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)

A woman sits in lotus prayer pose during the “Yoga at the Sunrise” event on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, June 22, 2024. The activity celebrates International Yoga Day proclaimed by the United Nations as June 21. (Photo by Bruna Prado/AP Photo)

Hiroto Ishizawa of Japan falls while competing on the pommel horse during qualifications at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 19, 2025. (Photo by Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)

Sisters Martha Syrett, 6, left, and Etta Syrett, 4, right, measure one of Ian Paton's huge pumpkins at Pinetops Nurseries, Lymington, Hants, UK on October 5, 2025. An enormous pumpkin grown by a pair of green-fingered twins has smashed two world records – it is the heaviest and the longest pumpkin on the planet. Ian and Stuart Paton grew the pumpkin which weighed in at 2,819.8 pounds (1,278.8 kg) – the equivalent of about two bulls. (Photo by Ollie Thompson/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Cameroonian para-athlete and taekwondo African champion Marie-Antoinette Ndassi (R) and Cameroonian taekwondo para-athlete Chemogne Teukam Guileine (C) practice some moves during a training session at a gym in Yaounde, on May 31, 2024. Taekwondo para-athletes Marie-Antoinette Ndassi and Chemogne Teukam Guileine will represent Cameroon following their qualification for the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. (Photo by Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP Phoot)

Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan hits a return against Lin Hsiang-Ti of Taiwan in their women's singles quarter-final match during the Hong Kong Open badminton tournament in Hong Kong on September 12, 2025. (Photo by Peter Parks/AFP Photo)

Breath of an Arctic fox by Marco Gaiotti, Italy. Marco was watching this little Arctic fox as it incessantly called another nearby. Gradually he noticed the fox’s wet breath was quickly freezing in the air after each call. It was late winter in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, and the air was -35C (-31F). Photographing Arctic foxes is often frustrating, as they are normally running around fast in search of food, but this one was very relaxed and let Marco get close enough to focus on it, with the light glowing perfectly in the background. (Photo by Marco Gaiotti/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021)