Nature possesses a unique capability to motivate, astonish, and humble us, and 2024 was no different.
From haunting underwater whale cemeteries to breathtaking visuals of predators seizing their prey, here are the most remarkable nature photographs taken in 2024.
In the tropical wetlands of the Pantanal, located in South America, photographer Ian Ford Panthera onca ) executed a skull-crushing bite to a yacaré caiman (Caiman yacare ).
The image, named “Deadly bite,” was among the highly praised images in the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Natural History Museum
Related: View a jaguar crushing a crocodilian’s skull and a ‘David Bowie’ spider in this preview of the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Young plainfin midshipman fish, still connected to their yolk sacs. British Columbia, Canada (Image credit: Shane Gross/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024)
Photographer Shane Gross Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024
This photograph features a group of wide-eyed young plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus ) resting above their golden yolk sacs still attached to their bodies.
At a fleeting first look, this photograph seems to depict the unfeasible: A fox cub resting … submerged? In actuality, this fox is lounging on a cliff, probably relishing a rare chance of sunlight or possibly gearing up to hunt the sizable bird populations that nest on the adjacent cliffs. This specific cub is a Pribilof Island arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus pribilofensis ) and is native to the Pribilof Islands, where these magnificent beings are protected by federal law. (Image credit: Kathleen Borshanian/The Big Picture 2024)
Photographer Kathleen Borshanian obtained this snapshot of an Arctic fox cub soaking in sunlight on the brink of a cliff located on an island in the Bering Sea.
The Pribilof Islands Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus pribilofensis ) is unique to the Pribilof Islands — four volcanic landmasses off the shore of Alaska. The fox featured in this photograph lurks near the entrance of one of numerous tunnels found throughout the island. These tunnels create an underground labyrinth and offer sanctuary for these cubs, according to the image’s caption.
This picture was among the contenders in the Terrestrial Wildlife category for the 2024 Big Picture: Natural World Photography contest.
Category: Illustrates a biological principleMost of you may already recognize this as a bioluminescent mushroom, but did you realize that the blue shimmer in the lil frog’s eyes and across its body showcases another kind of luminescence known as biofluorescence? This phenomenon happens when a living organism possesses a chemical surface that absorbs light at one wavelength and re-emits it at a different one. Numerous entities can fluoresce, including our species. A 365 nm flashlight is your gateway to exploring this enchanting new realm filled with extraordinary fresh findings, all spurred by just one question. “I wonder if it will glow?”. (Image credit: Toby Schrapel/Beaker Street Photography Prize)
Under the towering pines of a timber plantation, photographer Toby Schrapel Litoria ewingii ) resting atop a luminescent ghost mushroom (Omphalotus nidiformis ).
This photograph won first place in the People’s Choice division of the 2024 Beaker Street Science Photography Prize
Related: ‘Absolutely magical’: Rare glowing duo of tree frog and parasitic ghost fungus captured in otherworldly photo
A Metropolitan Police Serious Crime Forensic Expert is engaged in lifting fingerprints from the tusk of an African elephant (genus Loxodonta ) at Heathrow Airport. These investigators are intercepting smuggled wildlife species and products in rising numbers—with thousands of confiscations recorded in October 2023 alone. WWF estimates that on average, 40 African Elephants are slaughtered for their ivory daily, making this fingerprinting task vital to law enforcement initiatives aimed at tracking down smugglers involved in the illegal ivory trade. Despite the challenges of gaining entry, this photographer has established a rapport with the CITES Border Force Team, who grant her access to document inquiries and subsequent forensic examinations, including this newly constituted method employing white magnetic powder to uncover older fingerprints. (Image credit: Britta Jaschinski/The Big Picture 2024)
This image exhibits a forensic expert meticulously extracting fingerprints from the tusk of an African elephant (Loxodonta ) at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom.
Photographer Britta Jaschinski
This photograph was recognized as a contender in the Human and Nature category for the 2024 Big Picture: Natural World Photography competition.
Shane snorkeled in the lake for multiple hours, weaving through fields of lily pads. This approach minimized any disruption of the delicate layers of sediment and algae cloaking the lakebed, which would have hampered visibility. Western toad tadpoles ascend from the safer depths of the lake, evading predators while striving to reach the shallows, where they can feed. The tadpoles begin transforming into toads between four and twelve weeks post-hatching. An estimated 99% will not survive into adulthood. Location: Cedar Lake, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada Technical specifics: Nikon D500 + Tokina fisheye 10–17mm f3.5–4.5 lens at 11mm; 1/200 at f13; ISO 640; 2x Sea & Sea strobes; Aquatica housing (Image credit: Shane Gross/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024)
In this image, titled “The Swarm of Life,” a group of western toad tadpoles (Anaxyrus boreas ) glides beneath a thick expanse of lily pads floating in a Canadian lake.
This species thrives in diverse ecosystems, ranging from southeastern coastal Alaska and British Columbia, Canada, to northern Baja California, Mexico. Female western toads are capable of laying over 12,000 eggs in a single batch, yet only 1% typically survive to adulthood
Photographer Shane Gross documented this image while snorkeling in a mountain lake on Vancouver Island. The photo earned the grand title of winner in the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
During a period of diminished salmon runs, a remarkable aerial view uncovers an enormous assembly of sockeyes (Oncorhynchus nerka ) moving around a brown bear (Ursus arctos ) in Katmai National Park. (Image credit: Barrett Hedges/The Big Picture 2024)
Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka ) navigate around a swimming brown bear (Ursus arctos ) within Katmai National Park in Alaska as the fish return from their yearly migration.
In early June 40 million adult sockeye salmon
The lensman, Barrett Hedges
The eyes of a green crab spider (Diaea dorsata ). (Image credit: Paweł Błachowicz/Nikon Small World 2024)
Utilizing a microscope, an exceptionally detailed image showcases the tiny eyes of a green crab spider (Diaea dorsata
Crab spiders are recognized for their unique colors, which enable them to camouflage amidst the vegetation in woodlands throughout Europe.
Photographer Paweł Błachowicz Nikon Small World 2024 Photomicroscopy competition
Whale graveyard
Earlier this year, a photograph of minke whale skeletons triumphed in the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 contest. (Image credit: ©Alex Dawson/UPY 2024)
Under the coastal waters of East Greenland, a photographer documented the skeletal remains of minke whales nestled in an underwater burial ground.
Photographer Alex Dawson Balaenoptera acutorostrata ). The whales are stripped of their flesh and dragged back into the sea. Over time, their remains are consumed by various marine creatures.
The photograph, named “Whale bones,” received the top award in the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024
Related: Haunting image captures hunted whales off Greenland resting in their aquatic grave
A snapshot of two gannets underwater was awarded the grand prize in the 2024 World Nature Photography Awards. (Image credit: Tracey Lund/World Nature Photography Awards 2024)
Photographer Tracey Lund
With a wingspan measuring 5.9 feet (1.8 meters), northern Gannets (Morus bassanus ) rank as the largest seabirds in the U.K
“Thousands of gannets were soaring above us and then began to dive into the water after local fish,” Lund mentioned in the photo caption
This image was awarded the grand prize at the 2024 World Nature Photography Awards
Cluster of octopus (Octopus hummelincki ) eggs (Image credit: Thomas Barlow & Connor Gibbons/Nikon Small World 2024)
In this image, captured in the Axel Lab Columbia University Octopus hummelincki ).
This complete cluster approximates 0.4 inch (1 centimeter) in width, based on an Instagram post
Photographers Thomas Barlow Connor Gibbons
A triumphant mahi-mahi or common dolphinfish proudly exhibits its catch amidst a feeding frenzy. Baja California Sur, Mexico (Image credit: Manuel Castellanos Raboso/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024)
A mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus ) achieves a successful catch during a feeding frenzy in this picture taken off the shore of Baja California.
“Observing them hunt was captivating — their speed and accuracy were astonishing,” photographer Manuel Castellanos Raboso Oceanographic magazine
The photo was awarded first position in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year segment in the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 competition.
Related: Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024: Explore breathtaking images of a hungry whale, surfing seagull, strange fish babies, land-loving eel, and charming toxic octopus
An abstract portrait of a Potbelly Seahorse. (Image credit: Talia Greis/UPY 2024)
This image of a potbelly seahorse concealed behind a green coral in the murky waters off Sydney earned photographer Talia Greis Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024
The potbelly seahorse (Hippocampus bleekeri ) ranks among the largest seahorse species
This nudibranch is captured in front of a fire-like backdrop. (Image credit: Enrico Somogyi/UPY 2024)
This vibrant image depicts an emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator ) perched on the head of a nudibranch (Hypselodoris apolegma ) that is positioned atop its eggs.
Nudibranchs, commonly referred to as sea slugs, lay their eggs in ribbon-like or tightly coiled shapes.
Photographer Enrico Somogyi Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024
