A mesmerising scene of western toad tadpoles has earned its photographer the coveted title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024.
The picture, captured by Canadian Marine Conservation photojournalist Shane Gross, took top honours in this year’s Natural History Museum competition.
Gross captured the image while snorkelling through carpets of lily pads in Cedar Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
He swam for several hours, ensuring not to disturb the layers of silt and algae covering the bottom of the lake.
Other than the overall victory, this stunning image also earned Gross first place in the Wetlands: The bigger picture category.
Grand title winner 2024
The Swarm of Life
An estimated 99 per cent of western toad tadpoles will not survive to adulthood. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Shane Gross)
Kathy Moran, who chaired the judging panel, said the jury was excited by the addition of a new species to the awards’ archive.
“Over the last few years, the competition has highlighted environments and species that are often overlooked yet provoke the same wonder and delight when shared as the more typically photographed wildlife and wild places.”
The competition attracted a record-breaking 59,228 entries from 117 countries which were judged anonymously by an international panel of experts on their originality, narrative, technical excellence, and ethical practice.
The winning images showcase the natural world in all its diverse glory.
Here’s a look at some of the other category winners.
Behaviour: Invertebrates category winner
The Demolition Squad
Red wood ants dismembering a blue ground beetle into small pieces to fit through the entrance to their nest. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Ingo Arndt)
Animals in their environment category winner
Frontier of the Lynx
It took Igor Metelskiy more than six months of waiting to achieve this relaxed image of the elusive lynx. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Igor Metelskiy)
Animal portraits category winner
On Watch
A whole family portrait of a mother lynx and its fully grown young sheltering behind it. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: John E Marriott)
Behaviour: Amphibians and reptiles category winner
Wetland Wrestle
A yellow anaconda coiling itself around the snout of a yacare caiman in the wetlands of the Brazilian Pantanal. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Karine Aigner)
Behaviour: Birds category winner
Practice Makes Perfect
One judge said this play-hunting butterfly moment is an “extraordinary catch”. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Jack Zhi)
Behaviour: Mammals category winner
A Tranquil Moment
A young toque macaque sleeping in an adult’s arms. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod)
Oceans: The bigger picture category winner
A Diet of Deadly Plastic
A mosaic from the 403 pieces of plastic found inside the digestive tract of a dead flesh-footed shearwater. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Justin Gilligan)
Natural artist category winner
The Artful Crow
An impressionistic vision of a perching carrion crow. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Jiří Hřebíček)
Underwater category winner
Under the Waterline
A curious leopard seal beneath the Antarctic ice. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Matthew Smith)
Urban wildlife category winner
Tiger in Town
A tiger on a hillside against the backdrop of a town where forests once grew. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Robin Darius Conz)
Plants and fungi category winner
Old Man of the Glen
A gnarled old birch tree, adorned with pale “old man’s beard” lichens. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Fortunato Gatto)
Young grand title winner
Life Under Dead Wood
A tiny springtail and a slime mould are revealed after a log was carefully moved aside on a forest floor. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas)