A wasp appearing to fly on a broomstick, a cobra facing down a lion in the Serengeti and bats swooping into focus in India - these are some of this year’s highly commended Wildlife Photographer of the Year submissions.
The Natural History Museum, which runs the competition, is set to announce the winning images on 14 October, followed by an exhibition showcasing 100 standout photographs on 17 October.
Ahead of the event, the museum has released a handful of this year’s top submissions. These images have been selected from a record-breaking 60,000 entries from 113 countries and territories by an international jury of experts across wildlife photography, filmmaking, conservation and science.
Among them is a picture of a wasp taken by macro wildlife photographer Bidyut Kalita. It appears to show the wasp flying on a makeshift broomstick, but in reality, the insect is carrying a caterpillar to feed its young.
The submission was highly commended in the Behaviour: Invertebrates category.
Another stunning photo taken by Israeli photographer Amit Eshel, entitled “Inside the Pack”, is an eye-level shot with an inquisitive Arctic wolf pack.
It shows five wolves on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, in Canada, one of whom is just metres from the camera.
Mr Eshel braved -35C weather to get the shot. He said the wolves came so close he could smell their breath.
A photo taken by Italian photographer Gabriella Comi, entitled “Wake-up Call”, shows the moment a lion squares up to a cobra in the scorching midday sun in the Serengeti National Park. The cobra had been spotted earlier, slithering towards two napping lions.
Deep in the darkness of a cave in southwestern India, just below Mumbai, photographer Sitaram Raul also managed to capture one of this year’s most astonishing competition submissions.
Mr Raul stood in the darkness as fruit bats emerged from a historical ruin. Using focus and flash, standing beneath the swooping bats, Mr Raul managed to capture breathtaking shots of the animals mid-flight.
Another photo from Sri Lanka shows a lone Asian elephant navigating a waste disposal site. The giant grey animal can be seen wading through the multi-coloured rubbish in Ampara, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka.
The photo was taken by Lakshitha Karunarathna and is entitled “Toxic Tip”.
Last year’s competition was won by Canadian photographer Shane Gross for his snapshot of a swarm of western toad tadpoles as they glided beneath a canopy of lily pads in Cedar Lake, Canada.
“To me, the most fun that I can have, the thing that lights me up inside, is to see something new and try to photograph it in the best way I possibly can,” Mr Gross told BBC News.
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