide a fox into view, capturing a photograph of this nocturnal predator moving in the foreground.
Vashlovani National Park boasts a mosaic of ecosystems ranging from deserts and semi-deserts to steppes and unique, shallow forests. Its wildlife is equally diverse, home to hundreds of plant and animal species.
This is just a small sample; You can see more winning images on the contest website.