Breathtaking first-ever photos of animals

The Nature's Best Photography (NBP) 2024 international awards have just announced 11 categories and 100 outstanding photos. Among them, many photos of wildlife have impressed the photography world.

Photo taken by Mangesh Ratnakar Desai at Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India. Photo: Mangesh Ratnakar Desai.

The photo of a heron and a crawfish "facing each other" was taken by Xiaoping Lin at Yundang Lake, Xiamen, Fujian, China. Photo: Xiaoping Lin.

Bald eagles fight at Hood Canal, Kitsap County, Washington, USA. Photo: Michael Despines.

The moment a parrot bites a lizard's tail at Keloadev National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India. Photo: Hira Punjabi.

Cormorant hunting at Baja California Sur Peninsula, Sea of ​​Cortez, Espiritu Santo Islands, Los Islotes Rockeries, Mexico. Photo: Franco Banfi.

A curved-billed toucan, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica. Photo: Greg Basco.

Red-throated grebe in Suomenniemi, Finland. Photo: Jari Heikkinen.

Great Heron at Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Uncertain, Texas, USA. Photo: Michael Zheng.

Great horned owl or screech owl in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. Photo: Isabel Guerra Clark.

A Bengal tiger hugs a tree at Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India. Photo: Krishna Daga.

Rare footage of African lion cubs drinking water at the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana. Photo: Keith Bannerman.

A Masai giraffe pets a fawn at the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Photo: Thomas Nicholson.

A tiger cub plays in the snow at Canada Lynx, Northern Ontario, Canada. Photo: Thomas Vijayan.

South American tapir in the Olho d'Água riverbed, Jardim, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Photo: Marcio Cabral.

Two puma cubs in Patagonia, Chile. Photo: Ralph Lee Hopkins.

Indian pangolin mother and baby in Matale, Sri Lanka. Photo: Heshan Peiris.

White rhino and calf at Solio Game Reserve, Kenya, UK. Photo: Jules Oldroyd.

The Geladas family and their young in Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. Photo: Marco Gaiotti.

American bison and her calf "confront" at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Photo: Lara Ferraro.

Brown bear hunting in Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA. Photo: Barrett Hedges.

Olive baboon in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Photo: Steve Mattheis.

A mountain hare's "sweet kiss", in the Monadhliath Range, Scotland, UK. Photo: Andy Parkinson.

Bees and butterflies play with a turtle at Tres Chimbadas Lake, Peru. Photo: Hung Tsui.

A red-billed sparrow perches perched on a wildebeest's horn. Photographed in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Photo: Luisa Pericoli.

Osprey hunting in Oceanport, New Jersey, USA. Photo: William Page Pully.

Leopard and cub in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Photo: Daryl Yeo.

An ermine trapped in a rock crevice in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Photo: Larry Taylor.

Funny moment in front of the camera of emperor penguins in Antarctica. Photo: Thomas Vijayan.

To take this photo, photographer Brett Freliche's fingers and face were numb from the cold underwater in Hudson Bay. Photo: Brett Freliche.

A cute sleeping emperor penguin chick in Atka Bay, Antarctica. Photo: Stefan Christmann.

Leopard seals hunt at Paradise Harbour, Antarctica. They are one of the world's largest seal species, and are characterised by their spotted coats that resemble leopard patterns. Photo: Matty Smith.

Diving with sperm whales in the Caribbean. Photo: Franco Banfi.

Freediver and silky sharks at Gardens of the Queen National Park, Cuba. Photo: Wayne Lai.

A stone sparrow perched near a metal gate latch "plays" the role of a territorial protector. Photo: European Stonechat.

Tule elk tangled in barbed wire at Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA. Photo: Jim Coda.

Chimpanzee rescue at Lwiro Primate Sanctuary, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: Marcus Westberg.

Baby fish drift among moon jellyfish in Palm Beach, Florida, USA. Photo: Michael Patrick O'Neill.