Hyena with zebra head in jaws amongst 14 highly effective photos from close-up photograph problem

The winners of Close-up Photographers of the Year’s (CUPOTY) ‘Death & Decay’ problem have been introduced, with prime spot going to Willem Kruger for his emotive picture of a hyena carrying a zebra head in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

“Early one morning during a game drive in Kruger National Park, my wife and I came across three spotted hyenas walking along the road,” says Kruger. “One was carrying the head of a zebra, presumably from a nearby lion kill, and was heading straight towards us. In nature, almost nothing goes to waste – even hyenas have a family to feed, and they do it with remarkable commitment.”

Kruger’s evocative shot is 1 of 14 close-up and macro photographs celebrated in CUPOTY‘s winners’ gallery. Second place went to Juan Jesus Gonzalez Ahumada for his poignant picture of a male toad clutching a useless feminine. Gaël Modrak got here third with an eerie underwater shot of a useless waterfowl chick.

The CUPOTY problem – designed to offer photographers common alternatives to showcase their close-up, macro and micro photos – runs alongside the primary annual CUPOTY competition.

• Ghostly scorpion amongst 23 mind-blowing photos from Close-up Photographer of the Year

More superb wildlife images from world wide

• Staggering drone photos present three colossal ‘whales’ rising from a forest in Thailand
• 11 epic photographs of the heaviest snake on Earth
• Crocodile beneath assault amongst 27 beautiful photos from the Capturing Ecology photograph awards
• Breathtaking gorilla photographs reveal the power and sweetness of those huge mammals