The Natural History Museum in London is set to showcase the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, featuring 100 striking images from a record 60,636 entries. The exhibition opens on October 17 and highlights compelling wildlife stories from around the globe. An international panel of wildlife experts, photographers, and scientists will select the winning images, judging them based on creativity and technical skill.

This year marks the 61st anniversary of the competition, which is recognized as the world's leading platform for nature photography. The Grand Title winners will be announced by TV presenters and conservationists Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin during a ceremony on October 14. The event will be streamed live on the museum's YouTube channel.

The exhibition aims to combine artistic expression with scientific data, including the museum's Biodiversity Intactness Index. This approach is designed to help visitors understand and advocate for endangered ecosystems.

Among the featured photographs is a striking image by Bidyut Kalita, who captured a potter wasp mid-flight as it carried a paralyzed caterpillar to its nest in his home in northeast India. Lakshitha Karunarathna documented the plight of elephants in Sri Lanka, using a drone to capture a lone elephant scavenging through garbage in Ampara, where plastic waste has proven fatal for many.

Pilot Jassen Todorov's aerial shot of sunset-lit salt ponds near San Francisco highlights an environmental success story, showcasing the restoration of industrial salt flats into thriving wetlands. Isaac Szabo's underwater photograph reveals the courtship of longnose gar in a Florida river, featuring a passing turtle that adds to the scene's richness.

Sitaram Raul faced unique challenges while photographing fruit bats at an ancient Indian monument, working in darkness while avoiding the bats' droppings. Emmanuel Tardy captured a moment in Costa Rica when a three-toed sloth crossed a road, emphasizing the impact of urban development on wildlife habitats.

Ralph Pace braved the stinging tentacles of Pacific sea nettles to photograph a jellyfish swarm in Monterey Bay, while Kutub Uddin discovered a fascinating slime mold in West Sussex, England, capturing its reproductive parts in a macro shot. Gabriella Comi witnessed a dramatic encounter in Tanzania's Serengeti, where a cobra approached a group of sleeping lions, showcasing the unpredictable nature of wildlife.