Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025: First images revealed from record entries

“Deadly Lessons” — Young cheetahs practise hunting skills after catching a Günther’s dik-dik in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. Captured by Spain’s Marina Cano, the image was highly commended in the Mammals’ Behaviour category of the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

“Nature Reclaims Its Space” — Fruit bats fly out from their roost in the ruins of a historic monument in Banda, Maharashtra, India. Captured by Indian photographer Sitaram Raul, who worked in total darkness and relied on flash to illuminate the scene.

“Pink Pose” — A greater flamingo scratches its head in the Camargue wetlands of southern France. Captured by Swiss photographer Leana Kuster while on holiday, the shot was highly commended in the 15–17 years category of the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

“Jelly Smack Summer” — A bloom of Pacific sea nettle jellyfish drifts through Monterey Bay, California. Captured by U.S. photographer Ralph Pace, who protected his skin with petroleum jelly before diving, the image highlights how jellyfish — whose sting is mild, like a bee’s — are thriving in warming seas. The photograph was featured in the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

“A Tale of Two Coyotes” — Captured in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights Park, the image shows the adaptable canids that now number around 100 in the city. U.S. photographer Parham Pourahmad followed a pair for hours to take this shot, which was highly commended in the 11–14 years category of the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

“Toxic Tip” — An Asian elephant picks its way through a waste-disposal site in Ampara, Sri Lanka. Captured by Lakshitha Karunarathna, who has documented human–elephant conflict for more than three years, the image highlights the deadly toll of plastic pollution. At least 20 elephants have died over eight years at one of two open rubbish tips in the town after ingesting food wrappers and plastic waste. Featured in the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

“Slime Family Portrait” — Slime mould grows on a tree in Slindon Wood, West Sussex, its blueberry-like reproductive parts only 1–2 millimetres wide, alongside a tiny insect egg. Captured by Bangladeshi-British photographer Kutub Uddin, the image was featured in the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

“Essence of Kamchatka” — A brown bear walks along the shore of Kurile Lake in Russia’s far east as a slaty-backed gull flies past. Captured by Indian photographer Kesshav Vikram after days of waiting, the image was highly commended in the 11–14 years category of the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

“Ice Edge Journey” — An emperor penguin colony gathers on the Ekström Ice Shelf in Atka Bay, Antarctica. Captured by UK photographer Bertie Gregory, the image shows fledgling chicks leaping 15 metres into the sea after missing the easier ice ramps. Scientists warn that with Antarctic sea ice in decline, more penguins may be forced to breed on ice shelves, making such dramatic plunges increasingly common and featured in the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

“No Place Like Home” — A brown-throated three-toed sloth clings to a fencepost in Costa Rica. Captured by French photographer Emmanuel Tardy, the image reflects how shrinking forests force sloths to travel farther on the ground. To protect them, Costa Rica is working with conservation groups to establish wildlife corridors, including aerial bridges that reconnect fragmented habitats—featured in the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

“Wake-up Call” — A lion faces down a cobra in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park after the snake slithered towards two sleeping lions. Captured by Italian photographer Gabriella Comi, the dramatic moment showcases the Serengeti’s renowned lion population, estimated to be around 3,000 and featured in the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.