The chunky object lodged on a sika deer’s antlers isn’t a bundle of leaves and mud, nor random trash left behind by humans. It’s the decomposed head of another sika deer. The rather happy-looking deer in the photograph ended up with this grotesque trophy following a fight with another male over a female. The rival apparently died during battle, but not before the pair got their antlers stuck. According to witnesses, the victor dragged the corpse around for days until the head eventually popped off.
The Natural History Museum of London describes the photograph, taken by Kohei Nagira in Hokkaido, Japan, as an image that “shows life and death bound together.” Titled “Never-Ending Struggle,” this photograph is one of 24 finalists for the museum’s Nuveen People’s Choice Award for the best wildlife photography of 2026.
Now, it may seem a bit too early in the year to start a bid for the best photography of 2026. But I daresay it’s never the wrong time to appreciate the natural beauty—and brutality!—of wildlife. What’s more, we non-expert judges get a say on the winner—hence the title, “People’s Choice.”
We’ve selected some of our favorite candidates from the shortlist, but you can see the entire gallery here.
Voting closes at 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 18. If there’s an item from our selection that captures your heart, make sure to head over and cast your vote.
Beauty Against the Beast
To start, here’s a photograph of flamingos against the backdrop of a long march of power lines. The sky glows in a faint orange and pink—mirroring the flamingo plumage—as a pair of flamingos take flight.
The photograph was taken in a bird sanctuary located in Walvis Bay, Namibia, by Swiss photographer Alexandre Brisson.
Dancing in the Headlights
British photographer Will Nicholls says this captured moment felt almost theatrical: two bear cubs caught in a playfight in a dark forest, silhouetted against the glow of car headlights.
It’s not rare for bears to show up in Jasper National Park, Canada, where the photograph was taken. But bear mothers tend to keep their cubs hidden, so the moment was truly a rarity.
Hold Me Tightly
Not sure what you’re looking at? Pay closer attention to the upper right, and you’ll spot a baby brown-throated three-toed sloth smiling contentedly in its mother’s embrace.
American photographer Dvir Barkay captured the lovely pair in Le Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica, where downpours are common. But Mama Sloth carefully shielded her baby from the rain with her own body, as the image shows.
Along for the Ride
Nature has a good share of odd partnerships, but we often underestimate how intentional these collaborations are—probably more often than we’d like to admit.
In this image, American photographer Chris Gug spotted a juvenile swimming crab apparently hitching a ride on a jellyfish. Gug was scuba diving at night in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, when he found the pair. The reason for this remains unclear, Gug admitted.
Couple’s Camouflage
Speaking of pairs, this one’s a bit intense. As Gizmodo’s resident bug enthusiast, I am rarely shocked by insect pics, but even I was mildly creeped out by this photograph, taken by Polish photographer Artur Tomaszek.
A tiny male broad-headed bark spider peeks out from the head of a camouflaged female, which are typically at least three to four times larger than males. The male is just sitting there waiting for the female to molt and mate. Wildlife is very weird that way.
Portrait of Extinction
At first glance, the pile of brown stuff looks like it could be made of branches. A closer look may leave you wondering if they’re guns, like the ones held by the two rangers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
But these are actually snares confiscated by the rangers over a year in Murchison Falls National Park, where unauthorized snaring continues to be a serious problem in Africa. Australian photographer Adam Oswell took the image, in addition to joining the rangers and community volunteers in building the pile of snares.
A Leap Into Adulthood
Last but not least, German photographer Peter Lindel closely tracked the history of a certain kestrel family from the courting of the parent pair to the birth and departure of their chicks. The kestrel family had settled down near his home in Dortmund, Germany. This photograph shows the moment the young kestrels peer into the distance, pondering how they could get from their perch to a wooden beam protruding from the brick wall.
According to Lindel, it took nearly a week for them to muster the courage to take the leap, and the babies left their home a week later.
Read the full article here
