10 award-winning images documenting wildlife’s will to survive
The saiga antelope roams the Eurasian steppe of Central Asia. Its distinct, downward-facing tubular nose helps filter dust and warm cool air. Like most wildlife, the bulbous-headed antelopes avoid human contact, so capturing compelling images of the creatures can prove difficult.
Undeterred, photographer Andrey Giljov set out to document saiga antelopes in their natural habitat. “We had to set up a camouflaged hide near this so-called social arena,” Giljov explains. “We had to conceal ourselves in the dark to avoid scaring off approaching saigas or making unnecessary noise, otherwise the animals would not come close.”
Giljov’s stealthiness paid off with a stunning image of two male saigas going horn to horn on the banks of a lake during a competitive breeding season. The photograph (seen above) took home the top honors for the 2025 BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology image competition.
“This was a challenging image to capture,” said senior BMC Ecology and Evolution Editorial Board Member David Ferrier. “It wonderfully conveys the energy of the battle, alongside the striking appearance of these animals.”
“Jump!”
Life in Motion, Runner-Up
A breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) captured from a boat in Varanger, Norway.
Credit: Alwin Hardenbol
The annual photography competition highlights “the beauty, struggles, and survival strategies of remarkable life on Earth, while celebrating the researchers striving to understand the natural world in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, palaeontology, and zoology,” a press release explains.
Along with the overall winners, the judges also selected honorees across four categories: Collective Social Behaviour, Life in Motion, Colourful Strategies, and Research in Action.
“Spot me if you can”
Highly commended
A jeweled gecko (Naultinus gemmeus) balancing on the branch of a tree.
Credit: Jonathan Goldenberg
“Attentive Parenting in Burying Beetles”
Collective and Social Behaviour, Runner-Up
A mother burying beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) feeds her larvae on the carcass of a mouse.
Credit: Nick Royle
“Nymphs and Nature: A Close-Up Journey”
Collective and Social Behaviour, Winner
A cluster of newly-hatched nymphs of Acanthocoris scaber on a leaf.
Credit: Sritam Kumar Sethy
“The Lookout”
Highly commended
A moment of pause as a barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) takes stock of its surroundings.
Credit: Alwin Hardenbol Alwin Hardenbol
“Radio-Tagging to study one of the UK’s rarest beetles”
Research in Action, Winner
A male blue ground beetle (Carabus intricatus) waiting to be fitted with a backpack-like radio tag.
Credit: Nick Royle
“Galliform Guard Duty”
Research in Action, Runner-Up
A camera trap image of a family of capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) nesting in Scotland’s Cairngorms.
Credit: Jack Bamber
“Mastering the art of camouflage”
Colourful Strategies, Runner-Up
The near-indistinguishable camouflage of an Asian grass frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) against the rugged bark of a tree is barely visible.
Credit: Sritam Kumar Sethy
“Deimatic Beetle’s Eye for an Eye”
Colourful Strategies, Winner
A ‘head on’ shot of a beetle’s threatening display.
Credit: Abhijeet Bayani
