Bloodthirsty by Thomas P. Peschak, Germany/South Africa — winner, Behaviour: birds. When rations run short on Wolf Island, in the remote northern Galápagos, the sharp-beaked ground finches become vampires. Their sitting targets are Nazca boobies and other large birds. The finches rely on a scant diet of seeds and insects, which regularly dries up, so they drink blood to survive. ‘I’ve seen more than half a dozen finches drinking from a single Nazca booby,’ says Tom. Rather than leave their nests the boobies tolerate the vampires, and the blood loss doesn’t seem to cause permanent harm. (Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

Arctic treasure by Sergey Gorshkov (Russia). An arctic fox carries its egg trophy from a raid on a snow goose nest and heads for a suitable burial spot. Finalist 2017, Animal Portraits. (Photo by Sergey Gorshkov/2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

A Filipino Catholic performing self-flagellation lies on the ground with his bloodied back outside a church on Good Friday, defying a government ban on religious gatherings amid rising coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, in Manila, Philippines, April 2, 2021. (Photo by Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

Venezuelan artist Deborah Castillo licks the boots of a man dressed as a member of the military during her performance “Lamebrasil, Lamezuela – questioning power in Latin America”, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 24, 2019. (Photo by Amanda Perobell/Reuters)

in Qayyarah, about 31 miles (50 km) south of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, October 23, 2016.in Qayyarah, some 50 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016. Islamic State fighters torched a sulfur plant south of Mosul, sending a cloud of toxic fumes into the air that mingled with oil wells the militants had lit on fire to create a smoke screen. (Photo by Marko Drobnjakovic/AP Photo)

Members of St. Dominic Catholic Church take part in a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, on Good Friday in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria, on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters)

An aerial photo shows a general view of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, in Shanghai on October 9, 2024. (Photo by Jade Gao/AFP Photo)

A woman uses her smartphone before the Chanel Cruise Collection 2015/16 fashion show at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, May 4, 2015. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)