Michael D. Kern / Kaleidoscope pattern formed from picture of Johnstons Chameleon (Chamaeleo johnstoni) face and legs. Restricted for Editorial use until December 2015

Nick Garbutt / Aggregation / bloom / swarm of Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) in the clear waters of Loch Na Keal, off the Isle of Mull, north west Scotland, UK, June, Photographed through the surface.

Gary Bell/ Oceanwide / Sea Anemone (Corynactis australis) group, Bicheno, Tasmania, Australia

Suzi Eszterhas / Leopard (Panthera pardus) fur, Jao Reserve, Botswana

Guy Edwardes / Natural Rock Pattern, Northumberland Coast, England

Richard Du Toit / Red-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) on Burchell's Zebra (Equus burchellii), Mkhuze Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Theo Bosboom / Landscape in Fjallabak Nature Reserve, with circular patterns on the ground, Iceland, September 2017. Highly commended in the Landscape category of the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year A...

Ralph Martin/ BIA / Oldworld Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) wing, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Yva Momatiuk & John Eastcott / Glacier, Breidamerkurjokull, Jokalsarlon Lagoon, Iceland

Chien Lee / Limestone pinnacles, Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar

Jeff Foott / Maple (Acer sp) leaves and needles in autumn, Acadia National Park, Maine

Paul Bertner / Blue-legged Chameleon (Calumma crypticum) curled tail, Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

Ingo Arndt / Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) detail of nest surface, Hessen, Germany, April.

Ingo Arndt / Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) web with dew drops, at sunrise, Germany, August.

Ingo Arndt / Flock of Bramblings (Fringilla montifringilla) perched together in branches. It's estimated that four million individiuals return to roost during winter in Black Forest, Germany. February.

Ingo Arndt / Common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) flock flying in formation to confuse hunting Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus), Rome, Italy. January 2009

Benjamin Olson / Storm clouds, Lakeville, Minnesota

Vincent Grafhorst / Lava in volcanic crater, Mount Nyiragongo, Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Wim van den Heever / Leopard (Panthera pardus) cub looking up at birds (out of frame) with mother in background, Khwai River, Botswana. Highly commended in the Mammals category of the Asferico Photography Competition 201...

Claudio Contreras / Aerial view of Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) coastal lagoon, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Caribbean Sea, Mexico, January

Claudio Contreras / Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeding view of tail, Isla Mujeres, Caribbean Sea, Mexico, August. Vulnerable species.

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / Common or plains zebra (Equus quagga burchelli) grazing in bushTarangire National Park, Northern Tanzania.

Wim van den Heever / Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) viewed from above, Namib Desert, Namibia.

Pedro Narra / Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) two interacting at surface, Bissagos Islands, Guinea Bissau Endangered species. 3rd Place in the SOS Especes Menacees / SOS Endangered Species Portfolio category of the...

Theo Allofs / Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) flock taking flight, Lake Bogoria, Kenya

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...

Alex Mustard / Harlequin sweetlips (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides) cleaned by a pair of bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). South Atoll, Tubbataha Atolls, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Palawan, Philipp...

Colin Varndell / Badger (Meles meles) with face lit up at sunset. Dorset, UK July.

Solvin Zankl / Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia physalis) close up of tentacles, Sargasso Sea, Bermuda

Richard Du Toit / Longtailed widowbird (Eupletes progne) male perched in flowers, Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa.

Andy Rouse / Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus cristatus) in urban environment Cardiff, UK

Konrad Wothe / View up into canopy with sun rays shining through the leaves, lowland rainforest, Panguana Reserve, Huanuco province, Amazon basin, Peru.

Krijn Trimbos / Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) two in territorial fight, The Netherlands, March.

Krijn Trimbos / Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) carrying chick while its mate approaches with food, Netherlands, May.

Espen Bergersen / Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) two calling aggresively in snow, Hornya birdcliff, Finnmark, Norway.

Jan Vermeer / Rose (Rosa sp) and Aster (Asteraceae) flowers

Alex Hyde / Chlorophyte or green alga (Volvox aureus) in pond water. UK. The larger spheres are approximately 0.5mm in diameter. Digital composite image.

Ole Jorgen Liodden / Erect-crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri) surfacing near Bounty Island, Sub-Antarctic New Zealand, March. Endangered species.

Juergen Freund / Detail of Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) gas-filled bladders (pneumatocysts) Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Vancouver Island, Canada.

Luciano Candisani / Caterpillar group, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

David Kjaer / Great bustard (Otis tarda) chicks hatched from eggs collected under licence from the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain.

Erlend Haarberg / Three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) on tree trunk, Sarek National Park, Laponia World Heritage Site, Lapland, Sweden, September.

Erlend Haarberg / Ice patterns on lake, Sorvagen, Moskenes, Lofoten, Nordland, Norway, January.

Paul Williams / View from plane of landscape between Alice Springs and Perth, Australia, November.

Paul Williams / View from plane of eroded salt dome, Kavir Desert, Iran, December.

Krista Schlyer / Hooded pitcher plant (Sarracenia minor) Green Swamp, North Carolina, USA. June.

Rod Williams / Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album) feeding on wild aster, Sutcliffe Park Nature Reserve, Eltham, London, UK, September.

Jussi Murtosaari / Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo) in flight, Foglo, Ahvenanmaa / Aland Islands, Finland, July.

Andy Rouse / Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) walking portrait, Ranthambhore National Park, India. Crop of image 01500288 Endangered species.

Andy Rouse / Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) head profile portrait, Ranthambhore National Park, India. Endangered species.

Andy Rouse / Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) Chengdu, China. Endangered species, captive.

Tui De Roy / Erect-crested penguins (Eudyptes sclateri) feeding young chick. Antipodes Island, New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands. Endemic to Antipodes and Bounty Islands. Endangered species.

Constantinos Petrinos / Peacock-tail anemone shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis) living commensally with the Branching Sea Anemone (Actinodendron glomeratum). Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Robert Thompson / Oleander Hawkmoth (Daphnis nerii) resting, Southern Sicily, Italy. March.

Espen Bergersen / Male Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri) drinking on water with reflections of nearby buildings. Batsfjord, Norway. March.

Pal Hermansen / Aerial view of river delta, South West Iceland, June 2014. Finalist in the Art of Nature Category of the Big Picture Competition 2015.

Pal Hermansen / Aerial view of river and swans, South West Iceland, June 2014.

Nick Garbutt / Malachite Butterfly (Siproeta stelenes) hanging upside down on leaf, forest near Napo River, Amazonia, Ecuador, South America.

Markus Varesvuo / Steller's Eagle (Haliaeteus pelagicus) flying past snowy mountain peak, Hokkaido, Japan, February

Markus Varesvuo / Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) preening in snow,Hokkaido, Japan, February

Ben Cranke / Jaguar (Panthera onca) drinking from the river's edge, Mato Grosso, Pantanal, Brazil. August.

Andy Rouse / Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) male 'Romeo T6' cooling off in waterhole during hot summer. Ranthambore National Park, India.

Alex Hyde / Peacock butterfly (Inachis io) basking with open wings on a white background in mobile field studio. Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK. August

Jussi Murtosaari / Geranium Argus butterfly (Plebejus eumedon) feeding on Wood Cranesbill (Geranium sylvaticum) northern Finland, June.

Jussi Murtosaari / Peacock Butterfly (Inachis io) closeup of wings, South Karelia, southern Finland, September.

Ann & Steve Toon / Namaqua chameleon (Chamaeleo namaquensis), Namib Desert, Namibia, April

Jeff Rotman / Close-up of skin of a Hieroglyphic hawkfish (Cirrhitus rivulatus). Cocos Island, Costa Rica, Pacific Ocean.

Jeff Rotman / Eye of a Peacock grouper (Cephalopholis argus) Red Sea, Egypt.

Andy Rouse / Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) female 'Machali', Ranthambore NP, India

Andy Rouse / Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) mother and cub playing, Maasai Mara, Kenya, Africa. Honoured in the African wildlife category

Jack Dykinga / White Sands National Park with its white gypsum dunes dotted with Yuccas (Yucca elata) creating patterns amid the dunes. White Sands, New Mexico, USA. January 2013

Ernie Janes,Ernie Janes / Walkers on footpath in farmland from Wiveton Downs, North Norfolk, UK, March

Neil Aldridge / Portrait of an African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) wearing a radio collar in dense mopane bushveld, Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, Limpopo Province, South Africa, February 2010.

Cheryl-Samantha Owen / West coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) captive at Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town, South Africa.

John Downer / Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) mother and cub, Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India, taken on location for 'Tiger - Spy in the Jungle'

Cyril Ruoso / Banana (Musa sp) close up of leaf with water droplets, Rwanda

Cyril Ruoso / Banana (Musa sp) close up of leaf with water droplets, Rwanda

Sandesh Kadur / Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) walking along fallen tree trunk, Assam, India, captive. Vulnerable species.

Ben Cranke / Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) herd, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa

Vladimir Medvedev,Vladimir Medvedev / Amur / Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) female in the wild, on a hillside, Lazovskiy zapovednik / Lazo Reserve protected area, Primorskiy krai, Far Eastern Russia, February 2012

David Tipling / Detail of Malaysian Peacock Pheasant (Polyplectron malacense) feathers, captive

Denis-Huot,Denis-Huot / Lions (Panthera leo) watching herd of zebra, Masai-Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Juergen Freund / Fluorescent corals (Favia sp) Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Axel Gomille / Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) cub, Bandhavgarh National Park, India

Franco Banfi / Detail of sponge (Chalinula nematifera) Maldives, Indian Ocean

Richard Du Toit / Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) on Burchell's Zebra (Equus burchellii), Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa

Gavin Hellier / Volcanic tufa rock formations, Uchisar, Cappadocia, Anatolia, Turkey, 2008

Juan Carlos Munoz / Detail of melting ice on Jokulsarlon beach. Southern Iceland, Europe, November 2012.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Detail in frozen waterfall. Selijalandfoss waterfall, Southern Iceland, Europe, March 2011.

Ross Hoddinott / Marbled White butterfly (Melanargia galathea) resting on grass, Dunsdon Nature Reserve, Devon, UK. July

Markus Varesvuo / Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) Uto Finland May

Jack Dykinga / Bark patterns of Aspen tree (Populus tremula) in front of a Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) trunk, Kaibab National Forest, Arizona, USA

Peter Cairns / Reflections in glacial fjord, Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norway

Jack Dykinga / Shore Acres State Park with sandstone bluffs being pounded by tidal shifting surf, creating waterfalls over concretions in the stone. Oregon

Juan Carlos Munoz / Aerial view over subtropical mangrove wetlands of the Everglades National Park. Florida, USA, February 2012.