Nature is wild. Literally, but also in the sense that millennials use the term ¡®wild¡¯. Lots of funny moments of animals goofing around, being surprised by predators or just having fun have been captured by wildlife photographers and it is a treat for us.
The results of the Best Wildlife Photographers of 2019 are out, and the images are mesmerizing. One image however stands out.
Photographer Yongqing Bao captured the hilarious and extraordinary moment a Tibetan fox pounced on a startled marmot in China's Qilian Mountains. This image emerged as the overall winner of the competition.
Bao Yongqing
The moment captures perfectly the emotion of how a prey might feel the moment it realizes?it's over for it, after being noticed by a predator. This image was awarded the grand title in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Reportedly, there were over 48,000 entries from 100 countries, for the competition.?
The female Tibetan fox was apparently on the hunt to feed her three cubs and it engaged in a fight with the Himalayan marmot.
The Chair of the judging panel, Roz Kidman Cox said, ¡°Photographically, it is quite simply the perfect moment. The expressive intensity of the postures holds you transfixed, and the thread of energy between the raised paws seems to hold the protagonists in perfect balance."
"Images from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are rare enough, but to have captured such a powerful interaction between a Tibetan fox and a marmot - two species key to the ecology of this high-grassland region - is extraordinary.¡±
Here are some other images that won.?
Audun Rikardsen
Golden Eagle surveying the land.?
J¨¦r¨¦mie Villet
Two male Dall sheep hugging it out in cold winter.?
Ingo Arndt
Exact moment a puma attacked a guanaco.?
Charlie Hamilton James
Brown rats scampering around garbage bags full of food waste
These wildlife photographers spend months and months in harsh and challenging climates to get the perfect shot, and the result? These awe inspiring images.?