Bees spin over the hot sand on a Texas ranch.
All except one are males, intent on mating with the single female at the centre.
The buzzing ball of cactus bees competing for a single female has earned its photographer the coveted title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
The picture, captured by American photographer Karine Aigner, is the grand title winner in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition — an annual award given out by the Natural History Museum in London.
She is the fifth woman in the competition's 58-year history to be awarded the Grand Title award.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is one of the most prestigious competitions of its type in world photography.
Sixteen-year-old Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn from Thailand was awarded the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his image of a baleen whale.
When a Bryde's whale surfaced close to the boat, the young photographer was intrigued by the contrasting colours and textures of its dark skin, pink gum and the brushlike mass of baleen hanging from its upper jaw.
The two Grand Title winners were selected from 19 category winners.
The competition attracted 38,575 entries from 93 countries and were judged anonymously by an international panel of experts on their originality, narrative, technical excellence, and ethical practice.
The images awarded showcase the natural world in all its diverse glory.
Here's a look at some of the winners.
Heavenly flamingos by Junji Takasago, Japan
Ndakasi's passing by Brent Stirton, South Africa
The dying lake by Daniel Núñez, Guatemala
Spectacled bear’s slim outlook by Daniel Mideros, Ecuador
The listening bird by Nick Kanakis
The great cliff chase by Anand Nambiar, India
The bat-snatcher by Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar, Mexico
New life for the tohorā by Richard Robinson, New Zealand
The magical morels by Agorastos Papatsanis, Greece
Shooting star by Tony Wu, USA/Japan
House of bears by Dmitry Kokh, Russia
‘A theatre of birds’ by Mateusz Piesiak, Poland
‘Under Antarctic ice’ by Laurent Ballesta, France
The exhibition will tour across the UK and internationally to countries including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United States.
