Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 awards
Images that raise awareness of nature's beauty and fragility, while also championing the highest ethical standards in wildlife photography - only these can win the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.
A tale of two foxes
Climate change is pushing red foxes further north into Arctic fox territory, where the two compete for food and the former occasionally preys on the latter. Canadian Don Gutoski witnessed one of these intraspecies attacks on his 40-hectare property in northern Canada. He sat for three hours in -30 Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) weather to get this picture.
Still life
Dutchman Edwin Giesbers was sitting in a cold stream, wearing a wetsuit, when he snapped this image of a newt by submerging his camera directly below it. His patience (and stoicism) won him Amphibians and Reptiles prize.
Flight of the scarlet ibis
Jonathan Jago of France won the 15-17 category for this image taken in Brazil. He'd anchored a dinghy on the beach of Ilha do Lençóis and was watching the scarlet ibises as they feasted on small crustaceans. He snapped this picture as they took flight.
A whale of a mouthful
A Bryde's whale feasts on sardines off the eastern coast of South Africa in this Under Water winner by Michael AW of Australia. Bryde's whales exploit other predators' attempts to eat the fish, which herd when threatened.
The art of algae
Spaniard Per Soler captured the image in late spring in Spain's Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park. Spring is when microalgae blooms in the lowland marshes contrast most brightly against green seaweed. The picture won the From the Air category.
The company of three
The winner of the Birds category, with this surreally clear image of three red-footed falcons, was Amir Ben-Dov of Israel. The falcons were enjoying a bit of playful respite in Beit Semesh while en route to wintering grounds in Africa from Europe.
Broken cats
"These cats have been drugged, their teeth and claws pulled out, and they are controlled during [a performance in Guilin, China] by poles with metal spikes," writes the winner of the Single Image category, Britta Jaschinski of Germany/UK. The center animal is a liger, a cross between a male lion and a female tiger. Ligers are thought to be the largest living felines.
Ruffs on display
The Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year award went to Ondřej Pelánek of the Czech Republic, who snuck out of his tent during one of Norway's daylight summer nights to capture this image of two male ruffs fighting for females.
Shadow walker
An urban fox's shadow conveys the relationship many of us seem to have with wildlife - fleeting glimpses at best, but often just an impression or a sound. The UK's Richard Peters snapped this photo when his neighbor turned a light on, winning him the Urban category. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is owned by the Natural History Museum in Britain, with numerous sponsors.