Canadian amateur photographer Don Gutoski has been named wildlife photographer of the year at London’s Natural History Museum for his image, Tale of two foxes. Here are the winning images in all categories:
Wildlife photographer of the year winner and mammals category winner: A tale of two foxes by Don Gutoski (Canada). Surprising behaviour, witnessed in Wapusk national park, on Hudson Bay, Canada, in early winter. Red foxes don’t actively hunt Arctic foxes, but where the ranges of two predators overlap, there can be conflict. Though the light was poor, the snow-covered tundra provided the backdrop for the moment that the red fox paused with the smaller fox in its mouth in a grim pose.
Photograph: Don Gutoski/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Young wildlife photographers: 11–14 years old winner: Ruffs on display by Ondrej Pelánek (Czech Republic). On their traditional lek ground – an area of tundra on Norway’s Varanger Peninsula – territorial male ruffs in full breeding plumage show off their ruffs to each other, proclaiming ownership of their courtship areas.
Photograph: Martin Pelanek/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Young wildlife photographers: 15–17 years old winner: Flight of the scarlet ibis by Jonathan Jagot (France). On a boat off the island of Lençóis on the coast of north-east Brazil, Jagot captured this shot of scarlet wings against the canvas of sand and tropical blue sky.
Photograph: Jonathan Jagot/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Birds winner: The company of three by Amir Ben-Dov (Israel). Red-footed falcons are social birds, migrating in large flocks from central and eastern Europe to southern and south-western Africa. Six days watching these three resulted in a picture that reveals a subtle interaction: one female nudged the male with her talon as she flew up to make space on the branch for the other female. Exactly what the relationship was between the three birds remains a mystery.
Photograph: Amir Ben Dov/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Amphibians and reptiles winner: Still life by Edwin Giesbers (The Netherlands). A great crested newt hangs motionless near the surface of the stream.
Photograph: Edwin Giesbers/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Underwater winner: A whale of a mouthful by Michael AW (Australia). A Bryde’s whale rips through a swirling ball of sardines, gulping a huge mouthful in a single pass.
Photograph: Michael AW/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
From the Sky winner: The art of algae by Pere Soler (Spain). In the Bahía de Cádiz natural park on the coast of Andalucia, Spain, Soler captured a spring phenomenon only fully visible from the air. As the temperature warms and the salinity changes, the intertidal wetlands are transformed by colour as bright green seaweed intermingles with multicoloured microalgal blooms. White salt deposits and brown and orange sediments coloured by sulphurous bacteria and iron oxide add to the colours.
Photograph: Pere Soler/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Urban winner: Shadow walkerby Richard Peters (UK). A snatched glimpse or a movement in the shadows is how most people see an urban fox. This shot conveys a sense of living in the shadows.
Photograph: Richard Peters/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Impressions winner: Life comes to art by Juan Tapia (Spain). Tapia made a swallow-sized hole in an oil painting in a old barn and moved it over the window that the swallows entered through, capturing the moment one of the swallows swooped in with the sky behind.
Photograph: Juan Tapia/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The wildlife photojournalist award: single image winner: Broken cats by Britta Jaschinski (Germany/UK). Big cats perform at the Seven Star Park in Guilin, China. They have had their teeth and claws pulled out, and when not in the arena, they live in the tiny cages visible behind the stage. For the past 20 years, Britta has travelled extensively, documenting the world of animals in captivity. But never, she says, has she come across ‘such brutal and systematic deprivation’ as in China.
Photograph: Britta Jaschinsk/2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year