From a VERY determined honey badger to a sleepy seal: The amazing 25 shortlisted images for Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award – which will YOU vote for?

This spellbinding image taken by U.S photographer Nora Milligan features a chimpanzee in Loango National Park, Gabon. NHM reveals: ‘On a trek through the forest, Nora’s guide signalled for the group to stop near the bank of a swamp. They heard the call of a chimp first, then the leaves around them started to rustle and a group of chimpanzees appeared. Nora couldn’t believe her luck when they started to climb the nearby trees. As she peered through her viewfinder, a large male paused and looked down at them. The chimp craned its neck forward and its eyes seemed to widen, as if to get a better look’

In this mesmerising image by Canadian photographer Jess Findlay, ‘a ghostly barn owl’ heads out to hunt from a ‘derelict barn’ in Vancouver, Canada. NHM says: ‘Jess quietly watched the owl for several nights to understand its habits. He set up an invisible beam so that his camera flash would trigger when the owl flew out of the barn’

‘An ambling Eurasian badger appears to glance up at badger graffiti’ in this quirky image taken by British photographer Ian Wood, in St Leonards-on-Sea. NHM explains: ‘Residents had been leaving food scraps on the pavement for foxes. But Ian noticed that badgers from a nearby sett were also coming to forage.’ The photo is illuminated using just lamppost light

This cute image by Polish photographer Piotr Naskrecki depicts ‘a rarely seen four-toed sengi’ foraging for food in leaf litter in Mozambique. NHM says: ‘Sengis mainly eat insects and look for their prey at dusk and dawn. They rely on a combination of good vision and excellent sense of smell to find food.’ Naskrecki took the photo using a remote camera as the animals are ‘shy and skittish’

A Weddell seal on the Antarctic Peninsula is captured relaxing on an ice floe in this captivating image taken by British photographer Sue Flood. NHM says: ‘Weddell seals’ large bodies are covered in a thick layer of blubber. This keeps them warm above and below the icy waters of the Southern Ocean.’ Flood took the photo from a boat using a long lens so as not to disturb the seal

This mysterious image, titled ‘Whiteout’, depicts a stoat ‘observing its territory’ in the snow in Belgium and was taken by Belgian photographer Michel d’Oultremont. He ‘lay in the snow with a white camouflage net covering all but his lens’ to capture the image. NHM reveals: ‘This curious stoat came out of its snowy hole and sat up from time to time, observing its territory just before setting off to hunt’

Chilean photographer Francisco Negroni captured this powerful image of the Vilarrica Volcano in Chile ‘illuminated at nightfall’. The volcano last erupted in 2015. Negroni, who takes ‘regular trips’ there, says ‘some nights are calm, others furious as in this photograph, where the brightness of the crater illuminates the night sky’

This stunning photo, captured in India by Indian photographer Arvind Ramamurthy, depicts ‘members of a wolf pack pausing briefly’ as they play. NHM explains: ‘Indian wolves were once found all across India. Now, their number has dwindled to as few as 3,000. Living so close to humans poses many risks. But Indian wolves are hardy animals. With better grassland management and protection, they could make a strong comeback’

In this gorgeous image taken by U.S photographer Aaron Baggenstos, ‘a puma stands on a windswept outcrop’ in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. NHM reveals: ‘It is a symbol of hope. A successful conservation movement led to the creation of the national park and a rise in ecotourism in the region’

Czech photographer Ivan Ivanek took this photo of a ‘striking pair of red-shanked douc langurs mating’ in the forests of the Son Tra peninsula in Vietnam. NHM explains: ‘Known for their bright red “stockings”, these primates are found only in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The species is critically endangered because of habitat loss, hunting and the illegal pet trade.’ Ivanek described the mating ritual as an ‘unexpectedly gradual and graceful affair’ compared to other breeds of monkey he’s seen

This stunning image captures floodwaters ‘surging towards’ Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, Australia’s largest inland lake and one of the world’s largest salt lakes. Australian photographer Brad Leue took the image from a ‘helicopter in strong winds’. NHM reveals: ‘As well as the floodwaters, a dust storm was blowing and rain was falling on the horizon. Floodwaters had travelled more than 1,000 kilometres (1,600 miles). They’d surged steadily from Queensland towards South Australia. Timing was imperative to photograph this once-in-a-decade natural event’

‘A European roller defends its territory from a bemused-looking little owl’ in Hungary in this image by Hungarian photographer Bence Máté. NHM explains: ‘The male roller makes a sport of annoying other birds that stray into its breeding area during the short mating season. It makes a surprise ambush, flying at full speed behind them.’ Máté spent 27 days watching from a hide to capture this ‘fleeting scene’

This ‘sad collage of dead insects calmly floating in the water’ was captured by Italian photographer Carlo D’Aurizio in Italy. NHM explains: ‘Carlo had visited this small stream many times. He expected to see the graceful flight of butterflies and dragonflies along it. It hadn’t been particularly hot and there hadn’t been any storms in the previous days. To this day, Carlo has no explanation of why the insects died’

LEFT: In this poignant image by Portuguese photographer Jose Fragozo a young cheetah cub is ‘hissing’ while waiting to be sold in Ethiopia. NHM explains: ‘Illegal wildlife trafficking is a problem in the Somali Region. Farmers catch and sell cheetah cubs to traffickers, claiming that the cheetahs attack their livestock. Some end up being killed and their parts sold, their bones shipped to Yemen and then to other Asian markets. They are then sold as tiger bones and used to make Chinese bone wine. After hissing at the camera, the cub started chirping, calling out for its mother.’ RIGHT: German photographer Christian Brinkmann captured this mesmerising image of a ‘singing Eurasian songbird silhouetted against a backdrop of colourful fairground lights’ in Munster, Germany. NHM reveals: ‘In front of the fairground lights, this Eurasian blackbird posed for its song’

In this spellbinding photo, four grey wolves travel through a ‘minimalist landscape’ in ‘search of [their] next meal’ in the USA’s Yellowstone National Park. U.S photographer Devon Pradhuman ‘watched them from a distance’ to capture the shot

A beluga whale in the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic rubs its underside on a shallow river bottom to exfoliate its skin in a playful photo by British-Canadian photographer Mark Williams. NHM says: ‘Hundreds of beluga whales come here to socialise and exfoliate in the shallow water. The passage is also a safe haven, away from the predatory orcas’

U.S photographer Michael Forsberg captured this image of a ‘disguised biologist approaching an endangered whooping crane’ in Louisiana, USA. NHM says: ‘The biologist acted with cat-like quickness to check the bird’s health and change a transmitter that was no longer working. The transmitter helps biologists track these non-migratory birds and learn more about them’

‘A polar bear cub attempts an underwater surprise attack on a northern fulmar’ in this powerful image captured by Norwegian photographer Erlend Haarberg in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. NHM says: ‘The cub was having fun diving under the water and resurfacing, playing with the seaweed and kelp. The northern fulmar resting on the surface of the water awakened the cub’s desire to hunt. Erlend watched as it attempted several underwater surprise attacks on the bird, only to fail each time. Play hunting like this is essential learning for a young bear’

U.S photographer Savannah Rose snapped this breathtaking image of a beaver ‘slapping its tail’ to ‘alert its family to a newcomer’ in Wyoming. NHM reveals: ‘Savannah had been trying to document this dramatic beaver behaviour for years. Beavers use tail smacks to alert their family group to a newcomer. Despite the theatrics, beavers usually relax quickly after discovering the newcomer doesn’t pose a threat’

In this striking image, called ‘The Brave Gecko’ and taken by South African photographer Willie Burger van Schalkwyk, ‘a giant ground gecko stands fast against a pale chanting goshawk’ in South Africa’s Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. NHM reveals: ‘Willie watched as the little lizard put up a brave fight against its large attacker. Unfortunately, there was no hope of survival, but Willie was impressed by the gecko’s bravery’

French photographer Samuel Bloch captured this shot of a northern giant petrel sitting on its nest in Enderby Island, New Zealand. NHM says: ‘Northern giant petrels are large seabirds. They’re used to flying above the waves for weeks without encountering land. Samuel was surprised to find this one in such a woody environment’

This captivating image, shot by British photographer David Northall, depicts a ‘bloodied but determined honey badger’ returning to ‘finish off’ a Cape porcupine in Botswana, despite its injuries. NHM explains: ‘Found throughout Botswana, honey badgers are famously ferocious. They often chase animals many times their own size. This honey badger got an unpleasant surprise when it [first] attacked the normally nocturnal Cape porcupine’

‘A decorator crab perches on top of a sea squirt to comb the water for drifting plankton’, in this image taken by Israeli photographer Noam Kortler on a night dive in Komodo Bay in Indonesia. NHM explains: ‘The sea squirt provided the crab with the perfect stage to feed on drifting plankton. The crab had camouflaged and armed itself with tiny hydroids known as Tubularia. These can sting other animals and so helped protect the crab from predators’

In this incredible image, taken by French photographer Vincent Premel in French Guiana during the first rains after a ‘long dry spell’, a Surinam golden-eyed tree frog ‘puffs out its cheeks as it prepares to call for a mate’. NHM explains: ‘When it rains, the ponds fill with water. Dozens of species descend from the canopy or come out of the ground. They’re here to lay their eggs in the water, in an event called “explosive breeding”. The density of individuals is hard to imagine’