Michelle Lawford, Penguin in Flight (ANIMALS 2026)

Web:

www.wild-photography.com.au

By briefly "flying" through the air, gentoo penguins reduce friction and drag, allowing them to breathe more frequently while maintaining maximum swimming speed. On the Antarctic Peninsula, I loved the challenge of trying to pick out, and follow, one penguin in the midst of a raft of splashing missiles. Anticipating when and where the penguin would leap out of the water was great fun.

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