Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 photo contest

On October 17, the Natural History Museum of London announced the winners of the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year photo contest. The best works were selected from more than 50 thousand photos received from professional photographers and amateurs from 92 countries.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition was opened in 1965 to showcase the best in nature photography to the world.

Source: Natural History Museum

"Monument to the species". South Africa, May 2016. The black rhino was killed by poachers to cut off the horn. The animal was shot from a very powerful hunting rifle with a silencer. The rhinoceros did not die immediately. He ran for a bit, then fell to his knees. He was shot in the head. Black rhinos are on the verge of extinction, there are only about three thousand of them left in nature. Photo: Brent Stirton.

"The good life." Kako Gorilla, Odzala National Park, Republic of the Congo. Photo: Daniël Nelson.

"Ice monster". The underwater part of the iceberg, East Antarctica. Photo: Laurent Ballesta.

"Night Invader". Termite Hill in Emas National Park, Brazil. Photo: Marcio Cabral.

"Stuck." Red fox hunting, Yellowstone National Park. She stayed in this position for 10 seconds, then got out with an extremely disappointed expression on her face. She missed. Photo: Ashleigh Scully.

"Medusa-jockey". The lobster larva is only 1.2 centimeters wide and has caught on to the jellyfish pelagia nocturnal. Photo: Anthony Berberian.

"Contemplation". An adult male chimpanzee is lying on the ground. He tried to seduce the female for an hour, but nothing happened. Photo: Peter Delaney.

"Palm Oil Survivors". Three generations of elephants cross the territory of palm forest plantations, Borneo Island. The elephant population is decreasing due to logging and people. Photo: Aaron "Bertie" Gekoski.

"Meeting of Giants". More than ten sperm whales off the northeast coast of Sri Lanka. Photo: Tony Wu.

"Crab surprise". A cluster of spider crabs. In the middle of a horde of crabs, an octopus got lost, which does not manage to grab at least one prey in any way. Photo: Justin Gilligan.

"An ancient ritual." Like many generations before her, the leatherback turtle stubbornly crawls to the ocean after laying eggs. Photo: Brian Skerry.

"Tapestry of Life". Lofoten Islands, Norway. Although the rocks here rise directly from the sea, the birches somehow find a foothold. Photo: Dorin Bofan.

"Polar pas de deux". The photographer noticed a polar bear and a 2-year-old bear cub. The Arctic territory of Norway. Photo: Eilo Elvinger.