The winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (@nhm_wpy), developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London, have been announced! Browse some highlights here and read the stories behind the images below. #WPY59 . The 2023 competition is now open for entries! To learn more, visit www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy #WPY59 . 1. The big buzz by Karine Aigner (@kaigner), USA, Winner, Behaviour: Invertebrates. “Karine Aigner gets close to the action as a group of bees compete to mate. Using a macro lens, Karine captured the flurry of activity as a buzzing ball of cactus bees spun over the hot sand. After a few minutes, the pair at its centre – a male clinging to the only female in the scrum – flew away to mate. The world’s bees are under threat from habitat loss, pesticides and climate change. With 70% of bee species nesting underground, it is increasingly important that areas of natural soil are left undisturbed.” South Texas, USA. © Karine Aigner / Wildlife Photographer of The Year. . 2. Shooting star by Tony Wu (@tonywu98), USA/Japan, Winner, Underwater. "Tony Wu watches the electrifying reproductive dance of a giant sea star. As the surrounding water filled with sperm and eggs from spawning sea stars, Tony faced several challenges. Stuck in a small, enclosed bay with only a macro lens for photographing small subjects, he backed up to squeeze the undulating sea star into his field of view, in this galaxy-like scene. The ‘dancing’ posture of spawning sea stars rising and swaying may help release eggs and sperm, or may help sweep the eggs and sperm into the currents where they fertilise together in the water." Kinko Bay, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. © Tony Wu / Wildlife Photographer of The Year. . Continued in comments...