Behaviour: Mammals category. Giant Gathering by Tony Wu, USA. Dozens of sperm whales mingled noisily off Sri Lanka’s northeast coast, stacked as far down as Tony could see. This was a congregation of dozens of social units, like a gathering of the clans. Aggregations like this could be a critical part of the whales’ rich social lives but are rarely reported. Some two thirds of the population was wiped out before commercial whaling was banned in 1986. This kind of major gathering could be “a sign that populations are recovering”, says Tony. (Photo by Tony Wu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017)

Nosy neighbour by Sam Hobson, UK. Sam knew exactly who to expect when he set his camera on the wall one summer’s evening in a suburban street in Bristol, the UK’s famous fox city. He wanted to capture the inquisitive nature of the urban red fox in a way that would pique the curiosity of its human neighbours about the wildlife around them. (Photo by Sam Hobson/2016 Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

This year’s overall winner and winner of the coast and marine category is George Stoyle with his image “Hitchhikers” of a Lion’s mane jellyfish, photographed at St Kilda, off the Island of Hirta, Scotland. (Photo by George Stoyle/British Wildlife Photography Awards 2016)

Highly commended birds : Crested guan by Tim Hunt (UK). ‘This photo shows a crested guan in the cloud forests of Costa Rica as it pauses while foraging on a lone branch. Due to the clouds that are so typical for this habitat, I could often only photograph the bird’s silhouette against a grey sky. But then, for a short moment only, the sun broke through the clouds, and I overexposed the image by over two stops in order to blow out the background and allow this beautifully marked bird to stand out’. (Photo by Tim Hunt/GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

Baka pygmies in their forest home preparing food in, Sangha Forest, Central African Republic, February 2016. Here, in their forest home, traditional life continues in the face of multiplying challenges ranging from poachers, to ill health. Deep in the rainforests of central Africa lives one of the world’s most mysterious tribes. (Photo by Susan Schulman/Barcroft Images)

A Kenyan acrobatic member of the Mighty Jambo Circus Academy performs a stunt during their training routine at the academy in Nairobi, Kenya, 13 January 2021. (Photo by Daniel Irungu/EPA/EFE)

Senegalese wrestlers cover themselves in sand as they prepare to start their training program in Petit Mbao on March 29, 2021. As Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, wrestlers now start prepare themselves for the start of wrestling tournaments. Senegalese wrestling, which has its roots in the ceremonies celebrating the end of harvests in Serer and Diola ethnic groups and remains surrounded by a thick cloud of mystical practice, is still extremely popular in this West African country. (Photo by John Wessels/AFP Photo)

Hundreds of volunteers stand at Goma International Airport receiving instructions before boarding a plane that will take them to a training center after responding to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi's call to join the army to go to the front lines to fight against the M23 rebellion (March 23 Movement) in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on November 14, 2022. (Photo by Guerchom Ndebo/AFP Photo)