Photos: Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Awards 2015

The overall winner of the competition was Canadian photographer Don Gutoski. The judges were moved by his picture of a red fox clutching a lifeless arctic fox in a rare example of the two larger of the two foxes hunting its smaller cousin. The picture was taken in the far north of Canada, where global warming has forced the two species to live in the same areas and compete for the same prey. (Don Gutoski / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

 

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award, developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London announced their winners.

Dan Gutoski from Canada was the overall winner for capturing a photo of a red fox eating an Arctic fox.

Here are nine of the winners’ submissions:

A massive Bryde’s whale rips through a shoal of sardines in the picture that won the Underwater category. The whales can eat hundreds of fish in one bite, and the feeding frenzy was captured by photographer Michael AW during the annual sardine run, when billions of sardines migrate along South Africa’s Wild Coast. (Michael AW / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

In Guilin China, big cats are drugged, have their claws removed and are forced to perform in shows by trainers wielding spiked metal poles. Britta Jaschinski won the Wildlife Photojournalist Single Image award by capturing the cruel and surreal nature of the circus show. (Britta Jaschinski / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

A barn swallow soars through a torn oil painting in this surreal image, captured by Juan Tapia at his farm in Spain. Juan hung the ripped painting in front of a storehouse window, knowing it was a spot the swallows often flew through. The resulting picture took the prize in the Impressions category. (Juan Tapia / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

A birdseye view of the Bahia de Cadiz National Park in Spain shows the marshes alive with bright colour, thanks to a bloom of microalgae, salt deposits and orangey-brown sediment. The picture took the top prize in the From The Sky category. (Pere Soler / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

Jonathan Jagot claimed victory in the 15 to 17-year-old photographer category with his shot of a flock of Scarlet Ibis gliding smoothly over a Brazilian sand dune. The birds are usually found in marshes and mangroves, so the sand is an usual background for their flight. (Jonathan Jagot / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

Photographer Amir Ben-Dov spent days observing the behaviour of these red-footed falcons in Israel before snapping this moment of interaction. The strange dynamic he caught won him the prize in the Birds category. (Amir Ben-Dov / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

In the 11 to 14 year-old photographer category, the top picture was taken in the far north of Norway during summer, when the sun shines 24 hours a day. Photographer Ondrej Pelánek visited with his father, and captured these male ruffs fighting for the attention of the females. (Ondrej-Pelánek / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

The ghostly silouette of a fox, taken in a Surrey garden, was the winning photograph in the Urban category. Richard Peters was aiming to capture the relationship between urban foxes and humans, despite not actually depicting either. (Richard Peter / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

Beautiful Sights On This Incredible Planet From CNN

A rainbow created by the moon — definitely worth a look.

Our planet Earth is very beautiful.

There are so many beautiful places for us to visit and enjoy their beauty.

But these places will be gone if we do not take care of our planet and if there are wars around the world.

Let us take good care of our planet and please stop the wars.

Please click the photos for larger images:

Dubbed “the greatest shoal on earth,” the sardine run on South Africa’s Wild Coast holds two titles — the world’s largest animal migration also featuring the greatest gathering of predators on the planet.

Every evening, these stunning peaks lay on a glorious display of color, starting out bright yellow before turning an intense red that softens to indigo and violet before darkness finally envelops the mountains.

The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia is home to the highest tides in the world, creating a rare tidal bore — or giant wave — in the Shubenacadie River. Some adventurous types surf or canoe the wave as it moves upriver.

Some 230 meters beneath a stand of cactus-studded rocky slopes in New Mexico lies a wonderland of 117 caves formed when sulfuric acid dissolved the surrounding limestone.

AGRA, INDIA – MAY 28: The Taj Mahal is seen from the South on May 28, 2013 in Agra, India. Completed in 1643, the mausoleum was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who is buried there alongside Jahan.(Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

Lightning flashes during a thunderstorm early on September 13, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stormy weather is expected to continue through Thursday.

The Rialto, the Bridge of Sighs, the vast expanse of San Marco look much as they did 400 years ago, but nothing evokes the mystery of La Serenissima quite like Santa Maria Salute looming out of the mist at the entrance to the Grand Canal.

They’re not exotic and in the European case they’re not even that pretty, but they are one of the most mesmerizing sights in nature.

Every year, armies of young backpackers flock to the ancient town of Fenghuang (which literally means “Phoenix”) in Hunan province, for its rich Miao and Tujia ethnic culture as well as a glorious photo opportunity.

Approximately 40% of Korea’s tea is produced in the rolling fields of Boseong, which have also provided the backdrop of many Korean dramas and films.

Sossusvlei means “the gathering place of water” but you’ll need to bring your own if you don’t want to dehydrate at this, one of Namibia’s most outstanding attractions.

Clean, secluded and easy to skip because it takes some effort to get here, the beaches of the Seychelles are the benchmarks against which others must be judged.

Scandinavia gives you a chance to see the most dazzling light display on Earth.

Old mines reborn as tourist attractions.

In the Lake District it’s OK to ponder like a poet.

Early settlers made homes in these natural formations called fairy chimneys.

Not your everyday ruins.

Seen one beach you’ve seen them all? Not a chance.

Your camera’s memory card might blow up inside this Iceland volcano, but otherwise it’s all cool.

Lucky us, the world didn’t end in 2012, so we still have time to see the Mayan ruins in Palenque.

Not always this clear, we know, but still Yosemite.

Snake-charmers, henna painters and more.

Torres del Paine: created with screen savers and inspirational corporate posters in mind.

Orion, Pegasus and about a million of their friends are visible in Mackenzie Basin in New Zealand.