25 wildlife photos that show nature at its most beautiful, weird, and brutal
2024-05-19 03:02:33

The Wildlife Photography Awards really is the gift that keeps on giving.

A couple of months back we had the contest's highly commended entries, then we had the overall winners, and now it's time for the People's Choice category.

On Tuesday, London's Natural History Museum — the organisation behind the competition — released a 25-strong shortlist, which ranges from the adorable and the amusing to the dark and disturbing (fair warning, there are a handful of entries right at the bottom of this list that show animals that are either hurt or in captivity — they serve to highlight issues surrounding cruel human treatment of animals, hunting, and the need for conservation but they may well be upsetting, so tread with caution). The following images have been shortlisted from 49,000 entries.

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People can vote for their favouritevia the National History Museum's website, with winners set to be announced on Feb. 9, 2021.

Mashable Image"Spirit of Bhutan" by Emmanuel Rondeau, France.Credit: EMMANUEL RONDEAUMashable Image"A window to life" by Sergio Marijuán Campuzano, Spain.Credit: SERGIO MARIJUÁN CAMPUZANOMashable Image"White danger" by Petri Pietiläinen, Finland.Credit: PETRI PIETILÄINENMashable Image"The real garden gnomes" by Karine Aigner, USA.Credit: KARINE AIGNERMashable Image"Coexistence" by Pallavi Prasad Laveti, India.Credit: PALLAVI PRASAD LAVETIMashable Image"Family portrait" by Andrew Lee, USA.Credit: ANDREW LEEMashable Image"Baby on the rocks" by Frédéric Larrey, France.Credit: FRÉDÉRIC LARREYMashable Image"Shut the front door" by Sam Sloss, Italy/USA.Credit: SAM SLOSSMashable Image"Drey dreaming" by Neil Anderson, UK.Credit: NEIL ANDERSONMashable Image"A special moment" by Oliver Richter, Germany.Credit: OLIVER RICHTERMashable Image"Hare ball" by Andy Parkinson, UK.Credit: ANDY PARKINSONMashable Image"Border refuge" by Joseph Dominic Anthony, Hong Kong/UK.Credit: JOSEPH DOMINIC ANTHONYMashable Image"Turtle time machine" by Thomas Peschak, Germany/South Africa.Credit: THOMAS P. PESCHAK Mashable Image"The alpha" by Mogens Trolle, Denmark.Credit: MOGENS TROLLEMashable Image"Eye to eye" by Andrey Shpatak, Russia.Credit: ANDREY SHPATAKMashable Image"Lion king" by Wim van den Heever, South Africa.Credit: WIM VAN DEN HEEVERMashable Image"Close encounter" by Guillermo Esteves, USA.Credit: GUILLERMO ESTEVESMashable Image"Resting dragon" by Gary Meredith, Australia.Credit: GARY MEREDITHMashable Image"Life Saver" by Sergio Marijuán Campuzano, Spain.Credit: SERGIO MARIJUÁN CAMPUZANOMashable Image"Bat woman" by Douglas Gimesy, Australia.Credit: DOUGLAS GIMESYMashable Image"Bushfire" by Robert Irwin, AustraliaCredit: robert irwin

WARNING: These final four images may be upsetting.

They show, in order: A group of sharks tearing apart a grouper fish; a man comforting the last male northern white rhino in Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy in north Kenya, shortly before it died; the head of a zebra, confiscated from a hunter at the U.S. border; and three Siberian brown bears, chained in captivity at the Saint Petersburg State Circus.

Mashable Image"Drawn and quartered" by Laurent Ballesta, France.Credit: Laurent BallestaMashable Image"The last goodbye" by Ami Vitale, USACredit: Ami VitaleMashable Image"Licence to kill" by Britta Jaschinski, Germany.Credit: BRITTA JASCHINSKIMashable Image"Backstage at the circus" by Kirsten Luce, USA.Credit: KIRSTEN LUCE

(作者:新闻中心)