Karen Morley, Sri Lankan Leopard (ANIMALS 2026)

This young male leopard photographed in Sri Lanka's Kumana National Park was a study in relaxed composure. He came quite close to the safari vehicle, walked alongside of it and then on the road ahead. He crossed through a small thicket and then climbed a large boulder, staying there for about half an hour. During that time he sprawled, yawned, cocked his ear listening to the deer barking nearby, but mostly just chilled.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.