South African photographer Ernest Porter said he was “delighted” to capture this scene of an oxpecker cleaning its bill against a rhino’s skin. The bird feeds on the insects that infest the rhinos’ skin, which is why the red-billed oxpecker’s name in Swahili, askari wa kifaru, means “the rhino’s guard.”
I’ll take Porter’s word for it, but I honestly can’t help but think that the oxpecker looks like it’s just plopped against the rhino, staring blankly into the void—so, basically, me on a Wednesday afternoon.
Jokes aside, Porter’s lovely photograph was designated as “Highly Commended” in the bird category for this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award, hosted by the U.K. Natural History Museum (NHM). On its 62nd year, the competition has attracted a record-breaking 65,403 entries from 121 countries, and a panel of judges selected the winners across 19 categories.
You can see the entire gallery of winners and finalists here. Voting for the People’s Choice Awards is still open, which you can check out here. In the meantime, here are some of our favorite—sometimes relatable—entries from the gallery.
The overall grand title winner went to Italian photographer Federico Vernosei. In this photograph, a female elephant carries the body of a dead calf, leaving behind drag marks in the sand. We humans may never really know what’s really going on, but research has suggested that elephants have their own grieving rituals, according to the NHM. We may be witnessing one here.
“This photograph works on so many levels,” Kathy Moran, who chaired the judging panel, said in a statement .
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