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)

“Hiding In The Shadows”. This Baby Sandhill taking refuge under Moms wings while sitting on her second egg. I witnessed this baby being born earlier that day,and the next morning saw the other one hatch,what a sight to see. Photo location: Deland, Florida. (Photo and caption by Scott Helfrich/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Sudan cheetah cub Assama inspects a camera bag in its enclosure at the Landau Zoo, in Landau, Germany, 03 September 2025. Assama, born in July as the only cub to a cheetah cat, was rejected by its mother, and is now being bottle-fed by its caretakers. (Photo by Ronald Wittek/EPA)

Catherine Hollis of Chester, Pa., and Izzy Weintraub of Atlantic City eat Cherrystone clams at Atlantic City's annual clam-eating contest September 16, 1946. They finished 96 and 66 clams respectively in 20 minutes. (Photo by Sam Myers/AP Photo)

A cat, named “Sulo”, is seen in Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square wearing sunglasses, in Turkiye, on December 30, 2022. (Photo by Murat Sengul/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Three very colouful alpacas enjoy the hot weather at Toft Farm, Rugby, on July 19, 2013. (Photo by Caters News)

A man in a Donald Trump mask joins hundreds of other protesters and activists as they march during a demonstration near a midtown hotel which is hosting a black-tie fund-raiser for the state Republican Party on April 14, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A baby sloth uses his mother as a hammock while she feasts on papayas in Heredia province in Costa Rica in April 2023. (Photo by William Steele/Solent News)