Amazing animal photos aim for top prize

Image source, Aaron Baggenstos/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Image caption, A puma standing on the mountain terrain of Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.It's hoped that the big cats and humans can live alongside each other after conservation work led to the creation of the national park.

The shortlist for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People鈥檚 Choice Award 2024 have been announced.

They include pictures of all sorts of wildlife: From big cats, to birds, whales and even frogs!

The contest aims to show of Earth's wildlife in its full glory but also show some of the threats and challenges animals face too.

The photos were selected from nearly 60 thousand entries by the Natural History Museum in London, and by an international judging panel.

Now the public can have their say on the images, voting for their favourite picture online or at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the museum in London.

Image source, Mark Williams/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Image caption, Even beluga whales have a skincare routine. This one in the Canadian Arctic can be seen rubbing its skin on the shallow bottom of the river in a process called exfoliating - which removes old skin cells. They are known as 鈥榯he canaries of the sea鈥, thanks to the chirps, click, whistles and squeals they make.

Image source, Bence M谩t茅/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Image caption, This picture was taken by a photographer who spent 27 days hiding to get this shot. It shows a breed of bird called a European roller defending its territory from a little owl who lives nearby in the Kiskuns谩g National Park in Hungary. Talk about nightmare neighbours!

Image source, Devon Pradhuman/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Image caption, The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is made by the Natural History Museum in London. The shortlist was chosen from more than 59,000 entries. This photograph shows four grey wolves crossing a snowy landscape in Yellowstone National Park in the USA. This was taken in early spring as the pack searched for thier next meal.

Image source, Erlend Haarberg/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Image caption, Here a polar bear cub is attempting an underwater surprise attack on a northern fulmar bird in Svalbard, Norway. The cub was seen having fun diving under the water and playing with the seaweed. Play hunting like this is important learning for a young bear as it will eventually have to live in the Arctic by itself.

Image source, Nora Milligan/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Image caption, A chimpanzee pauses as its family moves across the forest floor of Loango National Park in Central Africa. A group of researchers from the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project is studying this family. The photographer says the large chimp looked down at them and craned its neck forward to get a better look.

Image source, Noam Kortler/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Image caption, Is there claws for celebration? This crab certainly thinks so. It's combing the water for plankton and has covered itself in furry pink tuffs called Tubularia to protect itself from predators. This photograph was taken during a night dive off Komodo island, Indonesia.

Image source, Savannah Rose/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Image caption, A North American beaver slaps its tail down on the water to alert its family about the photographer. This picture was taken in a pond in Wyoming in the USA. This tail movement makes a cracking sound. The beaver quickly relaxed after realising that there wasn't any threat nearby.

Image source, Vincent Premel/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Image caption, A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog puffs out its cheeks as it prepares to call for a mate in French Guiana. When it rains, the ponds fill with water and lots of species come out to lay their eggs in the water. The call of this frog is so powerful it can be heard hundreds of metres away. Unbe-leap-able!
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