Week in wildlife: a ferocious wildcat, a cheeky seal and a disgruntled lioness
Got any fish? … an opportunistic seal hopped on to some fishermen’s kayaks as they were angling in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, UK. The seal, which they nicknamed Sammy, visited both kayakers after it spotted them releasing their catch back into the water. Nicolas, who leads fishing adventures in the area, said: “Seals are super-intelligent and they will do anything for a treat. This one was more than a handful”Photograph: Nicolas Valentin/SWNS
Meanwhile, in Madagascar, where they really know how to name a species, a short-legged ground roller catches a pimple-nose chameleonPhotograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Beaky blinder … one of two juvenileplatypuses found in the Royal national park south of Sydney, Australia. Ten platypuses were reintroduced into the park in 2023, and the discovery of these young ones confirms that the new arrivals are thriving and breedingPhotograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
This pair of amorous lions made the cut for the Comedy Wildlife awards 2025 – in pictures. “During a photo safari in Serengeti national park in Tanzania, we were following this pair of lions in love. Unfortunately, they were disturbed by a violent thunderstorm, which dampened their enthusiasm! It created a cute scene with both of them shaking off the rain, but the male always prevailed due to his impressive mane!”Photograph: Massimo Felici
Three new animal species – two frogs and a gecko – have been discovered on Dauan island in Australia’s north (population: 131). This one is Callulops gobakula; it has a croaking call similar to that of a green tree frog and lives in cracks between bouldersPhotograph: Conrad Hoskin/James Cook University
Mission to marsh … thousands of rare pond mud snails have been released into wetlands around the Pentland Hills, UK, as part of a conservation project run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The charity released more than 3,000 snails into ponds and bogs southwest of Edinburgh. Pond mud snails play an important role in the ecosystem, acting as natural cleaners by consuming dead plants and organic waste. They also help control excessive algal growth and recycle nutrients back into the waterPhotograph: Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
Max, a huge Siberian brown bear, bulks up for winter hibernation at International Animal Rescue’s centre in Armenia. Along with Minnie, his companion, he was kept for years in a filthy cage in a bus depot. Now the pair are thriving: “They are seizing a second chance to enjoy life to the full,” said the head of the rescue organisationPhotograph: International Animal Rescue/FPWC
An endangered sea turtle has washed up on UK shores, more than 3,000 miles from home. This Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was found on the shores of Tiree in the Hebrides, Scotland, in a state of shock from the cold water. Critically endangered, the turtle is typically found along the east coast of the US and Mexico. Rangers named her Sorabaidgh and, having wrapped her in a towel, took her to an aquarium to recoverPhotograph: Tiree Ranger Service/SWNS
A six-week-old orphaned two-toed sloth drinks goat milk at the Panamerican Conservation Association during a conservation activity for International Sloth Day, in Panama City, PanamaPhotograph: Enea Lebrun/Reuters
The annual gathering-in of wild Exmoor ponies from the Anchor Herd on Winsford Hill in Exmoor National Park, UK. The ponies are rounded up and brought in for health checks once a yearPhotograph: Shutterstock
An intrepid Socotran chameleon, endemic to the island of Socotra, Yemen. Socotra lies about 150 miles off the coast of the Horn of Africa and is home to 825 plant species, more than a third of which are only found there. Among them are the otherworldly dragon’s blood tree and 11 species of frankincensePhotograph: Carl Court/Getty Images
A peacock passes by as Tom Vaillant of France plays during the DP World Tour championship golf tournament in New Delhi, IndiaPhotograph: Manish Swarup/AP
A North Atlantic right whale in the waters off New England, US. Scientists say the right whale population is slowly increasing after years of decline; there are now 384 in the world, which is eight more than last yearPhotograph: AP
One of 18 wildcats that have been released in the Scottish Highlands, UK. This is the third year that wildcats have been released into the Cairngorms national park after being declared functionally extinct in Britain in 2019. Experts have said there is “real hope for the future” of wildcats in Scotland Photograph: Peter Cairns/Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
