Wildlife Photography Contest Winners

The Natural History Museum London's 60th Wildlife Photography Awards selected the best images from 59,228 entries from 117 countries and territories.

This impressive photo by German photographer Ingo Arndt captures the moment a red wood ant helps its fellow ant dismember a green ground beetle . (Photo: Ingo Arndt)

Australian photographer Matthew Smith took this photo of a leopard seal under the ice at Paradise Harbor on the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first time he had come face to face with the animal. "When it looked straight into the lens, I knew it was going to be a great photo," Smith said. (Photo: Matthew Smith)

Although beautiful, the photo exposes the cruel practice of orangutan boxing . This practice involves punishing and depriving orangutans of food in order to train them to fight each other. British photographer Aaron Gekoski said he took the photo after the fight ended and waited for the animal to regain its strength. (Photo: Aaron Gekoski)

Indian photographer Dhanu Paran had just 20 minutes to fly his drone and capture a family of elephants taking an afternoon nap before they woke up. He had previously spotted them in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nandu. (Photo: Dhanu Paran)

After carefully scouting his location, German photographer Jan LeBmann stood on a bridge over a canal in northeastern Germany for a day, waiting for the perfect shot. The result is a photo of a swallow swooping down close to the water's surface, reflecting the sun against the leaves of a water lily. (Photo: Jan LeBmann)

Dutch photographer Theo Bosboom says he enjoys photographing animals that are less attractive or considered unimportant. That's why he focused on mussels clinging to each other to avoid being washed out to sea , and the resulting photos are incredibly beautiful. (Photo: Theo Bosboom)

This photo captures a tense moment between a male and female lion in Serengeti National Park after the female suffered a broken leg during the male's attempt to mate. The saliva trail from the big cats' mouths and the flies flying from the male's mane add to the drama of the scene. Both were details British photographer William Fortescue didn't notice until he zoomed in later. (Photo: William Fortescue)

The photo highlights the mating ritual of male satin grosbeaks, who build nests to attract females. It is actually two frames superimposed on each other. One shows the male bird focused on building a nest, and the other shows the female visiting. Notably, the male decorates the nest with plastic clothespins, straws, and cardboard box lids, revealing how the bird has adapted to urban environments. The photo was taken by Australian photographer Keith Horton. (Photo: Keith Horton)

This photo by American photographer Sage Ono shows a lionhead sea slug with its mouth and hood wide open to catch prey. It sits on a branch of algae waiting for food, such as crustaceans or other invertebrates, to swim by and get caught in the hood. It then closes its mouth and swallows its prey whole. (Photo: Sage Ono)

The image of a lynx stretching under the evening sun was captured by Russian photographer Igor Metelskiy. He spent nearly 6 months photographing this reclusive animal. (Photo: Igor Metelskiy)

A group of monarch butterflies huddled together in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, captured by Spanish photographer James Rojo . They huddled in a fir tree for safety and warmth, although one was already flapping its wings with confidence. (Photo: James Rojo)

Canadian photographer Shane Gross captured the top-placed image in the competition after spending several hours diving in a lake on Vancouver Island. The epic migration of tiny tadpoles is a sight most people can't even imagine. (Photo: Shane Gross)