Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Patrick Centurioni (Austria)

Mouse pounce

'Normally, the vixen would come at dawn and then again at dusk to the fields near my home on the outskirts of Vienna. One day, I saw two small cubs trotting by its side. They'd come for a hunting lesson. They watched the vixen quietly from the side of the field, then rushed out to see what had been caught.' Apart from humans, foxes are the most widely distributed and adaptable of all carnivores, living everywhere except Antarctica. It helps that they aren't picky eaters - they grab and eat what they can find. Foxes eat small mammals, such as mice and voles, worms, insects, birds, fish and fruit. To catch mice they spring up and dive on the prey to catch them.

Canon EOS 400D + 300mm f4 lens with 1.4 converter; 1/400 sec at f5.6; ISO 200.

This photograph is available to buy as a print.