These breath-taking photographs reveal the everyday lives of animals living in the wild. The incredible images were taken by wildlife photographer Wim van dan Heever, from Pretoria, South Africa, during trips to locations including Japan, Botswana and Svalbard. The 43-year-old has been photographing wildlife since he was a young boy and turned his passion for animals into a career and set up ODP Safaris. He has travelled across the globe to photograph wild animals – from lions and tigers, to elephants, dolphins and eagles – as they hunt, give birth and graze in their natural habitats. Here: Lions submerged in water. (Photo by Wim van den Heever/Caters News)

Daniel Fox inside the Mendenhall Glacier, in September 2014, in Juneau, Alaska. Driving in an open-roofed jeep is no longer the fashionable way to see wildlife – as this adventurer shows. A keen wildlife photographer has circled islands in the south of Alaska, the United States, in a kayak to see spectacular scenery and animals. Daniel Fox, 40, from San Francisco spent three months travelling around the islands by kayak, meeting sea lions and brown bears along the way. (Photo by Daniel Fox/Barcroft Media)

Cotswold gamekeeper shoots amazing pictures of British wildlife – without the aid of long lenses and elaborate techniques. The photos may look like they have been shot from miles away – but amazingly Adam Tatlow is actually just feet away from his wild subjects. Photo: Young fawn shelters in the wood. He is so at one with nature that he knows how to call animals to him, and often gets within 30ft of them. (Photo by Adam Tatlow/BNPS)

In a new project, an international group of photographers have joined forces to use their powerful images to raise awareness and funds to help stop the illegal wildlife trade. Here: Fennec foxes are captured for the illegal pet trade. This three-month-old pup was for sale in a market in southern Tunisia. (Photo by Bruno D'Amicis/Photographers Against Wildlife Crime/Wildscreen/The Guardian)

An arctic tern feeds its chick on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast, northern England July 8, 2013. The Farne Islands, which lie off the coast of northeast England, are home to a huge array of wildlife. The islands are owned and protected by the British conservation charity, the National Trust, which says they host some 23 species of seabird, as well as a substantial colony of grey seals, who come to have their pups there in the autumn. Every five years the National Trust carries out a census of the islands' population of puffins, and this year's survey showed there were almost 40,000 nesting pairs on the islands – an 8 percent rise from 2008. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Reuters)

Respect, Kronotsky nature reserve, Russia. The photographer’s cat, Ryska – her name means little lynx in Russian – stands outside their cabin and with aggressive posturing warns off a fox. In winter, foxes would regularly visit the cabin searching for food. If one peered in at the window, possible when the snow was deep, Ryska would sit on the other side, fur raised, and growl. When outside, she would hold her ground. The foxes were not always frightened and so encounters could be a sort of dance. (Photo by Igor Shpilenok/Unforgettable Behaviour/NHM)

An innovative photographer attached a camera to a remote-controlled car, allowing him to capture angles of wild lions, rhinos and other animals. Over the last 11 years, Chris Bray has been taking pictures of animals using his toy car contraption while he takes guests on photography tours in Kenya. (Photo by Chris Bray/Caters News Agency)

The National Geographic Photo Ark is a travelling exhibition of photographer Joel Sartore’s quest to create a photo archive of biodiversity around the world. So far, Sartore has captured studio portraits of more than 6,000 species – a number that he hopes to double. On 1 July, the ark will open at Melbourne zoo – the first time it has been exhibited in the southern hemisphere. More than 50 portraits will be on display, including many of Australian endangered animals being protected by programs at the zoo itself. These captions have been edited from text supplied by Melbourne zoo. Here: Barking owl. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)