Author: Jonathan Amos / Source: BBC News
Two snub-nosed monkeys are pictured resting on a stone and staring intently into the distance. What are they looking at, and what are they thinking?
It turns out they are watching a big barney between members of their troop.
This image of apparent serenity versus commotion is the overall winner of the 2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, announced at a gala dinner at London’s Natural History Museum.
The picture was taken by Marsel van Oosten in China’s Qinling Mountains.
The Dutchman had to follow the troop for many days to understand the animals’ dynamics and predict their behaviour. His goal was to show in one shot the beautiful hair on a male snub-nosed monkey’s back, and the creature’s blue face.
Marsel’s perseverance eventually paid off with this exquisite composition that includes a smaller female behind.
The photographer told BBC News he was “shocked and honoured” to receive the award. “I am happy that it is with this particular image because it is an endangered species and one that very few people even know exists and it is important that we realise that there are a lot of species on this planet that are under threat.
“It is not only rhinos, tigers and polar bears; and these kind of species deserve a lot more attention and all the protection they can get.”
The image is not showy or shocking as WPY winners sometimes are. But there is something enthralling there that pulls you in, says Roz Kidman Cox, the chair of the competition’s judges.
“As we were going through the entries, we just kept coming back to this one,” she recalls. “It’s almost like a stage set. I think what makes it are the colours and the lighting.
“These monkeys normally feed in the trees, but somehow Marsel’s managed to catch them on the ground, and he’s carefully thrown a very gentle flash on to the scene to illuminate that amazing fur.”
Lounging leopard by Skye Meaker
The animal is well known and goes by the name of Mathoja, which in the Bantu language means “the one that walks with a limp”. The leopard broke a leg as a juvenile.
It survives but has to fight hard because unlike other big cats it cannot pull dead prey into the trees to eat it, says Skye. That means eating on the ground where hyenas are always trying to pinch a kill.
“We waited several hours to get this shot. I wanted Mathoja’s eyes to be open, and just for a couple of minutes that’s what happened. Mathoja looked straight at us.”
As well as his grand title, 16-year-old Skye wins the 15-17 Years Old category.
He has a big future, believes Kidman Cox: “I’ve had enough of leopards on a log; it’s a cliche. But Skye has something different here. I think again it’s to do with the light; the dappled green in the background. And then there’s the expression on the leopard’s face.”
Here are some other section winners:
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