Fantastic Mr Arctic Fox in line for picture prize

An Arctic fox carrying its trophy from a raid on a snow goose nest captured by Sergey Gorshkov is one of the finalists in the renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Playful seals, nuzzling bears and a valiant-looking bald eagle are featured in images from the finalists of Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s 53rd competition.

The exhibition opens next month at the Natural History Museum in London, which runs the annual competition.

This year’s competition attracted almost 50,000 entries from professionals and amateurs across 92 countries. The overall winners will be announced on 17 October at an awards ceremony in the museum. Winning images are selected for their creativity, originality and technical excellence.

After the flagship exhibition opening in London, the images will embark on a UK and international tour.

0 Bold eagle by Klaus Nigge

0 The insiders by Qing Lin

0 Swim gym by Laurent Ballesta

0 Bear hug by Ashleigh Scully

0 Sewage surfer by Justin Hofman

0 Resplendent delivery by Tyohar Kastiel

0 The power of the matriarch by David Lloyd