This week's wildlife photography roundup features a celebrity elephant seal in Tasmania, a rare pink grasshopper in England, and an award-winning image of Andean condors in Patagonia. The collection showcases animals from around the world, highlighting both rare genetic mutations and intimate moments in nature.
Neil the Elephant Seal Continues to Charm Tasmania
Neil, a five-year-old elephant seal weighing 1,000kg, has become a local legend in southern Tasmania, Australia. Known for his habit of picking fights with bollards and playfully crushing fences, Neil has captured the hearts of locals. Senator Jacqui Lambie commented that he is 'the only bloke in Tasmania who can stop traffic, ignore everyone, and still be loved for it.'
Rare Pink Grasshopper Spotted in Somerset
Six rare reddish grasshoppers have been spotted in a back garden in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, UK. Meadow grasshoppers are common across the UK, but they are usually green or brown. These insects carry a rare condition called erythrism, a genetic mutation similar to albinism, which causes an overproduction of red pigment and turns them a fetching shade of pink.
Kingfishers Engage in Beak 'Swordfight'
Two kingfishers were captured battling for a prime fishing spot in a beak 'swordfight' in Staffordshire, UK. The dramatic image shows the birds locking beaks mid-air.
Andean Condor Portrait Wins Patagonia Photo Contest
'For a Lifetime,' an intimate portrait of two Andean condors, has won the top prize at the Patagonia photo contest 2026. Photographer Mauricio Rossanigo said: 'The pair arrived, and the magic happened: they started grooming and interacting in such a beautiful way that we couldn't believe it, and I just had to click at the right moment.'
Other Highlights from Around the World
An Atlantic ghost crab scurries back to its burrow in the Isle of Palms, South Carolina, US. A keel-billed toucan lands on a tree near Boca Tapada in central Costa Rica; its huge bill is surprisingly lightweight due to its hollow bone structure. In London, a resident pelican at St James's Park looks after its baby at a secluded nesting site. Six great white pelicans live in the park, and this is the first time they have successfully bred.
A jumping spider in a garden in Eheliyagoda, Sri Lanka, displays its many eyes. Semi-wild horses are driven to Almonte, Spain, in the Saca de las Yeguas (Separating the Mares) ritual. A common yellow swallowtail butterfly feeds on a flower in Chisseaux, France. A one-week-old sparrow chick that left the nest too soon due to hot weather is fed by a veterinarian in Wehrheim, near Frankfurt, Germany.
A macaque splashes in water at the Nanwan nature reserve on Hainan island, China, which is home to about 1,600 macaques. A Caucasian agama basks in the sun in Iğdır, Turkey. A stork family stands guard in their nest outside Frankfurt, Germany. A honey bee sucks nectar from a lavender flower in Anantnag, Kashmir, where lavender cultivation has grown in popularity as a sustainable alternative to traditional crops.
A hermit crab off the coast of Karaburun in Izmir, Turkey, has chosen a shell covered with marine organisms. Oleander aphids cluster on a swallow-wort plant in Sangju, South Korea. A drone photo captures elk at a national nature reserve in Shishou, central China. A sea anemone is seen on the seabed at Karathona beach near Nafplio, Greece.
A little owl at an abandoned quarry in Eskişehir, Turkey, which has turned into a safe breeding site for many bird species, rounds out the collection.
