A dancing stoat, sleepy seals and a lurking spider are just a few pictures that make up the Highly Commended images in 2024's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

This preview comes before the full list of winners, and the prestigious Grand Title and Young Grand Title awards, are announced on 8 October 2024 at a ceremony hosted by wildlife TV presenters and conservationists Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin.

Now in its 60th year, the Natural History Museum’s flagship exhibition will open on October 11 at the famous Kensington site and run until June 2025.

This year’s competition received a record-breaking 59,228 entries and will also see a brand new accolade in both the young and adult competitions, the Impact Award, which recognises a conservation success, a story of hope and/or positive change.

The 2024 line-up also features the first-ever smartphone picture to be awarded a Highly Commended title: an image of a frozen deer on the forest floor.

The newly-released shots also show a shark hauled aboard a Spanish longliner in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, as well as a jackdaw cleverly bringing stones to its nest in London’s Bushy Park and a jaguar delivering a fatal bite to a caiman in Brazil.

Chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran, said: “In this selection you see species diversity, a range of behaviour and conservation issues.

"These images represent the evolution of the competition through the years, from pure natural history to photography that fully embraces representation of the natural world - the beauty and the challenges. It is a powerful selection with which to kickstart a milestone anniversary.”

Take a look at the Highly Commended images below and stay tuned for 2024's winners...