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Is this polar bear comfortable? Apparently - at least he's snuggled up on a small iceberg. Nima Sarikhani photographed him in northern Norway. The photographer drove an expedition ship through dense fog for three days without success, according to a text accompanying the picture. Then they changed course and found a place where there was still some sea ice - and polar bears. She would have seen a younger and an older male there. Shortly before midnight, the younger polar bear climbed onto the small iceberg. Then he fell asleep.
"Nima's breathtaking and poignant image allows us to recognize the beauty and fragility of our planet," said Douglas Gurr, the museum's director.
The image is the winning photo of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Awards, a competition hosted by the Natural History Museum.
Photo: Nima Sarikhani / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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Animal flirtation: Tzahi Finkelstein captured a special moment between a turtle and a dragonfly in Israel's Jezreel Valley. The insect unexpectedly landed on the turtle's nose - but instead of eating it, the turtle seemed to enjoy it. The picture didn't win, but like the three following, it is one of the photos that were classified as "highly recommended" in the competition.
Photo: Tzahi Finkelstein / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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Once the full attention - the cub seems to enjoy the moment of undivided affection; two lionesses have devotedly taken it into their midst. One early morning, Mark Boyd observed what was happening in the Masai Mara in Kenya, according to a statement. The evening before, they went hunting and left their young hidden in thick bushes. But the hunting trip was unsuccessful. After their return they took care of the cub.
Photo: Mark Boyd / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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These jellyfish spread out like large carpets on the water, illuminated by green and blue northern lights: Audun Rikardsen photographed them in a fjord near Tromsø in Norway. To protect his equipment, he built himself a waterproof case - and a system that adjusts focus and aperture. He managed to capture the reflection on the water surface and at the same time illuminate the jellyfish with lightning in order to capture them too.
Photo: Audun Rikardsen / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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Many birds form one big one: Daniel Dencescu captured this very special formation over Rome. Every day, when the starlings return from foraging, they gather in huge flocks. Dencescu spent hours tracking the starling through the city and suburbs, then he got lucky. On a cloudy winter day he found a swarm - who offered him a special spectacle.
Photo: Daniel Dencescu / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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As if he were angry about all the garbage: A bull elephant throws garbage around in a landfill while he looks for leftovers that are still edible. A gunshot wound scar on the upper part of this elephant's left foreleg and another wound high on its back indicate that it was a persistent crop predator, the release said. Conflicts between people and elephants often escalate, sometimes ending in gunfire. However, it is said that these do not kill the large animals, but only scare them off for a few months.
The image – like the following ones – made it onto the shortlist of photos that were voted on in the competition.
Photo: Brent Stirton / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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Hermann Hirsch and Jan Lessman positioned their camera between cornflowers and activated the shutter release via remote control: This enabled them to photograph this swallow as it flew over a meadow in eastern Germany.
Photo: Hermann Hirsch / Jan Lessman / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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A chimpanzee behind bars? Appearances are deceptive; he is supposed to be helped; he is in a center in the Upper Niger National Park. It is said that orphaned chimpanzees live there and were rescued from being sold as pets. The goal: to nurture the animals again and release them into the national park.
Photo: Roberto García-Roa / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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