A Biologist Shares His 4 Favourite ‘Nature’s Best Photography Contest’ Pictures

These 4 photos seize varied starkly totally different realities throughout the animal kingdom — from household and play to survival and migration.

By © Deena R. Sveinsson of Estes Park, Colorado, USA

Each yr, Nature’s Best Photography highlights moments within the animal kingdom that final solely seconds, but are extremely revealing of the very essence of life within the wild. In these 4 photos, photographers have managed to seize the assorted totally different ways in which animals work together with one another and their setting.

From tender household bonds to playful social dynamics, these photos inform tales past what the bare eye can often observe. Here are 4 profitable photographs that invite you to look nearer on the pure world.

1. Emperor Penguins (Antarctica)

Thomas Vijayan’s picture captures an emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) household huddled in opposition to the Antarctic chilly. Here, survival is a gaggle effort: each dad and mom share the responsibility of incubating their eggs, whereas concurrently caring for the chicks nestled safely between them.

“A penguin chick nestled within the warm embrace of its devoted parents finds solace amidst the icy expanse,” explains photographer Vijayan. “This tender display of familial unity speaks volumes about the resilience and fortitude of life in one of the harshest environments on Earth.”

What makes this picture outstanding isn’t simply the frigid fantastic thing about Antarctica. Rather, it’s the story it tells about resilience and cooperation. This is only one of many treasured moments that outline life in one among Earth’s harshest habitats. Vijayan’s persistence, mendacity flat on the ice for hours, is what earned him the grand prize within the 2025 Nature’s Best Photography Awards.

2. The Flight Of The Great Hornbill (Yunnan, China)

The nice hornbill (Buceros bicornis) in flight is a examine in precision, ritual and persistence. Photographer Lisiqi Ye spent days observing a male hornbill courting his mate. He made word of each cautious touchdown, fig supply and take a look at flight.

On the day he captured this extremely honored shot, the fowl appeared to hold within the air, suspended between intention and intuition. “I spent days in a hide facing a fig-rich cavity of a tree claimed by a pair of great hornbills,” Ye defined. “On the day I took this picture, the male came home heavy with fruit. He faced the wind and bled off speed; wingbeats drummed; the casque caught the sun.”

Beyond its dramatic composition, this picture tells a narrative concerning the rhythms of life in Hornbill Valley. Here, survival, copy and social habits are all tightly interwoven. Ye’s persistence, remark and understanding of the hornbill’s pure choreography is what earned him the win within the Youth Photographer of the Year class.

3. Playful Mountain Gorillas (Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda)

In Bwindi’s dense forests, mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) play with an depth that each teaches and entertains the youth in equal measure. Photographer David Swindler captured a small sibling persistently pestering a bigger one; it’s a scene that, to us, appears comical, however is definitely important for social studying within the gorilla world.

“These playful youngsters were comical to observe when we trekked through this critical gorilla forest habitat,” Swindler defined. The picture provides us a window into the social bonds and behavioral growth of those endangered primates. Play, to them, is an important a part of survival, skill-building and group cohesion. His capturing this healthful reality is what made Swindler deserving of the win within the Animal Antics class.

4. Grizzly Bear Crossing (Lake Clark National Park, Alaska)

Holdsworth’s {photograph} of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) tracks in Alaska’s tidal mudflats is a masterclass in remark. The criss-crossing tracks, highlighted favorably by the pure lighting, seize each the motion of those highly effective mammals and the ever-changing setting by which they dwell.

“I positioned my camera as high as possible to capture this image of bear paw prints criss-crossing through the cracked and oozing mud,” Holdsworth defined. “I liked the way the lighting made the tracks look raised up in places and slightly three-dimensional.” The picture emphasizes how the grizzly’s every day navigation and environmental interplay create patterns which can be each stunning and scientifically informative.

These 4 photos could also be distinct when it comes to species and setting, however they nonetheless share a typical thread: they invite us to look nearer, to see the complexity and surprise of life within the wild. Through persistence, remark and technical talent, these pictures provide us invaluable classes concerning the habits adaptation and enjoyable that unfolds past human eyes.

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