Great white shark
Photographer Chris Fallows said: "While exploring the seabed in a solo mobile cage off the coast of Stewart Island in New Zealand, this magnificent 11-foot great white shark surveyed me for over 20 minutes, giving me the privilege of photographing what it looked like swimming on the golden seabed. Elsewhere, notably South Africa, previously powerful great white shark populations have been massively reduced due to severe mismanagement of marine ecosystems and other anthropomorphic pressures, such as outdated bather protected shark nets, bycatch, overfishing of prey and poaching. Orca predation, although natural, has also recently increased stress. The coastlines of New Zealand, Australia and North America are few data points for this key species, which is critical to the balance and well-being of marine ecosystems. (Image: Chris Fallows)
Green sea turtles
Photographer Aimee Jan said: "This is a solitary green sea turtle on Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. While snorkeling on the back of the reef, my friend shouted that she had found a large school of glassfish under a ledge about ten meters deep. As I dived down, the wall of glassfish opened to reveal a perfectly framed one that seemed to be resting, and then turned to look directly at me. I had time to take four pictures before I needed to come up and breathe air. When I look back at them, I know it's one of the best moments I've ever captured. From hatching, this only has a less than 0.001% chance of surviving to adulthood. Tragically, sea turtles face significant threats such as climate change, habitat loss, coastal development, pollution, wild animal predation, boat strikes, by-catch from commercial and recreational fishing, and entanglement and digestion of marine debris. As the challenges to their survival grow, I hope we can work together to protect such a magnificent creature that future generations can admire." (Image: Amy Jane)
Black rhinoceros
Photographer David Lloyd said: "Karanja is the name of this iconic black rhino, who spent his years in Maasai Mara, Kenya, until his death in December 2014 due to natural causes. He boasted what some consider to be the longest horn in Africa, measuring 34 inches long. His second horn is longer than the first horn of most rhinos. Karanja even boasted about the third, immediately following the second. He is the oldest rhino in the sanctuary and has a rare living connection to a time when rhinos were still common. This photo was taken in 2014. It was always a pleasure to spend time with him in his natural environment. What modern generations don't realize is that a hundred years ago, all rhinos had this look. But sadly, hunter killings and other cultures' craving for keratin have brought a new normal to the appearance of rhinos. (Image: David Lloyd)
Polar bear family
Photographer Jiang Hao: "I saw this family of polar bears stop as they trek to the sea ice to hunt seals on the frozen days of the Arctic. At this point, these adorable twin pups turn their first adventure into playtime, using their patient mom as a playground. They were only about three months old and had just come out of the delivery room a few days earlier. Because polar bear pups are young and helpless in the harsh Arctic, they rely on their mothers for everything they need to survive. They remain inseparable until the cubs are about two and a half years old. The weather is minus 40 degrees Celsius, accompanied by strong arctic winds. But I was honored to take this photo in a restricted Arctic Daniels area of Waptsk National Park in Canada, and I have already obtained permission to enter. (Photo: Jiang Hao)
African elephant
Photographer Berndt Weissenbacher: "I call this picture The Kiss. This is a baby African elephant greeting her sister in South Africa's Kruger National Park. It is always an honor to photograph African elephants. While their shape and rather drab gray may not seem photogenic, the great wisdom and remarkable social organization and community interaction witnessed in the elephant herd can produce inspiring images if they are considered and respected. Elephants are the largest land mammals on Earth. However, they face existential threats such as habitat loss and human-wildlife conflicts in many parts of Africa, as well as the continued killing of animals for ivory trade in ivory. The African forest elephant was recently listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the African savannah elephant was listed as endangered. Like all species, African elephants must be empowered to continue their autonomous human economic exploitation. (Photo: Berndt Weissenbacher)
puffin
Kevin Morgan, the photographer who took this photo in Shetland, said: "The global population of Atlantic puffins is declining. Several factors contribute to this, including unsustainable fishing, marine pollution and invasive terrestrial predators, but their main threat comes from changes in the distribution and abundance of sand eels, their main food source. This is due to the fact that rising sea temperatures reduce the number of plankton in the ocean, which is the main food source for sand eels, which in turn are the main food for puffins. The decline in plankton in our waters has had a huge impact on the food chain, and puffins have been forced to abandon their regular feeding grounds in the North Sea in favor of looking for sand eels deep into the Atlantic. These toils exhaust the parent birds, and the parrots go without food for a long time. Sadly, this has led to a significant increase in chick mortality. There are more than 10 million adult puffins worldwide, and it's not too late to reverse the decline. Hope remains, but salvation can only come from a change in human attitudes and better management of the marine and coastal environment. (Image: Kevin Morgan)
cheetah
Photographer Nili Gudhka said: "On a cold winter morning in Kenya's famous Masai Mara National Reserve, we met a mother cheetah and two baby cubs. They had just woken up from a good night's sleep, eagerly awaiting the warm sunshine. When the sun rises, the pups become very naughty. One of them decided to climb a dead tree log. Cheetahs are considered vulnerable by IUCN, with a survival rate of only about 5% for their young. Sadly, just two days later, one of the cheetah cubs was killed by hyenas at night, and a few weeks later, the second cub was killed by a male lion. Cheetahs are heading for extinction due to habitat loss and illegal wildlife trafficking as they are used as pets in many countries. (Image: Nili Gudhka)
Andean frog
Photographer Lucas Bustamante said: "This is the spotted torrent frog, one of the most beautiful frogs on the planet. These Andean frogs live on very limited waterfalls around the Andean foothills [this photo was taken in Santa Barbara Park, Ecuador]. They measure about ten centimeters and are characterized by striking colors and patterns, including fingertips, and each species has its own "nail polish" color. Because of their very specific distribution, they are vulnerable to habitat changes, so protecting their ecosystems is critical. (Image: Lucas Bustamante)
vulture
Photographer Marco Gaiotti said: "This picture shows a vulture of Rüppell flying in front of Jinbar Waterfall in Ethiopia's Simien Mountains. The Lüpel vulture is a large bird of prey that is listed as critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The current number is 22,000, which is decreasing mainly due to habitat loss. The vulture of Lüpel is also considered the tallest flying bird, with solid evidence of flying at an altitude of 37,000 feet. Vultures usually climb the steep walls of the canyon where the waterfall flows to take advantage of the updrafts that form during the day. In this photo, light filtered into the canyon from above illuminates birds in flight, leaving the background in darkness and creating a strong contrast between light and shadow. Vultures are essential for the health of ecosystems. As waste pickers, they play a clean-up role – but in many parts of Asia and Africa, their numbers have declined dramatically. (Photo: Marco Gaiotti)
manatee
Photographer Gabby Salazar said: "This is a picture of two Florida manatees lounging near Freshwater Springs in Florida, USA. The average temperature of the spring water is about 72 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, which makes the spring a warm refuge for manatees during the cold winter months. Manatees face many challenges in Florida, including collisions with boats and lack of food. Recently, many manatees in Florida have starved to death because pollutants have increased algae blooms, leading to a decline in seagrass — their main food source. Floridians love manatees, and they energize to help mitigate this latest threat. Seagrass restoration projects are helping manatee habitat restoration, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has launched a supplemental feeding program. (Image: Gabi Salazar)
lion
Photographer Graeme Green said: "The lion is one of my favourite animals. It was unforgettable to hear them roar their territorial warnings in the Kenyan grasslands. Lions are powerful animals, global symbols of strength, courage and nobility, and I wanted to show their tender, affectionate side through this photograph to capture the two brothers roaming the Naboishau reserve together. Perhaps because lions are such powerful, fearsome animals that many believe they are doing well. But like many other species at present, their numbers are rapidly declining. Over the past 25 years, African lion populations have declined by about 50 percent. They currently account for only 8% of their historical range. Bushmeat hunting (reducing lion's prey), habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict are all major factors. The lion is a top predator. By removing them, the balance between predator and prey is lost, which can have an impact on the entire ecosystem. (Image: Graeme Green)
chimpanzee
Photographer Thomas D Mangelsen said: "In 2018, I had the privilege of visiting Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania's nature reserve, with my dear friend Dr Jane Goodall, for the first time with my dear friend Dr Jane Goodall, where her chimpanzee research began in the late 1960s. On the last day, as if to hint, a miracle happened when a group of a dozen chimpanzees descended from trees and entered a clearing. This photo shows a ten-month-old chimpanzee named Gombe, Gramlin's grandson, a chimpanzee that Jane studied and was familiar with. Gombe leaned on his mother, Gretel. This photo illustrates similar behavior among our closest relatives in the animal world. In many ways, we are mirror reflections of each other. Millions of chimpanzees once lived in equatorial Africa. However, the jungle meat trade, habitat destruction, and the black market for live chimpanzee and animal parts have had devastating effects. Currently, chimpanzees are listed as endangered, with 170,000 to 300,000 individuals believed to remain in the wild. (Image: Thomas Mangelson)
leopard
Photographer Graeme Green, who took the photo in Tanzania's Ruaha National Park, said: "Leopards are very elegant animals and have one of nature's most beautiful coats. They are also powerful and agile, which makes them excellent hunters. But seeing leopards hunting from trees is very unusual, and that's what happens in this photo. Leopards stare at an unfortunate impala, which unknowingly grazes on the grass under the baobab tree. The leopard has been resting on the branches, but seized the opportunity to stare at the impala and then bounce along the trunk.
As a wildlife photographer, I'm not very interested in "killing," but do want to capture this extraordinary and rare act of hunting from trees or dying from above. Like many species, leopards' beauty is part of the reason for their disappearance – their skin, as well as teeth and other body parts, are in high demand. Habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as human-wildlife conflicts, are also driving the decline. If they were allowed to disappear completely, it would be a terrible loss to nature. (Image: Graeme Green)
grouper
Photographer Tom Shlesinger said: "Atlantic groupers are huge fish that can live for decades, growing to two and a half metres long and weighing up to 360 kilograms. This photo was taken near Palm Beach, Florida. Groupers breed in large numbers each year at the same site off Florida's Atlantic coast. Decades ago, with a severe decline in grouper populations, Florida banned fishing, leading to an increase in population. Now, there are new plans to reopen fishing, which could put their future at risk again. In order to find an interesting composition for this large, easy-going fish, I was lucky on a dive - schools of bigeye surrounded groupers, ignoring schools of silver in favor of larger prey. I watched fascinated as the groupers calmly swam past the swirling schools of small fish and knew immediately that this was the perfect time to catch a unique perspective. (Image: Tom Schlesinger)
Royal Bengal tiger
Photographer Vladimir Cech Jr said: "Lantahol National Park in central India is my 'second home'. I was lucky enough to see tigers there many times. They are such spectacular and powerful animals. The Royal Bengal tiger is the most abundant tiger subspecies on Earth. It sounds like a lot, but unfortunately, it doesn't. Tigers once dominated a large part of our planet, but now they occupy only seven percent of their historical range – they live on forested islands surrounded by human oceans. The main factors contributing to the decline in tiger populations are habitat loss and fragmentation, lack of corridors, territorial fighting, inbreeding and poaching. The illegal killing of natural prey such as deer and wild boar has greatly reduced the food supply of big cats. Humans are the direct or indirect cause of tiger mortality, accounting for about 80% of tiger deaths. Tigers are often poached for their fur and body parts, which are widely used as traditional medicine – despite the fact that no part of the tiger's body has any medicinal value. (Photo: Vladimir Cech Jr.)
gorilla
Photographer Mark Edward Harris said: "I'm particularly interested in great apes. Many people don't realize that we humans are one of five people in this "great ape" category. When I ask the audience to name all five species of apes at one of my talks or photo sessions, the other thing people often forget is bonobos – everyone has orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees. Rwanda's volcanic national parks are unbeatable when it comes to photographing gorillas in the wild. It was in this area that Dian Fossey worked to help save gorillas from extinction. Today, their number is steadily increasing. It was a pleasant surprise that I was able to get close to the gorilla. This close, personal experience is truly one of the greatest moments a person can experience in the wild. (Image: Mark Edward Harris)
This concludes the "amazing photos of endangered wildlife". Nature is the place where beauty is created, and humans are gradually destroying all this! I hope to see friends and friends who cherish the animals around us, every life has the right to live, and the earth is our common home.