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Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 highly commended images range from a dramatic stand-off to alien-like slime moulds
A three-toed sloth, an inquisitive pack of wolves and a stand-off between two dangerous animals are among the highly commended images in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The competition, developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London, received more than 60,000 entries across 113 countries.
Director of the museum Doug Gurr said this year's images show the "diversity, beauty and complexity of the natural world and humanity's relationship to it".
The category winners and the prestigious Grand Title award will be announced on October 14.
But for now, here's a look at the highly commended images.
Animals in their Environment
Ice Edge Journey
The moment fledgling emperor penguin chicks walk along the edge of an ice shelf in Antarctica. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Bertie Gregory)
Animal Portraits
Inside the Pack
In temperatures of -35 degrees Celsius, Amit captured the elusive Arctic wolves of Ellesmere Island, Canada. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Amit Eshel)
Behaviour: Mammals
Deadly Lessons
A group of young cheetahs after they've caught a Günther's dik-dik in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Marina Cano)
Wake-up Call
A dramatic stand-off between a lion and a venomous cobra in Tanzania. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Gabriella Comi)
Natural Artistry
Slime Family Portrait
A line of alien-like slime moulds, each just 1-2 millimetres in diameter, on a fallen tree. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Kutub Uddin)
Underwater
Jelly Smack Summer
Ralph found himself in the middle of a mass or "smack" of Pacific sea nettles. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Ralph Pace)
Urban Wildlife
No Place Like Home
A brown-throated three-toed sloth clinging tightly to a barbed wire fence post in Costa Rica. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Emmanuel Tardy)
Nature Reclaims Its Space
Working in total darkness, Sitaram captured fruit bats leaving their roost in the ruins of a historical monument. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Sitaram Raul)
Wetlands: The Bigger Picture
Fragile River of Life
Longnose gars spawn in a crystal-clear Florida river. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Isaac Szabo)
Clouds of Gold
Clouds reflecting in salt ponds that span San Francisco Bay. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Jassen Todorov)
Photojournalism
Toxic Tip
A solitary Asian elephant navigating a waste disposal site in Sri Lanka. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Lakshitha Karunarathna)
10 years and under
Rutting Call
A red deer stag as it gives a mighty bellow during the autumn rut in Bradgate Park, UK. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Jamie Smart)
11-14 years
Essence of Kamchatka
Kesshav Vikram expresses the character of the remote wilderness of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Kesshav Vikram)
A Tale of Two Coyotes
Parham used the morning light to frame the amber eyes of a male coyote within the black-tipped tail of a female. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Parham Pourahmad)
15-17 years
Pink Pose
A greater flamingo in the act of scratching its head with one of its unmistakably long legs. (Supplied: Wildlife Photographer of the Year/Leana Kuster)