Wildlife

At a time when we could do with a laugh, we present a pick of images that have made the shortlist in the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. From clumsy birds to dramatic insects, these photos capture moments that happen often but we rarely get to see.

There are so many ways to say hello. People wave, bow, shake hands, hug, kiss, fist bump, say “hi” or any combo. But there’s one greeting from nature that we sure hope doesn’t catch on, as a new study finds that elephants often greet chums with a dump.

For the first time ever, a wild male orangutan in Sumatra has been spotted tending to a wound on his face in an ingenious way. The technique worked, adding even more cred to the intelligence of this striking and endangered species of great ape.

Volkswagen has announced the development of RooBadge, which emits species-specific sounds to drive away kangaroos and reduce the risk of animal collisions on Australian roads. There are plans to adapt the device to deter other wildlife worldwide.

A dramatic image of a soccer ball covered in invasive goose barnacles has taken out the top prize in this year's prestigious British Wildlife Photography Awards, beating out more than 14,000 entries that aimed to cleverly capture the world around us.

As the country undergoes an unprecedented construction boom, yet another ambitious new development has been revealed for Saudi Arabia. Named Zardun, the project will create a new wildlife park, with three boutique hotels and a visitor center.

The sex life of a tiny Australian marsupial known as an antechinus is already pretty bizarre. But now its mating season has gotten even stranger – and darker – thanks to the introduction of cannibalism, as observed by field researchers.

A new photography competition has released its first batch of winners and finalists. A portrait of a playful sea lion has won the inaugural Nature Photography Contest, which showcases animals, plants, landscapes and human impact on the environment.

It's a sad and gruesome fact that robotic lawnmowers sometimes run over hedgehogs, maiming and even killing them. That's why scientists have recently developed a rubber hedgehog stand-in, for safety-testing such mowers.

Every year, countless stunning images are submitted to photography competitions around the world. From cosmic structures to microscopic marvels and everything in between, here is a snapshot of the most awe-inspiring photographs of 2023.

Here’s your chance to play juror and vote in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Awards 2023, a collection of 25 stunning photographs that shine a light on the beauty and brutality of the natural world.

A kangaroo riffing on his air guitar, a sentient snowball, a face-planting seabird, a comically depressed owl and a twinkle-toed otter are among the funny, candid images that shone brightest in this much-loved, feel-good wildlife photography contest.