Karine Aigner / Portrait of a wild female Bobcat (Lynx rufus) kitten playing, Texas, USA. September.

Andres M. Dominguez / Northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) male, Arcos de la Frontera, southern Spain. April

Andres M. Dominguez / European hare (Lepus europaeus), Danube Delta, Romania. July.

Sven Zacek / Ural owl (Strix uralensis) female watching fledgling learning to climb and balance on branch. Owlet's first day out of nest. Tartumaa County, Southern Estonia. June.

David Pattyn / Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) carrying grass and other nesting material across snow to its nest while another one is on the lookout, Gran Paradiso National Park, Aosta Valley, Italy, April

Paul Hobson / Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) cub looking at camera, in morning. Sheffield, England, UK. June.

Sue Flood / Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) walking with young chick at Snow Hill Island rookery, Antarctica. October.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) three one-month old pups playing on the burrow under a watchful adult 'babysitter', Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) baby, age one month, looking up to 'babysitting' adult, Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) 'babysitter' with three pups about one month old on the burrow, Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) two 'babysitters' with three pups, age one month, playing on burrow, Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) baby, age one month, on den with adult 'babysitter', Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) three pups, age one month, on den with adult 'babysitter', Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) alarmed group standing on hind legs watching jackal pass by, Kalahari, Botswana

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) standing on burrow at sunset, Kalahari, Botswana

Steve Downer / Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) feeding from a bowl in a garden, Birmingham, England, UK, April.

Stephane Granzotto / Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) standing alert outside burrow, takes fright and runs inside, Rhone-Alpes, France, July.

Bruno D'Amicis / Wild Apennine wolf (Canis lupus italicus) in snowy landscape. Central Apennines, Abruzzo, Italy. February. Italian endemic subspecies.

Ann & Steve Toon / Meerkats (Suricata suricatta), Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa, January.

Ann & Steve Toon / Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) with young, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa, January.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) male standing upright in alert pose,Cairngorms National Park, Highlands, Scotland, UK, May 2016.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) male standing alert, Cairngorms National Park, Highlands, Scotland, UK, May.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) with autumn colours, Cairngorms National Park, Highlands, Scotland, UK. October.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) standing alert amongst heather, Cairngorms National Park, Highlands, Scotland, UK, March.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) close-up portrait of red squirrel sniffing. Cairngorms National Park, Highlands, Scotland, UK, March.

Edwin Giesbers / RF - European ground squirrel / Souslik (Spermophilus citellus) in grass with daisies, Gerasdorf, Austria. April. (This image may be licensed either as rights managed or royalty free.)

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) standing alert, Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) on den, warming up before starting to forage, Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) standing sentry on a dead tree in Kalahari Desert, South Africa

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) standing sentry on a dead tree, Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Ann & Steve Toon / Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) with sandeel. Inner Farne, Northumberland, UK. July.

Ann & Steve Toon / Yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata), Kgalagadi transfrontier park, South Africa, June

Cyril Ruoso / Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) juvenile Burgundy, France.

Eric Baccega / Female Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) looking around and grooming, with four cubs playing nearby, Naknek Lake, Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA, July.

Neil Aldridge / Steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) female standing framed by a fallen tree, Mapungubwe National Park, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Danny Green / Pine marten (Martes martes) portrait, Ardnamurchan Peninsula, Scotland, August. Highly commended in the Portrait category of the BWPA (British Wildlife Photography Awards) Competition 2016.

Mark Taylor / Tricolour merle Collie puppy, Indie, age 10 weeks.

Andy Trowbridge / Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) standing on hind legs looking alert. Southern Norway. November.

Bence Mate / Little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) watching Great warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) with prey, Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Hungary.

Solvin Zankl / Great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo) on Oak tree (Quercus sp) Niedersachsische Elbtalaue Biosphere Reserve, Lower Saxonian Elbe Valley, Germany, July.

Wim van den Heever / Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) herd silhouetted against the rising sun with clouds in the background. Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa

Wim van den Heever / Leopard (Panthera pardus) cub looking up at birds (out of frame) with mother in background, Khwai River, Botswana. Highly commended in the Mammals category of the Asferico Photography Competition 201...

Markus Varesvuo / Female Black grouse (Tetrao / Lyrurus tetrix) perched in tree covered in snow, Inari Kiilopaa, Finland, January.

Pedro Narra / Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) with head raised above water surface, Bijagos Archipelago Biosphere Reserve, Guinea Bissau,

Melvin Grey / Pinocchio lizard (Anolis proboscis) male, Mindo, Ecuador. Controlled conditions.

Claudio Contreras / Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) portrait, Laredo Borderlands, Texas, USA. April

Juan Carlos Munoz / Close up of horse wearing bridle, Sierra de Gredos, Avila, Castile and Leon, Spain.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Close up of horse wearing bridle, Sierra de Gredos, Avila, Castile and Leon, Spain.