
Credit: Minghui Yuan
The Hair-net Cocoon was highly commended in the 2019 Invertebrates category
Wildlife Photographer of the Year: there's no place like home
Like many things in the animal kingdom, homes come in all shapes and sizes.
As the world adapts to spending more time indoors, here is some inspiration from the natural world to show how creatures big and small have found a place to call home.
These images, all from this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, demonstrate the adaptability of our animal neighbours.
Canopy Hang-out - Carlos Pérez Naval
This photo, by young photographer Carlos Pérez Naval, shows a brown-throated three-toed sloth at home in a cecropia tree. Sloths live a relatively solitary life, spending most of their time in the canopies of tropical rainforests in South and Central America.

Credit: Carlos Pérez Naval
Canopy Hang-out was highly commended in the 2019 young competition for 11-14 year olds
Carlos tracked this particular male sloth for several days before getting this perfect shot. The morning fog gives the forest a dreamlike quality as the sloth enjoys his view.
Fluff formation - Stefan Christmann
Not all animals live alone - in fact, for emperor penguins, their very survival is often dependent on the presence of their community.

Credit: Stefan Christmann
Fluff formation was part of Stefan Christmann's winning Wildlife Photographer Portfolio Award
Stefan Christmann's striking shot shows young penguins huddling in what is known as a crèche while their parents go off to hunt. These early gatherings are formative for the young chicks who must learn to share the warm centre if they are all to survive.
Portrait of a Spanish Tarantula - Javier Aznar González de Rueda
Other creatures, like this Spanish tarantula (not a true tarantula but actually a type of wolf spider), rely on their homemaking capabilities for more than just warmth.

Credit: Javier Aznar González de Rueda
Javier's Portrait of the Spanish Tarantula was highly commended in the 2019 Animal Portraits category
The spider's leafy underground lair is knit with finely spun silk. When insects pass by, the tiny vibrations that they create are transmitted along the silk so that the spider can dart out and catch her prey.
An intuitive and quick hunter, this spider blends perfectly into the decaying leaves that make up her home.
The Albatross Cave - Thomas P Peschak
For Chatham albatrosses, camouflage is less important than shelter. The large cave on the side of Te Tara Koi Koia island, New Zealand, provides the perfect shelter for nest-building and breeding.

Credit: Thomas P. Peschak
Highly commended in the 2019 Animals in their Environment category
This location is so perfect that it's the only place in the world where Chatham albatrosses breed naturally. Wildlife photographer Thomas P Peschak is one of very few people to witness such a moment.
Unfortunately, extreme storms have begun to erode the soil on Te Tara Koi Koia and the vegetation that the albatrosses need for nest-building has declined. Conservationists have recently translocated a new breeding colony onto a nearby island to improve the species' chances of survival.
Pondworld – Manuel Plaickner
A changing climate has also affected the habits of the common frog, the subject of Manuel Plaickner's colourful shot.

Credit: Manuel Plaickner
Winner of the 2019 Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles category
Frogs live a solitary life for most of the year, gathering only to breed in the spring. As spring temperatures get warmer, the frogs are emerging from their winter shelters earlier each year to begin their migration.
Manuel tracked the frogs to a large pond where they had gathered to breed. Clusters of frogspawn can be seen among the pondweed as adult frogs linger nearby.
Dinner duty – Tommy Pedersen
Tommy Pedersen's peaceful shot shows a family of great grey owls at dinner time. Tommy photographed the young family for weeks, being careful not to disturb them by hiding under a camouflage net.

Credit: Tommy Pedersen
Dinner Duty was highly commended in the 2019 Behaviour: Birds category
Great grey owls do not build their own nests - they often reuse the nests of other large birds. This family has made themselves at home in the hollow of a tree. They will stay for a number of weeks while the young chick prepares to fledge, protected by its parents at all times.
The Rat Pack – Charlie Hamilton James
Charlie Hamilton James used a remote camera set-up to get this photo of a group of rats emerging from their home under a tree grille.

Credit: Charlie Hamilton James
The Rat Pack won the 2019 Urban Wildlife category
Unlike most animals, rats benefit from the spread of human civilisation. They thrive in places where there is ample food and shelter, like in big cities.
Rats are smart and able to navigate underground systems with ease. They are also strong swimmers and good at burrowing, so they're well adapted to life underground.
Lucky Break -Jason Bantle
Racoons are also particularly well adapted to live alongside humans. This resourceful racoon mother has found an ideal den to keep her young cubs safe while she forages for food.

Credit: Jason Bantle
Highly commendedin the 2019 Urban Wildlife category.
Jason Bantle used a long exposure to get his photo as the mother poked her head out and surveyed her surroundings.
The doors and windows of the car are shut, leaving the hole in the windshield as the only entrance. Happily, it was just big enough for her but too small for predators such as coyotes.
-
News
First look at Wildlife Photographer of the Year 59
Here’s a glimpse at some mesmerising images from this year's upcoming exhibition.
31 August 2023 -
Wildlife photography
Wildlife Photographer of the Year: The Disappearing Giraffe
Jose Fragozo’s image The Disappearing Giraffe captures the contrast between the natural world and human infrastructure.
-
Wildlife photography
Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Draining the Basin
Who gets water when there's not enough for everyone? Morgan Heim's image captures the moment of relief as groundwater gushes from a ditch in the parched Klamath Basin.
-
Wildlife photography
Wildlife Photographer of the Year: A Slim Outlook for South America's Spectacled Bear
Why are elusive spectacled bears roaming Quito's city limits?
The world's wildlife is under threat
Any donation to the Museum, no matter the size, could help our scientists in their work to strengthen habitats and protect species for decades to come.
Donate today and help create a future where both people and planet thrive.