Andrea Dominizi “recounts a story of destruction and resilience” in the photo, the citation said.
On the one side, we see the logging machinery, and on the other, the small beetle of the Morimus asper species, which possesses the fundamental ability to recycle dead wood and which, thanks to a play on perspective, appears as large as the machinery, as if to underscore that these insects’ contribution to the ecosystem in which they live is infinitely more valuable than their size suggests.
The beautiful shot taken in the Monti Lepini near Latina in Lazio is, therefore, among the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 competition, a benchmark for nature photography now in its 61st year, organised annually by the Natural History Museum in London.
An exhibition there, open from October 17, will also allow visitors to admire the photographs selected from the nearly 61,000 entries submitted this year, a record number.
This year’s overall winner is South African photographer Wim van den Heever, with an almost ghostly image: a rare brown hyena gazes directly into the camera while prowling at night in the ghost town of Kolmanskop, Namibia, in front of an abandoned and half-destroyed house.
The judges considered this photo the clearest demonstration of the qualities needed to be a successful nature photographer: curiosity, patience, talent and above all, perseverance, given that the photographer spent 10 years capturing this image.
The other award-winning shots are equally spectacular.
For example, in the “portraits” category, another Italian photographer, Philipp Egger, was awarded for a nearly pitch-black shot illuminated only by the orange gleam of an eagle owl’s eyes and the faint evening light falling on its feathers.
In the bird section, a stunning synchronised hunting scene captured by China’s Qingrong Yang stood out: a little egret, its wings completely covering its head and body, looms over a fish about to devour another smaller one.
Meanwhile, in the “Animals in their Environment” category, Canadian photographer Shane Gross photographed a moray eel emerging from the water to hunt for food, a behaviour that demonstrates its remarkable adaptability.
Among the mammal photos, one by American photographer Dennis Stogsdill stands out: he observed a caracal hunting a flamingo in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, a rare and unique moment to capture.
Then there is the group of tree frogs that gathered for only a few hours after heavy rains, their light green colour standing out brilliantly against the dark foliage of vegetation in the image by Frenchman Quentin Martinez.
There was also an incredible headdress of a caterpillar captured by Australian Georgina Steytler, and a flock of seagulls crowding around a fishing boat, illustrating, thanks to the photo by Norwegian Audun Rikardsen, the coexistence between marine fauna and the fishing industry.
To see these photos, click here.
ANSA
