In the Chandragiri Forest Range of Nepal, a mountain hawk-eagle surveys the forest from a moss-covered branch. This powerful raptor hunts birds and mammals beneath the dense mountain canopy. 📷 The Rozie Bloom

Master of Disguise. The mossy leaf-tailed gecko of Madagascar has a flattened body and bark-like markings making it almost impossible to distinguish from a tree trunk. 📷 Luca Ghezzi

An Eastern screech-owl peers from a weathered tree hollow in New York. A familiar but seldom-seen resident, it lives year-round in woodlands, parks and suburban neighborhoods. 📷 Harry Collins

Life in the Slow Lane. With enormous eyes and a soft, dense coat, the slow loris looks almost impossibly gentle. But this nocturnal primate has a surprising defence: a venomous bite, unique among primates. 📷 Liu Ye

An Andean condor displays the deep, rugose caruncle and weathered skin of old age. Weighing up to 15 kilograms, it is the world's heaviest bird of prey. 📷 Juan Ma Gonzalez

Crimson Crawler. Navigating the dark seabed, a bright red Sea Toad uses modified pectoral fins to walk along rocky slopes. 📷 Schmidt Ocean Institute

The Juvenile Pinnate Batfish’s vibrant orange band mimics toxic flatworms to ward off predators. A fast-moving jet-black fish that is near impossible to light and photograph. 📷 Byron Conroy

Humpback whale tails rise from the shimmering waters off Byron Bay, silhouetted against a vibrant orange sunset and Mt Warning on the horizon. 📷 Craig Parry ( @craigparryphot )

A haunting colour morph of the red fox emerges from the snow-covered brush in the Canadian Arctic. Known as a cross fox, it has distinctive black markings that often appear like a cross. 📷 Eli Martinez ( @Sharkdivermag )

Shadow Stalker. Slender, short-legged, and surprisingly otter-like in frame, a jaguarundi prowls dense undergrowth for small rodents and birds in Cusco, Peru. 📷 Geoff Gallice ( @GeoffGallice )

Flooded Phantom. A river dolphin swims through a seasonally flooded forest in the Rio Negro, Brazilian Amazon. 📷 Thomas Peschak ( @tompeschak )

A weary tern parent returns from the hunt, only to be greeted by two tiny beaks demanding dinner at once. 📷 Chen Chengguang

Serengeti School. Under its mother's watchful eye, a young serval kitten sharpens the stealth and hunting instincts required to survive the savanna. 📷 Yaron Schmid

A tiny blaze of orange in the marshy grasslands around Munnar’s high-altitude peaks in India’s Western Ghats. The critically endangered resplendent bush frog grows to just 2–3 cm and hatches directly from the egg, bypassing the tadpole stage entirely. 📷 Prasad Hamine

A cattle egret descends with wings spread wide, revealing the elegant golden plumage that develops during the breeding season. 📷 Andres Saldaña

Mobile Home. A 12-metre female whale shark glides silently up to the photographer, with around 50 remoras catching a free ride in its mouth. The smaller fish gain transport, protection and easy access to food. 📷 Evans Baudin