Bence Mate / Leaf cutter ant (Atta sp) female worker carrying leaf to nest, with a smaller 'minor' ant riding. The minor's job is to protect her sister from parasitic flies. Costa Rica, December. Highly Commended,...

Edwin Giesbers / Female Orang Utan (Pongo pygmaeus) sitting, holding two young. One is her own offspring, the other was rejected by its birth mother, and so this female has adopted it. Both young are 3 months old.Capt...

Tony Wu / Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) female nudging her mother's mammary gland whilst trying to feed. Vava;u, Tonga, South Pacific.

Alex Mustard / Common seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) female wrapping her prehensile tail around piece of wood on the seabed. Bitung, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Lembeh Strait, Molucca Sea.

Tony Wu / Zoarchias major eelpout (Zoarchias major) with her mouth wide open. Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, Pacific Ocean.

Oriol Alamany / Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) female (hiding below the rock) with her two juveniles resting in snow, in Spiti Valley, Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, Himalaya, Himachal Pradesh, India, March

Suzi Eszterhas / Leopard (Panthera pardus) mother playing with her six-week-old cub, Jao Reserve, Botswana

John Shaw / Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) female defending her nest from arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus). Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen. June.

John Shaw / Snow monkey or Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) female with baby clinging to her back. Jigokudani, Japan, February.

Nick Hawkins / A female American black bear (Ursus americanus) and her young cub, Nova Scotia, Canada. July.

Yashpal Rathore / Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) tigress (T32) feeding on Spotted deer / Chital (Axis axis) killed by her earlier that day while her young cub watches. Kanha National Park, Central India. Camera...

Espen Bergersen / Aerial shot of a female Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and calf surrounded by Killer whales (Orcinus orca), mother hits sideways with her tail fluke to drive Killer whales away, Skjervoy, Tro...

Steven David Miller / Olive-backed sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) female returning to her nest with nesting material, Cape Hillsborough National Park, Queensland, Australia, September.

Steven David Miller / Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis) female in her nest, Cape Hillsborough National Park, Queensland, Australia, September.

Marie Read / Black-necked stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) pair performing post-copulatory display (as copulation ends, the male slides off the female leaving his wings draped over her and crossing his bill with hers...

Juergen Freund / Margit Cianelli with Lumholtz tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) 'Kimberley', a kangaroo she raised from a baby, now living in nearby forest with her own joey. Lumholtz Lodge, Atherton Tabl...

Juergen Freund / Wildlife carer Margit Cianelli with juvenile Lumholtz kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) with radio collar. The tree kangaroo has a radio collar to allow her to explore her forest surroundings ready for...

Juergen Freund / Margit Cianelli wildlife carer with young Lumholtz kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi), one with a radio collar. The tree kangaroo has a radio collar to allow her to explore her forest surroundings read...

Nick Upton / Ivy bee (Colletes hederae) mating ball, showing a mass of males clustered around a female recently emerged from her burrow, Wiltshire, England, UK, September.

Nick Upton / Female House spider (Tegenaria sp.) at the mouth of her tubular silk retreat in an old stone wall, Somerset, UK, September.

Dave Bevan / Female Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) shaping nest with her body and wings, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK, May.

Matthew Maran / Beaver (Castor fibre) female feeding on willow bark with her two kits, River Otter, Devon, England, UK, July. Highly commended in the Habitat category of the British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA)...

Fiona Rogers / Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurtheii) juvenile female 'Fadhila' aged 5 years and her brother 'Fifty' aged 3 years playing together.Gombe National Park, Tanzania.

Fiona Rogers / Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) five year old juvenile female, named Fadhila, playing with her three year old brother, named Fifty, Gombe National Park, Tanzania

Eric Baccega / Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) female, Huan Huan, out in her enclosure in mist, Captive at Beauval Zoo, Saint Aignan sur Cher, France. The mist is created artificially by machine, in order to cr...

Eric Baccega / Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) female, Huan Huan, out in her enclosure in mist, Captive at Beauval Zoo, Saint Aignan sur Cher, France The mist is created artificially by machine, in order to cr...

Anup Shah / Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) fifteen year old mother carrying her twenty-one month old daughter, Gombe National Park, Tanzania

Dave Watts / Female Western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) rolling with a large joey in her pouch, Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

Dave Watts / Female Tamar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) grazing with a joey in her pouch, Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

John & Mary-Lou Aitchison / Female European otter (Lutra lutra) grooming her cub on a rock, with the cub falling off and into the water, Scotland, UK, November.

John & Mary-Lou Aitchison / Female European otter (Lutra lutra) grooming her cub, Scotland, UK, November.

John & Mary-Lou Aitchison / Female European otter (Lutra lutra) on a rock grooming her cub before rolling over and scent marking, Scotland, UK, November.

Christophe Courteau / Male BurchellÕs zebra (Equus quagga burchellii) pulling the head of a dead pregnant female that died due to complications whilst giving birth, trying to wake her up, Etosha National Park, Namibia. Par...

Ingo Arndt / Grizzly Bear / Coastal Brown Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) mother with two spring cubs, one riding on her back, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska, USA. June.

Anup Shah / Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) female 'Princess' walking along a trail carrying her daughter 'Putri' aged 2 years on her back. Camp Leakey, Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan...

Anup Shah / Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) female 'Tata' and her unnamed baby aged 2-3 months portrait. Camp Leakey, Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia. June 2010. Reh...

Tony Wu / Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) adult female at rest. The tubercles on the whale's head are clearly visible, as are the barnacles (Coronula diadema), whale lice (Cyamus boopis), and hairs on t...

Eric Baccega / Female Harp seal (Phoca groenlandicus) surfacing at breathing hole looking at her pup, Magdalen Islands, Gulf of St Lawrence, Quebec, Canada, March.

Alex Mustard / Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) young female opens her mouth and blows bubbles through her nose playfully while she looks up from the seabed. Lundy Island, Devon, UK, Bristol Channel. August. Highly co...

Tony Wu / Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) female breaching together with her male calf. The calf had a large wound on his left peduncle area, one that appeared to be the result of a large bite, Vava'u,...

Sergey Gorshkov / Leopard (Panthera pardus) female fighting off male after he tries to mate with her. Londolozi Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa.

Neil Aldridge / Spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) reassuring her tiny pup at the entrance to their den, Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana.

Neil Aldridge / Lion cub (Panthera leo) playfully attacking its mother as she drags her puku antelope prey across burnt Busanga Plains, Kafue National Park, Zambia. Vulnerable

Anup Shah / Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurtheii) female 'Gremlin' aged 41 years grooms her daughter 'Golden' aged 14 years while their infants 'Gizmo' aged 3 years and 'Glamma' aged 9 months sit b...

Tony Wu / Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and her calf pursued by males during heat run. Vava'u, Tonga, Pacific Ocean.

Tony Wu / Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) female at the ocean surface with her mouth open. This whale has just surfaced from foraging in deep water. Ogasawara or Bonin Islands, Japan.

Mark Taylor / Tabby-and-white Siberian-cross mother cat carrying her tabby kitten, 4 weeks.

Constantinos Petrinos / Woman from the Oromo tribe transporting firewood on her back. Oromia Region, Central Ethiopia, Africa, March 2009.

Sven Zacek / Ural owl (Strix uralensis) female feeding her young with part of a pellet it has regurgitated. Estonia, May.

Juergen Freund / Tolga Bat Hospital volunteer handing Little red flying fox (Pteropus scapulatus) baby as it flaps her wings, Tolga Bat Hospital, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia. May 2015. Second Place in t...

Anup Shah / Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) female, thirteen years old, playing with her two month old baby daughter, Gombe National Park, Tanzania

Alex Mustard / Hairy pipehorse (Acentronura dendritica) female swimming over the seabed with her prehensile tail in the air. Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. Caribbean Sea.

Anup Shah / Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurtheii) female 'Gremlin' aged 40 years holding her daughter 'Glitter's' baby daught aged 2 months and her own infant son aged 2 years. With 'Glitter' aged...

Fiona Rogers / Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurtheii) female 'Gremlin' aged 40 years holding female baby aged 2, her granddaughter. Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Gremlin took the new born baby from he...

Fiona Rogers / Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurtheii) female 'Gremlin' aged 40 years calling while holding her baby granddaughter aged 2 months and her own infant son aged 2 years. Gombe National Park,...

Joris van Alphen / Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) preparing to land at her nest, clasping a songbird. Viewed from below. Groningen, the Netherlands. July.

Joris van Alphen / Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) mother attempting to shelter her chicks from the rain, Flevoland, the Netherlands. July.

Pete Oxford / Woman with basket on her head picking tea (Camellia sinensis), Assam, North East India, October 2014.

Eric Baccega / Young woman from the Bodi tribe displaying elaborate scarification on the skin of her back, Omo Valley, Ethiopia, March 2015.

Andrew Parkinson / Brown hare (Lepus europaeus) adult female (mid-air) leaping out of her form in snow, away from male, Derbyshire, UK. March.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Dassanech baby with her headdress made from bottlecaps, Lower Omo Valley. Ethiopia, November 2014

Cyril Ruoso / Surrogate mother holding orphan Bonobo (Pan paniscus) and her own baby Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ole Jorgen Liodden / Lioness (Panthera leo) moving her newborn cub, Okavango, Botswana

Theo Webb / Female Bonobo (Pan paniscus) tickling her infant, Max Planck research site LuiKotale, Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Theo Webb / Female Bonobo (Pan paniscus) resting with her infant, Max Planck research site LuiKotale in Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kristel Richard / Wild Mongolian mare and her foal trotting, plains at the foot of Dungurukh Uul mountain, near the border with China and Kazakhstan, Bayan-Olgiy aymag, Mongolia. September.

David Pattyn / Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) male trying to grab a female to mate with her. The Netherlands. April.

Anup Shah / Tana mangabey (Cercocebus galeritus) mother grooms her baby of between -3 months old watched by a juvenile. Tana River Forest, South eastern Kenya.

Doug Perrine / Female Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) defending her pup from two males, which are aggressive with each other, Molokai Island, Hawaii, USA.

Doug Perrine / Female Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) fighting with a male trying to mate with her, Molokai Island, Hawaii, USA.

Ammonite / Group of sub-adult African lions (Panthera leo) chasing and jumping on a mother Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and her calf, footage taken at night using infrared camera technology, Masai Mara,...

Jabruson Motion / THIS VIDEO CLIP WILL BE AVAILABLE TO VIEW ONLINE SOON. TO VIEW NOW, PLEASE CONTACT US. - Family of African forest elephants (Loxodonta africana cyclotis) gathered at a mineral dig, female reaching out...

David Pattyn / Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) female sleeping with one of her 28 day chicks. The Netherlands, June.

Fiona Rogers / Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata) female holding her baby, Jigokudani Monkey Park, Japan

Fiona Rogers / Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata) female cuddling her baby, Jigokudani Monkey Park, Japan

Kristel Richard / Portrait of a rare five-day old Posavina filly hidden by her mother's tail, Lonja, Croatia, August.

Anup Shah / Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) female sitting with her baby aged less than 1 month. Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Thuli Maya Fuyal, widow, in her small room in Kathmandu. In Nepal women who lose their husbands lose their own identity. Are rejected and forced to leave their homes. In many cases, they become victim...

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Rita Pudel, widow, with her son, in the room that serves as a shelter. In Nepal women who lose their husbands lose their own identity. Are rejected and forced to leave their homes. In many cases, they...

Fiona Rogers / Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) twenty-four year old female, named Ratna, playing with her female baby, named Global, Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia

Laurent Geslin / Old woman from the Borona tribe in her village, Omo valley, south Ethiopia. 2006

Laurent Geslin / Old women of the Tsemai tribe with her granddaughter, Omo valley, Ethiopia, 2006

Laurent Geslin / Mursi woman with large clay plate in lower lip, showing her age, Omo valley, Ethiopia, 2006

Laurent Geslin / Young Mursi woman with clay plate in lower lip, holding her Kalashnikov rifle (result of the cold war in Africa), Omo valley, Ethiopia, 2006

Laurent Geslin / Fulani woman feeding milk to her child at dawn after milking the cattle, North Senegal, West Africa, 2005

Laurent Geslin / Fulani woman with her refugee identity card, Ndioum camp, North Senegal, West Africa, 2005

Laurent Geslin / Fulani woman feeding her grandchildren with milk, north Senegal, West Africa, 2005

Laurent Geslin / Young Benna woman looking after cattle and showing the scars on her back, these are inflicted on teenage girls by their brothers and are considered a mark of beauty and bravery, the girls provoke thei...

Laurent Geslin / Young Benna woman looking after cattle and showing the scars on her back, these are inflicted on teenage girls by their brothers and are considered a mark of beauty and bravery, the girls provoke thei...

Laurent Geslin / Fulani teenage girl looking after her young brother, sunrise, North Senegal, West Africa, 2005

Suzi Eszterhas / Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) mother mother cuddling her seven-month-old joey, Queensland, Australia

Suzi Eszterhas / Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) mother cuddling her seven-month-old joey, Queensland, Australia

Cyril Ruoso / Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) mother with baby clinging to her back, vulnerable, Berenty Private Reserve, Madagascar

Cyril Ruoso / Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) female with her three month old newborn, Parc National Des Volcans, Rwanda

Cyril Ruoso / Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus) mother with infant reprimanding her older child, Morocco

Eric Baccega / Female grizly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) crossing water, followed by her two cubs, Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, British Columbia, Canada, June.