Jack Dykinga / Lightning storm with rainbow over Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) near Redrock, Arizona State Trust, Sonoran Desert, Arizona. September 2015. Long exposure with lightning trigger.

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

Georgette Douwma / Upside down jellyfish (Cassiopeia andromeda) Lembeh, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Wim van den Heever / Lion (Panthera leo) male with scars photographed with side-lit spot light at night. Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa, April.

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 / Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) baby jumping between branches, photographed mid air. Okavango Delta Botswana.

Wim van den Heever / Ancient dead Camelthorn tree (Vachellia erioloba) trees with red dunes and mist, Namib desert, Deadvlei, Sossusvlei, Namibia. August 2015.

Wim van den Heever / Quiver tree (Aloe dichotoma) with the Milky Way at night, and light pollution from town in the distance, Keetmanshoop, Namibia. Colours accentuated digitally.

Wim van den Heever / Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) mother and calf having a drink at night with perfect reflections. Etosha National Park, Namibia. Taken with infrared camera.

Wim van den Heever / Quiver Tree forest, (Aloe dichotoma) at dusk. Keetmanshoop, Namibia.

Wim van den Heever / Julia heleconia (Dryas julia) butterfly on head of Yacare caiman (Caiman yacare) Pantanal, Brazil.

Wim van den Heever / Bare-faced curassow (Crax fasciolata) portrait of female, Pantanal, Brazil.

Wim van den Heever / Pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) feeding in shallow water at dawn, Etosha National Park, Namibia.

Wim van den Heever / Plains zebra (Equus quagga) group of four including foal at sunset, Savuti Marsh, Botswana.

Wim van den Heever / Plains zebra (Equus quagga) at sunset, Savuti Marsh, Botswana.

Wim van den Heever / Black heron (Egretta ardesiaca) fishing and using wings to create an area of shade to attract fish, on the banks of the Chobe River, Botswana.

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...

Wim van den Heever / White tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) group of three fighting, Hokkaido Japan, March.

Wim van den Heever / Whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) juvenile with adults behind, on frozen Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido, Japan. February.

Wim van den Heever / Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) climbing up mountain slope, Hemis National Park, India, February.

Wim van den Heever / Blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) Hemis National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Markus Varesvuo / Female Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) with newly hatched chick on nest, Kuhmo, Finland, June.

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

Markus Varesvuo / Black grouse (Tetrao / Lyrurus tetrix) flock flying in snow, Suomussalmi, Finland, January.

Markus Varesvuo / Male Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) flying, Jalasjarvi, Finland, April.

Markus Varesvuo / Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) plucking Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) Kuusamo, Finland, April.

Markus Varesvuo / Two male Black grouse (Tetrao / Lyrurus tetrix) fighting, Kuusamo, Finland, April.

Markus Varesvuo / Male Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) displaying, Jalasjarvi, Finland, April.

Orsolya Haarberg / Snow covered Norway spruce (Picea abies) forest on Mount Harghita Madaras, Carpathian Mountains, Transylvania, Romania, January 2015.

Orsolya Haarberg / Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees covered in snow, Ciuc Mountains, Transylvania, Romania, January 2015.

Pedro Narra / Scientists observing lava and ash plume erupting from Fogo Volcano, Fogo Island, Cape Verde, 29th November 2014.

Pedro Narra / Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) resting in the shallows of the coast, Bijagos Islands, Guinea Bissau. Endangered species.

Pedro Narra / Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), digging nest. Bijagos Islands, Guinea Bissau. Endangered species.

Erlend Haarberg / Mountain hare (Lepus timidus) backlit in snow, Vauldalen, Norway, May.

Benjamin Barthelemy / Long exposure of tidal water flowing off rocks, with the Okshornan Mountains in the background, Isle of Senja, Troms, Norway, February 2015.

Franco Banfi / Sea star (Hacelia attenuata) on coral covered with mucilage, a symptom of rising sea temperature, Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean.

Espen Bergersen / Gulls (Laridae) seaching for food in water containing blood coming from a large fishing boat, Tromvik, Kvaloya, Troms, Norway, November 2014.

Edwin Giesbers / Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) twin babies age 45 days resting on mother's chest, one suckling. captive, occurs in Central Africa. Critically endangered.

Edwin Giesbers / European bison (Bison bonasus) close up portrait showing horns, Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, the Netherlands. January. Reintroduced species.

Eric Baccega / African elephant (Loxodonta africana) and black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) bathing at waterhole at night with moon, Okaukuejo, Etosha National Park, Namibia, Africa. Taken with infrared camera.

Igor Shpilenok / Young female Kamchatka brown bear (Ursus arctos beringianus) playing with oil drum, Kronotsky Nature Reserve, Kamchatka, Far East Russia. May. These bears can develop addiction to sniffing the aviatio...

Brent Stephenson / Type B Killer whale (Orca orcinus) surfacing, close-up, Antarctic Sound, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic, January.

Brent Stephenson / Sunset off Scott Island, with floating pieces of sea ice, Scott Inlet, Baffin Island, Canadian Arctic, August 2015.

Brent Stephenson / Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) mother and large second year cub swim across calm water, Scott Inlet, Baffin Island, Canadian Arctic, August. Vulnerable species.

Brent Stephenson / Young Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) walking across melting sea ice, Scott Inlet, Baffin Island, Canadian Arctic, August. Vulnerable species.

Brent Stephenson / Australasian gannet (Morus serrator) flying with waves breaking below, Muriwai, Auckland, New Zealand, October.

Will Watson / Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) leaping a weir, Shrewsbury, River Severn, Shropshire, England, UK. November.

Graham Eaton / Coastal hexagonal columns of Basalt lava, Reynisdrangar, Iceland, March 2015.