Huddle
Judges for the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards, in its 12th year, announced the shortlisted finalists for the open competition. Here's a look at the photos that nabbed a final slot in the Natural World & Wildlife category.
Here, Nadia Aly from the U.S. captured this fluffy-looking bunch of penguins in an image she dubbed "Huddle."
Bedraggled Hare Ballet
U.K. photographer Nick Edwards snapped this shot of hares on the Island of Wight. As for hares as a subject, here's what Edwards told the blog OnTheWight: "Although, over the years, I have enjoyed seeing hares in Island fields on an occasional basis, it wasn't until March last year that I set myself the challenge of finding and photographing them on a regular basis," he said. "Little did I know that it would fill much of my time at dawn and dusk over the rest of the year — and this year is set to see a repeat."
Underwater Gannets
Tracey Lund, also of the United Kingdom, seems to have gotten lucky in capturing this action shot of gannets snagging fish underwater.
Circle of Power
Sandi Little of Canada was shortlisted for her shot of eagles squabbling over prey. In this case the prey were dead chickens placed there in Sheffield Mills, Nova Scotia, to attract the birds during the annual Eagle Watch event.
According to Little, "My photo capture was a lucky one. One eagle had landed in a crevice to enjoy his catch, when he sensed another eagle was approaching to steal it from him...he turned around, in full wing span, to protect his lunch, and I captured his look of 'don't you dare ' to his approaching threat... It was worth standing for hours in minus 10 degrees (C) to capture this shot of Wildlife's amazing beauty."
Nocturnal Hunter
Guillermo Ossa, of Colombia, captured this eerie image of a common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) while the migratory bird was hunting insects on a rainy night, the BBC reported.
Owl
Jeroen Beekelaar, of the Netherlands, was shortlisted for his image of an owl sitting on a lantern.
Gray seal face
Greg Lecoeur of France captured this darling image of a gray seal. This is a true seal, meaning it has short flippers for movement on land and no external ear flaps.
The Assault
David Salvatori, Italy, with an image of dolphins capturing a swarm of sardines off the coasts of Mbotyi River, in South Africa, according to the BBC.
Ethiopian Wolf
Roberto Marchegiani, Italy, took this shot of an Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), which lives only in the mountains of Ethiopia. There, just 400 adults of this endangered animal remain, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.
Arabian Red Fox
Msaaed Al Gharibah, Kuwait, with a photo of an Arabian red fox (Vulpes vulpes ssp. arabica), a subspecies of red fox.
Agony & Ecstasy
This male sea lion seems to be perhaps roaring in an image shot by Pedro Jarque Krebs of Peru.
