Animal magic

A selection of stunning shots from the latest Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

Pink Pose by Leana Kuster

Highly Commended, 15–17 Years

(Opposite, top) Leana Kuster from Switzerland shows a greater flamingo in the act of scratching its head with one of its unmistakably long legs.

While on holiday in southern France, Leana had been watching flamingos in the Camargue. She was fascinated by their foraging behaviour as they moved gracefully through the shallow wetlands, filter feeding for molluscs and crustaceans.

Flamingos use their tongues to force water through their bills, which are lined with rows of fine, comb-like plates. These help trap a species of brine shrimp that gives the birds their famous pink hue.

Location: Pont de Gau, Camargue, France

Slime Family Portrait by Kutub Uddin

Highly Commended, Natural Artistry

(Opposite, bottom) Kutub Uddin from Bangladesh and the UK, spots a line of alien-like slime moulds on a fallen tree. Kutub found these blueberry-like spheres – the reproductive parts of a slime mould, each just 1 to 2 millimetres in diameter – in a nearby forest. His image resembles a fantasy landscape, though he describes the scene as a ‘bizarre family portrait’, complete with a tiny yellow insect egg.