Winners of prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year award unveiled

More than 43,000 images from almost 100 countries have been whittled down to just 18 to find the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Greg du Toit won the prestigious overall award for his photograph of an elephant herd in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana.

The South African said the winning image "hints at the special energy I feel when I am with elephants".

A 14-year-old photographer from India was named in the youth category for his image of newly-hatched crocodiles basking in the sun on their mother's head.

Udayan Rao Pawar said he witnessed the scene at dawn on the banks of the Chambal River in Madhya Pradesh.

"The mother rose to the surface from the murky depths of the river in response to the guttural calls of hatchlings, which then rushed towards her and climbed over her exposed head," he said.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide. The exhibition opens at the museum from 18th October 2013 - 23rd March 2014.

See some of the other winning photos here:

Portfolio Award

Portfolio award

Animals and their Environment

Behaviour: Birds

Behaviour: Mammals

Behaviour: Cold blooded

Wildscapes

Creative visions