14 images from this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest

It's a wild and brutal world outside and it is evident in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

Chosen from almost 50,000 entries submitted from 92 countries around the world, these photos will blow your mind.

The exhibition opens at London’s Natural History Museum on 20 October 2017 before touring across the United Kingdom and internationally. The exhibition will be on show at the Museum of Texas in the United States, from 2 March 2018 and at Houston Museum of Natural Science, US from 4 May 2018.

Here are some of the best images of winners and finalists
Memorial to a species

Brent Stirton, South Africa

Winner: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017

Taken as part of an undercover investigation into the illegal trade in rhino horn, Brent’s winning image tells the evocative story of one of the trade’s latest victims -- a black rhino bull from South Africa's Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park. The poachers responsible are thought to have come from a local community, working to order. After entering the reserve illegally, they ambushed the rhino at a waterhole, shooting it dead before fleeing from its mutilated body.

Brent's poignant image is symbolic of the devastating impact of the demand for rhino horn. Black rhinos were once the most numerous of the rhino species. However, it was estimated in 2015 that only 5,000 remained in the wild -- a number that conservationists believe to have fallen since due to increased poaching. These critically endangered animals will become extinct unless effective and compelling action is taken.
Photograph: Brian Skerry/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017

Giant gathering

Dozens of sperm whales mingled noisily off the coast, stacked as far as Tony could see. Immediately, he realised that this was something special – like a gathering of clans, these whales were part of a multi-day congregation. For Tony, the sight filled him with hope that ‘the recovery of sperm whale populations may be going well’.

The marble-like appearance of these whales is a sign of skin-sloughing. Large aggregations like this one will rub and roll against each other to exfoliate their neighbour’s dead skin, helping them to maintain hydrodynamic performance. The tactile contact also helps to reinforce social bonds.

Photograph: Alex Sher/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017

A whorl of sharks

The sandbar sharks circled far below Santosh, slipping in and out of the dark like ghostly apparitions. Inherently cautious, only a few brave individuals rose to check him out. During those moments he felt ‘not terror, but admiration’, he says. ‘I was just a visitor in their watery ‘ohana (family) and they graciously let me stay.’

These sandbar sharks are all male and have probably come together to feed or spawn. A school of females may join them later in the season, but in the meantime, they must establish a hierarchy. Sizing each other up, the dominant sharks attempt to secure the better spots nearer the surface.
Photograph: Santosh Shanmuga/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017

Lions' long shot

Peering through the rain, Michael spotted a captivating site, two lions hot on the hooves of a fully-grown male giraffe. Unable to remain detached, the scene connected with Michael. ‘Something draws me to life and death struggles in nature. It’s raw and emotional and a rare privilege to witness.’

This struggle is particularly unusual. Lions rarely attack giraffes as a single kick from their long, powerful legs could prove fatal. But as the hunt drew closer, Michael saw that this giraffe had misshapen hooves. This may have affected the giraffe’s ability to run, which could have attracted the lions’ attention.